Quick answer. Period panties normally run on a minimum of 2,000 pieces per style and colour, with trials from around 1,000. Technically they are a layered construction rather than a single fabric: a body-facing layer, an absorbent core and a barrier layer, plus the gusset that holds them together. Each layer is a separate specification item, and the construction — not the fibre name — is what the whole programme rests on.
1. What the garment actually is
A period panty is a layered construction. This is the single most important thing to understand before specifying one, because a quotation that prices “an absorbent fabric” is not pricing what you are buying.
- Body-facing layer. What sits against the skin — usually a moisture-moving knit rather than an absorbent one, so it feels dry.
- Absorbent core. The layer that holds what has passed through the facing layer. Its capacity is a specification figure, not a claim.
- Barrier layer. The layer that prevents wicking outward — usually a laminated or coated film, and the layer most likely to affect the hand of the finished garment.
- Gusset and seams. Where the three layers are joined, and where most of the construction difficulty sits.
2. The specification items that matter
- Absorbency, stated as a figure. Millilitres, measured against a defined test rather than described as “light”, “moderate” or “heavy”. A stated figure can be compared; a descriptor cannot.
- Layer stack. The fibre and weight of each layer, since the stack rather than any single layer decides how the garment performs.
- Wash durability. The category is washed, not disposed of — which means the stack has to survive repeated cycles without delamination or loss of absorbency.
- Barrier integrity after washing. The barrier layer is the one that fails first and the one whose failure is least visible until it leaks.
- Hand and bulk. Three layers are thicker than one, which affects the fit, the comfort and the outerwear the garment can be worn under.
- Care instruction. The instruction has to reflect the stack, the barrier and any applied finish rather than a fibre default.
3. Where the engineering difficulty sits
- Joining three layers without stiffening the edge. A bonded or welded edge holds the stack but can add rigidity exactly where the garment needs to move.
- Keeping absorbency without bulk. Thicker is not better — it is a comfort cost, which is why capacity per millimetre is a more useful figure than capacity alone.
- Preventing wicking at the edges. A needle hole at the gusset edge is a leak path, which is why the seam type is a functional specification here rather than a finishing detail.
- Durability of the barrier. Laminates and coatings degrade differently under heat and detergent, so the wash regime affects the specification rather than only the label.
4. Claims: what can and cannot be stated
- State measurable properties. Absorbency in millilitres, capacity per layer, wash cycles survived — each is checkable and comparable.
- Do not make medical or health claims. The garment is a constructed absorbent article, not a medical device; a claim that implies a clinical outcome is a liability rather than a selling point.
- Be precise about what the figure measures. A capacity figure without a stated test method cannot be checked by the buyer or defended by the seller.
- Keep the sustainability claim separate. A washable garment reduces disposables, which is a factual comparison — but the claim still needs the same documented basis as any other.
5. MOQ, lead time and the development cycle
- Minimum. Around 2,000 pieces per style and colour, with trials from about 1,000.
- Longer development. The layer stack needs its own sampling rounds, and adjusting one layer usually changes the others — so budget more rounds than a single-layer programme.
- Sampling. Allow 12–18 days per round and expect the second and third rounds to be about the stack rather than the fit.
- Bulk production. 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval, 30–40 days on a repeat.
- Testing window. Sits on top of production, and in this category the wash-durability test is the item most likely to move a launch date.
6. Common errors
- Quoting “an absorbent fabric”. The garment is a stack; a quotation that prices one fabric is pricing a different product.
- Specifying absorbency by descriptor. Light, moderate and heavy are not comparable between suppliers — a millilitre figure is.
- Ignoring the barrier layer. It is the layer that fails first and the one whose failure is invisible until it matters.
- Reusing a standard panty block. Three layers change the fit and the bulk, so the block usually has to be developed for the stack rather than adapted from a single-layer style.
- Underestimating the rounds. Adjusting one layer changes the others, which is why this category needs more sampling than a plain panty programme.
- Making a health claim. Keep the language on measurable properties and the construction.
7. How to compare two quotations
- Layer stack itemised. Fibre and weight for each of the three layers, plus the gusset.
- Absorbency stated as a figure with the test method named.
- Wash durability stated. How many cycles, and what is measured after them.
- Barrier specification named. The construction, not the marketing description.
- Minimum basis, trade term and validity. Per style and colour, FOB and the port, plus how long the figure stands.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Construction | Layered — body-facing · absorbent core · barrier · gusset |
| Layer 1 | Body-facing — usually a moisture-moving knit rather than an absorbent one |
| Layer 2 | Absorbent core — capacity stated in millilitres |
| Layer 3 | Barrier — laminated or coated; affects the hand of the finished garment |
| Gusset and seams | Where the layers join; the main construction difficulty |
| Absorbency | A figure in millilitres against a named test, not a descriptor |
| Wash durability | Cycles survived without delamination or loss of absorbency |
| Barrier after washing | The layer most likely to fail first |
| Hand and bulk | Three layers affect fit and the outerwear it works under |
| Seam type | Functional, because a needle hole at the gusset edge is a leak path |
| Claim boundary | Measurable properties only — no medical or health claims |
| Minimum | ~2,000 pcs per style and colour · trials from ~1,000 |
| Sampling | 12–18 days per round; expect two to three rounds on the stack |
| Bulk production | 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval |
| Testing window | Sits on top of production; wash-durability testing moves the date |
Buyer checklist
- Ask for the layer stack itemised rather than a single fabric description.
- Confirm the absorbency figure and the test method it was measured against.
- Confirm the barrier construction by name rather than by marketing description.
- Ask how many wash cycles the stack is tested through.
- Check the barrier integrity after the tested cycles, not only the absorbency.
- Confirm the fit on the actual stack rather than a standard panty block.
- Check the gusset seam type, since a needle hole is a leak path.
- Confirm the care instruction reflects the stack and the barrier, not the fibre.
- Keep all claims on measurable properties rather than health outcomes.
- Put the wash-durability test in the schedule from the brief.
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.