Buying Wholesale Knit T-Shirts in Bulk: MOQs, Grades, Pricing & Shipping

Sourcing wholesale knit t-shirts in bulk from Bangladesh is one of the most reliable ways for importers and wholesalers to land a high-margin, fast-moving product — provided you read the offer the way a factory does, not the way a glossy ad does. A t-shirt looks simple, but the price you pay is driven by a short list of concrete factors: fabric type and GSM, the quality grade, the order quantity, and the shipping term. Pin those four down in writing on a proforma invoice and the rest of the deal becomes predictable. This guide walks bulk buyers — especially those serving Dubai, the wider UAE, and African markets in USD — through what to ask for and what each line item actually means.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest knit-apparel exporter, and t-shirts are the backbone of that volume. That scale means deep stocklot availability, competitive cut-make-trim pricing and well-established export logistics out of Chittagong (Chattogram). It also attracts opportunists, so the more specific your enquiry, the easier it is to tell a real supplier from a broker reselling photos.

What you are actually buying when you order wholesale knit t-shirts in bulk

Before price, settle the specification — two tees at the same per-piece price can be very different products on your shelf. The variables that matter most:

• Fabric construction — most basic tees are single jersey knit; heavier styles use interlock (smoother, double-faced) or pair with piqué collars, while sweat-style tops move into french terry or fleece.
• Yarn quality — combed cotton (short fibres removed) is smoother, stronger and pills less than carded cotton. “100% combed cotton” is the standard spec for a quality export tee.
• GSM (grams per square metre) — the single biggest driver of feel and cost; higher GSM means more cotton per piece to pay for.
• Finishing — bio-washed, enzyme-washed or pre-shrunk (compacted) fabric behaves better after laundering. Ask what residual shrinkage to expect.

A quick reference for the GSM ranges you will see quoted:

GSM	Fabric weight	Typical use	Notes for buyers
120–140	Light	Summer/promo tees, women’s fashion	Cheapest, but can feel thin; check for transparency
150–180	Mid (standard)	Everyday basic tees	The most common export weight; good price-to-quality balance
180–200	Mid-heavy	Premium retail tees	Better drape and durability; higher cotton cost
200–240+	Heavy	Oversized/streetwear, premium	Heaviest cotton spend; popular in fashion-forward markets

When you request a quote, state the GSM you want. “Cotton t-shirt” is not a specification; “180 GSM, 100% combed cotton single jersey, bio-washed” is.

Grades: ready-stock vs made-to-order quality

How a lot is graded is the most misunderstood — and most disputed — part of the trade. There is no global legal standard, so a serious supplier defines grades explicitly in writing. This matters most for stocklot (surplus, overrun or shipment-cancelled goods), where you take the assortment as it exists.

Grade	What it means	Typical defect rate	Best suited to
Grade A	Export-ready, original quality	Negligible / brand standard	Retail, premium resale
Grade B	Minor faults (small marks, slight measurement variance, repaired)	Low, defined %	Discount retail, value markets
Mixed (A/B)	Blended lot, ratio stated	Variable	Wholesale break-bulk, bundles

Always ask three things before paying: the defect tolerance, the size and colour ratio, and whether you receive pre-shipment photos or a sample. For stocklot offers, the assortment is fixed — you cannot dictate a clean size curve. If you need specific sizes, colours, GSM, prints or your own labels, that is a made-to-order programme, produced under your inspection standard; our how it works page lays out the difference between the two routes.

For made-to-order production, inspection is typically governed by an AQL 2.5 acceptance level (a recognised sampling standard), and you can request a third-party pre-shipment inspection by SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas. On compliance, a legitimate exporter can usually point to OEKO-TEX (tested for harmful substances), BSCI or Sedex (social audits), WRAP, and GOTS for organic lines. Ask for current certificate numbers and verify them on the issuing body’s site.

What actually drives the price

Per-piece pricing is built up, not plucked from the air. The main inputs:

1. Fabric cost — GSM × cotton price, usually 50–60% of an FOB tee price, which is why a 220 GSM tee costs meaningfully more than a 150 GSM one.
2. Quantity — larger runs spread cutting, setup and overhead across more pieces, lowering the unit cost.
3. Complexity — prints (screen vs sublimation), embroidery, multiple colours, custom labels and special packing all add cost.
4. Grade / source — stocklot is far cheaper per piece than made-to-order because the goods already exist and the cost was sunk by the original order.
5. Shipping term — FOB or CIF (see below) changes the number even when the goods are identical.

Because stocklot goods already exist, lead time is short — often ready stock, shipped within 7–14 days of cleared payment — whereas made-to-order runs typically take 35–45 days after sample approval. Treat any quote that ignores GSM, grade and quantity with caution.

MOQs: how much you have to buy

The minimum order quantity (MOQ) depends on the route:

• Stocklot / ready stock — MOQs are set per lot. Smaller mixed lots can start in the low thousands of pieces or by carton; full-container loads are priced more keenly per piece.
• Made-to-order — MOQs are usually set per style, per colour (e.g. a few hundred to a couple of thousand pieces per colourway), because the factory must justify a fabric knit and dye batch. Splitting an order across many colours raises the effective minimum.

If your first order is a trial, say so. A reasonable exporter will quote a starter quantity, a better tier for container-scale volume, and state the MOQ clearly on the proforma invoice.

Shipping: FOB Chittagong vs CIF, and how to pay safely

The shipping term decides who pays for what — and where your responsibility begins. The two you will see most are FOB and CIF, both Incoterms (the standardised international trade terms):

Term	What the price includes	Who arranges main freight	Best for
FOB Chittagong (Chattogram)	Goods loaded onto the vessel at the origin port	You (the buyer) via your forwarder	Buyers with their own freight rates
CIF (your port)	Goods + sea freight + marine insurance to your destination port	The seller	Buyers wanting a landed sea price

FOB gives you control of freight and is the cleaner basis for comparing two suppliers’ product prices. CIF is convenient if you have no forwarder, but confirm it excludes destination charges, duties and local clearance — those remain yours.

On payment, the structures that protect both sides are well established. A common arrangement is 30% advance by T/T (telegraphic transfer) with the 70% balance against a copy of the bill of lading (B/L), so you are not paying in full before goods are loaded. For larger orders, an irrevocable Letter of Credit (L/C) at sight releases payment only against compliant documents. Whichever you choose, insist on a proforma invoice stating the specification, grade, quantity, unit price, Incoterm, port, packing and payment terms in full. Be wary of any seller demanding 100% advance to a personal account or refusing third-party inspection — those are the classic scam signals this trade is known for.

Putting it together

A clean wholesale t-shirt order reads like this: 180 GSM 100% combed cotton single jersey, Grade A, 10,000 pcs assorted S–XXL, polybag + export carton, FOB Chittagong, 30% advance T/T with balance against B/L copy, SGS pre-shipment inspection at buyer’s option. Every term is checkable, and nothing depends on trust alone.

Sourcing polos or hoodies alongside your tees? Our guide to wholesale polo shirts and blank hoodies breaks down piqué versus jersey, GSM ranges and the MOQs for those styles.

Ready to buy wholesale knit t-shirts in bulk? Tell us your target GSM, quantity, grade and destination port, and we will return a proforma invoice with a firm price. Browse current ready-stock lots for immediate shipment, or contact us to discuss a made-to-order programme built to your spec — we are glad to start with a trial order so the first shipment proves the relationship.