What's included
Apparel schedules are built backwards from the delivery window, and the sample rounds are what consume the runway. The template follows the standard T&A sequence:
- Concept & design — Range planning, design finalization, fabric and trim selection, and the tech pack that everything downstream depends on.
- Sampling — Proto sample, fit sample and pre-production (PP) sample, each with a comment-and-revise loop. Milestone: PP sample approved.
- Materials — Fabric booking, lab dips and strike-offs, trim ordering and in-house inspection. Milestone: fabric in-house.
- Pre-production — Marker making, pattern grading, size set and the PP meeting that releases the line.
- Bulk production — Cutting, sewing, in-line QC, finishing and pressing.
- Finishing & shipment — Final inspection, packing, ex-factory and transit to the delivery window. Milestone: ex-factory.
PP sample approval is the gate the whole calendar turns on. Bulk cutting should not start before it, and every day the approval slips is a day removed from production — not from the delivery date, which the buyer has already fixed. Show it as a milestone with cutting dependent on it.
How to customize it
- Set the delivery date and work backwards; apparel calendars are countback calendars.
- Adjust sample rounds — some buyers require additional fit rounds, each adding two to three weeks.
- Extend fabric lead time for mill-dyed or specialty fabrics, which dominate the early calendar.
- Add rows per style or per colourway if you are running a multi-style drop.
- Include a shipping mode row; sea freight adds weeks that must sit inside the calendar.
Scheduling tips
- Count back from ex-factory, not from delivery. Transit time is fixed and non-negotiable, so ex-factory is your real deadline.
- Fabric is usually the long pole. Booking, dyeing and shipping fabric routinely takes longer than sewing the garment.
- Build in buyer comment time. Sample approvals wait on someone else's calendar; two weeks per round is realistic.
- Protect the size set. Skipping it to save days almost always costs more in bulk re-work.
- Track by style. A drop is only as ready as its slowest style, which an aggregate bar hides.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a time and action (T&A) calendar?
The apparel industry term for a production schedule that counts backwards from the delivery date through ex-factory, production, sampling and materials. This template is a T&A calendar in Gantt form.
How long before delivery should an apparel calendar start?
Commonly 4–6 months for a standard order, longer for mill-dyed fabric or complex construction. Sampling and fabric lead time consume most of that runway.
What usually delays a garment order?
Fabric lead time and sample approval rounds, far more often than sewing capacity. Both get their own tracked phases in the template.
Is the apparel production calendar free?
Yes — free Excel, PowerPoint and CSV downloads, and free online editing with no sign up.