Machines Needed for Making Basic T-Shirts

I am often asked this question - 'What kind of sewing machines are required for making t-shirts?'

To reply to this question I have written this post. As you know t-shirt is a common apparel product and easy to make compared to other apparel products. To make a quality t-shirt with good finishing inside and outside of the garment, you need an overlock (for edge stitch), flatlock (for cover stitch), and single needle lock stitch machines.

Within the machine types, there are various technology levels. You can decide which machine you need to purchase based on your requirements. Your machine supplier can advise you better. A same machine can be shared for multiple operations when you have few machines and you have low production requirements.

Also Read: Step-by-step guide for t-shirt manufacturing for business

In the following table, a machine requirement plan has been shown for the production of 800 T-shirts in 8-hour shifts (from a typical factory). Machine types and the number of machine requirements in each operation are shown in the following table.

Table 1: Operation-wise machine types and machine requirement

Seq. No.	Operations	M/c Type	No. Of Machines
1	Shoulder joining	4 Thread Over Lock	1
2	Neck rib Tuck	1N Lock Stitch	1
3	Neck Joining	4 Thread Over Lock	2
4	Label Make	1N Lock Stitch	1
5	Back Neck Binding	Flatlock/1NLS	1
6	Front Neck Top	Flatlock	1
7	Back Neck Top	1N Lock Stitch	2
8	Sleeve Hem	Flatlock	1
9	Sleeve Join	4 Thread Over Lock	2
10	Side Seam	Flatlock	2
11	Sleeve tuck	1N Lock Stitch	1
12	Body Hem	Flatlock	1
Total			16

Disclaimer: 

The machine types and number of machines mentioned here are based on particular situations and are shared here for information purposes only. This machine quantity may not match your set-up.

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