Women’s Seamless Underwear: The Complete OEM Manufacturing Guide
Will Lin — Founder & Sourcing LeadUpdated 14 Oct 20262 min read
Women's Seamless Underwear: The Complete OEM Manufacturing Guide
Seamless underwear is manufactured on circular knitting machines that create a tubular garment in one piece — no side seams, bonded edges. It now accounts for 25%+ of women’s underwear sales globally. Best fabrics: nylon-spandex (85/15) or polyamide microfiber.
Seamless underwear has grown from a niche innovation to a mainstream category, now accounting for over 25% of women’s underwear sales globally. For OEM buyers, understanding seamless technology is essential to competing in this fast-growing segment.
What is Seamless Underwear?
Key Insight: Women's seamless underwear is manufactured on circular knitting machines (Santoni type) that create a tubular garment in one piece — zero side seams, laser-cut edges for invisible finish, bonded hem instead of stitched. It now accounts for 25%+ of global women's underwear sales. Best fabric: nylon-spandex 85/15 for most applications; polyamide microfiber for ultra-light 120-150GSM weight. The key OEM differentiator is waistband construction — silicone grip strips eliminate rolling without elastic bulk. Seamless OEM →
Feature
Seamless
Cut-and-Sew
Side seams
None
1-2 per side
Visible lines
Zero
Possible
MOQ
2,000-5,000
2,000
Cost
+15-25%
Baseline
Seamless underwear is produced on circular knitting machines that create a tubular garment in one piece. There are no side seams, and waists and leg openings are finished with bonded or laser-cut edges. The result: zero visible panty lines, superior comfort, and a clean aesthetic.
Manufacturing Process
Seamless production requires specialized Santoni or Lonati circular knitting machines (24-32 gauge). Yarn is fed directly into the machine, which knits the complete garment shape including waistbands and leg openings. Post-production steps include bonding, heat-setting, and quality inspection.
Seamless underwear has a higher entry cost due to specialized machinery. MOQ is typically 2,000-5,000 pcs per style. However, lower labor costs partially offset the machine investment. Contact Unitex for seamless OEM pricing.
Unitex, based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, coordinates development and QC with audited partner factories across the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang cluster of south-east China.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.
Supplier
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China.
Definition
Knitted as a piece rather than cut and sewn, so there are no side seams
What it removes
The side seam — which is also what limits the fit adjustment
Sampling route
A knitting programme rather than a cutting and sewing line
Fit adjustment
Limited, because there is no seam to take in or let out
Size grade
Confirmed on the machine programme rather than the pattern alone
Fabric options
Microfibre and polyamide blends are the volume base for the category
Elastane
A higher percentage than a cut-and-sew brief, which is what holds the shape
Minimum
Follows the knitting programme rather than a cutting setup
Cost note
The savings sit in the sewing operations removed, not in the fabric
Common error
Reusing a cut-and-sew block and expecting the same fit
Buyer checklist
Confirm the construction is seamless rather than a flat-seamed cut-and-sew.
Check the size grade on the machine programme rather than the pattern.
Confirm the elastane percentage and the recovery it produces.
Specify the fabric as fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m².
Check what the fit adjustment route is, since there is no side seam.
Confirm the minimum against the knitting programme.
Check the edge finishing at the waist and leg opening.
Confirm the gusset lining separately from the body.
Check the care instruction against the construction.
Approve on a worn and washed sample.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.
Buyer Questions
MOQ, lead times, certification and trading terms
A garment knitted as a piece rather than cut and sewn, which removes the side seams. That changes how it fits and how it can be adjusted, because the seam that would normally be taken in or let out is not there in the first place. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
It runs on a knitting programme rather than a cutting and sewing line, which changes both the sample lead time and what can be adjusted between rounds. The size grade is confirmed on the machine programme rather than on the pattern alone. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
The savings sit in the sewing operations removed rather than in the fabric, which is why the comparison belongs on the construction rather than on the cloth price. A seamless garment and a flat-seamed one at the same weight are different products. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
Not usefully. The construction behaves differently, and a block developed for a seamed garment does not transfer — which is why the fit is confirmed on the seamless sample rather than assumed from an existing style. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
Microfibre and polyamide blends are the volume base, usually with a higher elastane percentage than a cut-and-sew brief. That elastane is what holds the shape, since the seam is not there to provide any of the structure. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
On a worn and washed sample. The construction shows its behaviour in movement and after laundering — where the edge finishes sit and whether the recovery holds — rather than on a flat sample. This information is provided by Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.).
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