How to make a footwear tech pack: what goes in it, page by page
The tech pack is the most important document in footwear development. The factory reads it to build your sample, to price your shoe and, later, to check production. When a sample comes back wrong, the cause is very often a page that was missing or unclear.
This guide walks through a footwear tech pack page by page: what goes on each page, what the factory does with it, and where small brands most often lose a round.
The pages, in order
| No. | Page | What the factory uses it for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cover | Knowing what they are looking at, and which version |
| 2 | Technical drawings | Building the pattern and understanding the shape |
| 3 | Bill of materials (BOM) | Ordering and pricing every component |
| 4 | Colourways | Matching every part to the right colour |
| 5 | Measurement spec | Checking the sample against numbers, not opinions |
| 6 | Construction | Choosing the right lasting, bonding and stitching |
| 7 | Last and outsole | Choosing or making the tooling |
| 8 | Artwork and labels | Placing logos, prints and size labels correctly |
| 9 | Packaging | Box, tissue, hangtags and carton marks |
| 10 | Testing | Knowing which tests the shoe must pass |
| 11 | Revision log | Knowing what changed since the last version |
1. Cover page
Brand, style name and style number, season, sample size, tech pack version and date, and your contact. Add one clean side view of the shoe. Put the version number in the footer of every page, so an old printout never gets mistaken for the current one.
2. Technical drawings
Show the shoe from the lateral (outer) side, medial (inner) side, top, back and bottom. Then add numbered callouts that point to every part: toe cap, vamp, eyestay, collar, heel counter, tongue, pull tab, midsole, outsole.
Those numbers are the backbone of the whole tech pack. The same part number should appear in the drawing, the bill of materials, the colourway page and every comment you send later. When everyone says “part 7” instead of “the bit near the heel”, sample comments stop getting lost.
3. Bill of materials
One row per component, with:
- part number (matching the drawings) and part name
- material, with supplier and reference where you have one
- thickness or weight
- colour, with a colour reference
- quantity or placement
Do not forget the small parts. Thread, eyelets, lace tips, reinforcement tape, the sockliner, the strobel board and every label belong in the bill of materials too. Missing small parts are a classic reason a factory substitutes something “similar”.
4. Colourways
One page per colourway, with the same drawing coloured in and every part number listed with its colour reference. If you use Pantone references, give the exact code and say how the colour will be checked, ideally under a standard daylight booth.
5. Measurement spec
This is the page that turns sample reviews from opinions into numbers. For your sample size, list:
- overall length and width at the ball
- heel height, toe spring and collar height
- midsole stack at the heel and forefoot
- key distances, such as from the heel to the first eyelet
Give each measurement a tolerance, for example ± 1.5 mm. Without a tolerance, a factory and a brand can both be right and still disagree.
6. Construction
Say how the shoe is made: for example strobel or board lasting, cemented or vulcanised sole attachment, stitching type and stitches per inch, edge finishing, and where seams are bonded rather than stitched. If you do not know the right method yet, say what the shoe must do, and ask the factory to propose one.
7. Last and outsole
The last decides the fit, the outsole decides most of the tooling cost. State whether the factory should use an existing last and outsole, modify one, or make new ones. If you need new tooling, add drawings of the outsole, the tread pattern and the hardness you want for the rubber and foam. Using existing tooling is the fastest route to a small first run.
8. Artwork and labels
Every logo and print with its file, size, position (measured from a fixed point), colour and method: print, embroidery, emboss, heat transfer. Include the size label and the care or country-of-origin label your market requires.
9. Packaging
Shoe box size and print, tissue, hangtags, stickers, carton size, carton marks and how many pairs per carton. It feels early to decide this at the first sample, but the factory needs it to quote the full price.
10. Testing requirements
List the tests the shoe must pass and the method for each. For performance shoes, at least sole adhesion and outsole flexing, often abrasion and slip resistance. Agree pass levels before testing, so a result means something.
11. Revision log
A short table at the end: version, date, what changed, which page. When the factory receives version 3, it should see in ten seconds what is different from version 2.
Mistakes that cost a sample round
- No tolerances. “It feels long” is not a comment a factory can act on.
- Parts named differently on different pages. The drawing says “overlay”, the BOM says “toe cap”, the comment says “front piece”.
- Missing small components. Thread, eyelets and labels get substituted.
- Colours described in words. “Dark navy” means something different to every supplier.
- Old versions in circulation. Without a version number on every page, someone will build from the wrong one.
A template outline you can copy
Use this as the skeleton of your own tech pack. Slides work well for the drawing pages, a spreadsheet for the BOM and measurement pages.
| Page | Must include |
|---|---|
| Cover | Style name and number, season, sample size, version, date, contact, side view |
| Drawings | Lateral, medial, top, back, bottom views; numbered callouts on every part |
| BOM | Part no., part name, material, supplier ref., thickness, colour ref., placement |
| Colourways | One page per colourway, colour ref. per part number |
| Measurements | Sample size, each measurement with spec value and tolerance |
| Construction | Lasting method, sole attachment, stitching type and SPI, bonded seams |
| Last and outsole | Existing or new; drawings and hardness if new |
| Artwork | File, size, position, colour, method for each logo or print |
| Labels | Size label, care and origin labels for your market |
| Packaging | Box, tissue, hangtag, carton size and marks, pairs per carton |
| Testing | Test, method, pass level |
| Revision log | Version, date, change, page |
The short version
- Number every part once, and use the same numbers everywhere.
- Give every measurement a tolerance.
- List every component, including the small ones.
- Say whether tooling is existing or new.
- Put a version number on every page.
A good tech pack is also the best way to find the right factory: see how to find shoe manufacturers in Vietnam, and what to check when the first pair arrives in shoe sample rounds. If you would like us to read your tech pack the way a factory will, book a 20-minute call.
Questions founders ask
What is a footwear tech pack?
It is the technical document that tells a factory exactly how to build your shoe: drawings, materials, colours, measurements, construction, artwork and packaging. Factories sample and quote from it.
Do I need a tech pack before contacting a shoe factory?
You need at least a first version. Factories answer complete enquiries first, and a quote without a tech pack is only a guess. It does not have to be perfect, but it should show what is fixed and what is still open.
Can I make a footwear tech pack in Excel or Google Slides?
Yes. Many small brands use slides for drawings and a spreadsheet for the bill of materials and measurements. What matters is that every part is numbered and the same numbers are used everywhere.
What is a bill of materials in footwear?
A list of every component in the shoe, from upper materials and lining to foam, outsole, laces, thread, eyelets and labels, with the material, supplier or reference, colour and where it goes.
How many pages is a footwear tech pack?
It depends on the shoe, but a simple running or training shoe usually takes ten to twenty pages once drawings, materials, colourways and measurements are included.