Size Breakdown for Your First Clothing Drop: How Many of Each Size to Order

For a first clothing drop, don't split your order evenly across sizes. A sensible starting curve for a unisex t-shirt is roughly 1:2:2:1 across S, M, L and XL, so a 60-piece run becomes 10 S, 20 M, 20 L and 10 XL, with XS and XXL kept to a handful or left out altogether. Then adjust for three things most size guides ignore: the cut of the blank, who your customer actually is, and how quickly you can reorder. Get those right and you sell through without a box of unsold smalls in the corner.

Most size-ratio advice online is written for team kit and event orders, where you're dressing a known group of people. A brand drop is different. You're guessing at demand, the garments are often oversized, and every unsold piece is cash sitting on a shelf. Here's how to plan it properly.

Why an even split is the most expensive mistake

Order 15 of each size across S to XL and you'll almost always sell out of mediums and larges first, then sit on smalls and XLs. The drop looks like a failure when the real problem was the curve. The sizes in the middle carry the order; the ends of the range are there so nobody is turned away, not because they sell in volume.

The fix is to weight the order towards the centre, keep the tails shallow, and plan to top up whatever runs out. That last part matters more than the exact ratio, which is why your supplier's minimums and dispatch times are part of the sizing decision, not a separate one.

A starting size curve for unisex tees and hoodies

Treat these as starting points to adjust, not rules. They assume a unisex audience and a standard size range.

Run size	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
30 pieces	0	5	10	10	5	0
60 pieces	0	10	20	20	10	0
100 pieces	2	15	30	30	18	5

At 30 and 60 pieces, leave XS and XXL out unless you know there's demand. At 100 pieces you can afford a couple of each at the ends to test them. If your audience skews male and broader-built, slide a few units from S to XL. If it skews younger or female, do the opposite.

Oversized and boxy blanks change the maths

This is where generic ratios fall down. An oversized blank is cut big on purpose, so plenty of customers will order their usual size and get the slouchy look, while others size down to get something closer to a regular fit. Either way, more of your demand lands in S and M than it would on a slim-fit tee.

Our 300 GSM heavy oversized t-shirt is a good example. It's a classic oversized, boxy fit, and the product page advises sizing down by one for a less oversized look. If your size chart passes that advice on to customers, expect your smalls to sell better than a standard curve predicts. Push S up and trim XL slightly.

Cropped styles pull in a different direction. Our boxy cropped t-shirt runs from XS to 2XL, and the advice there is to size up for a more relaxed, less cropped look. Customers who want more length will often go up a size, so L and XL can carry more of a cropped order than you'd expect. If you're deciding between the two silhouettes in the first place, our fit guide to boxy cropped vs oversized tees covers the differences in detail.

Check whether colourways are cut the same

Don't assume two colours of the same style fit identically. The ecru versions of our 320 GSM ultra heavy t-shirt and 325 GSM long sleeve are cut slightly larger than the black to allow for shrinkage during garment dyeing. If you're selling ecru undyed alongside black, try both on before you write your size chart.

Plan to the size range you can actually get

Your curve has to fit the sizes the blank comes in. Ranges vary by style, so check before you design a chart that promises XXL:

• 300 GSM heavy oversized tee: S to XXL
• 320 GSM ultra heavy tee (ecru): S to XL
• 230 GSM boxy cropped tee: XS to 2XL
• 325 GSM heavy long sleeve: S to XL
• 500 GSM grey marl hoodie and double zip hoodie: S to XXL
• 350 and 380 GSM relaxed fit hoodies: S, M and L

A three-size hoodie is easier to plan than you'd think. With a relaxed, slightly oversized cut, a simple 1:2:2 split across S, M and L covers most customers, and anyone who wants a bigger fit has a clear answer: go for the 500 GSM instead.

Use real signals before you commit

Your first drop has no sales history, so borrow some data:

• Run a size poll. A story poll asking followers what size they'd buy costs nothing and gets far more responses than a pre-order. Treat it as directional, not gospel.
• Take pre-orders. Even a short pre-order window gives you real size data from people who've paid. Order your stock to cover pre-orders plus a buffer weighted to M and L.
• Look at your audience. Your Instagram or TikTok audience breakdown tells you age and gender split. A following that's mostly young women buying a boxy cropped tee needs a very different curve from a band's tour crowd buying 500 GSM hoodies.
• Wear-test the sample. Get a few people of different builds to try a sample in their usual size. If most of them want to size down, your curve should move down too. Our heavyweight t-shirt bundle puts 11 styles and weights side by side, which makes this quick.

Print method affects small and large sizes

If you're screen printing, a single screen usually means one print size across every garment. That design has to sit properly on your smallest size, which can make it look undersized on an XXL. Some brands split the run into two print sizes; others drop the extreme sizes from a first drop. DTG and DTF are more flexible, because the artwork can be scaled per size without new screens.

Either way, the more sizes you carry, the more print checks you need. A tight S to XL range keeps a first drop simpler. Our GSM guide for DTG, DTF, screen print and embroidery covers which weights suit each method.

Order shallow, then reorder what sells

The safest first drop is a slightly lean one. Selling out of mediums in a week is a good problem if you can restock quickly; it's a disaster if your next batch is eight weeks away on a boat. That's why lead time and minimums belong in the size conversation.

With zero MOQ on our blanks and in-stock pieces dispatched the next working day from our UK warehouse, you can buy the curve you're confident in and top up individual sizes as they move, rather than over-ordering the tails to be safe. After the first drop, write down sell-through by size and use it as the curve for the next one. That data is worth more than any ratio in a blog post, this one included. Our breakdown of what 100 blank tees actually cost a UK brand shows how leftover stock eats into margin.

Custom colours need a firmer plan

Garment dyeing to your own Pantone is different, because you're committing a batch in one shade. Our custom-shade 320 GSM t-shirt comes in 30-unit runs, and you send your size breakdown with your Pantone reference. For a 30-piece custom colour, a 5/10/10/5 split across S to XL is a sound default, nudged towards S if the oversized fit means your customers size down.

A quick checklist before you order

• Weight the order to M and L; keep S and XL at roughly half that.
• Leave XS and XXL out of small runs unless you have evidence of demand.
• Adjust for the cut: oversized pulls demand down a size, cropped can pull it up.
• Check the size range and whether colourways are cut differently.
• Make sure your print sits well on the smallest and largest size you stock.
• Buy lean, track sell-through by size, and reorder what moves.

FAQ

What is a good size ratio for a t-shirt order?

For a unisex t-shirt, roughly 1:2:2:1 across S, M, L and XL is a reliable starting point. Adjust it for your audience and for the fit of the garment, then refine it using your own sell-through data.

Should I stock XS and XXL in my first drop?

On runs under about 60 pieces, usually not, unless your audience is clearly asking for them. On larger runs, a couple of units at each end lets you test demand without much risk.

Do oversized t-shirts need a different size breakdown?

Yes. Because they're cut big, some customers size down for a more regular fit, which moves demand towards S and M. Our oversized tees recommend sizing down by one for a less oversized look, so factor that into your curve and your size chart.

How many t-shirts should I order for a first drop?

Enough to cover your realistic demand plus a small buffer, not enough to fill a garage. If your supplier has no minimums and short dispatch times, it's better to order lean and restock than to over-commit.

Can I order different quantities in each size?

Yes. There's no minimum order on our blank clothing, so you can buy exactly the curve you want, including single sizes for sampling or restocking.

How do I find out what sizes my customers wear?

Run a size poll, take pre-orders, check your social audience breakdown and wear-test samples on people of different builds. After your first drop, your sales data by size is the best guide you'll have.

Build your first drop on blanks you can restock

A good size curve only works if you can top it up. Browse our wholesale blank tees, hoodies and long sleeves, order a sample in the sizes you're unsure about, and build your drop from there. With no minimum order, in-stock blanks dispatched the next working day from our UK warehouse, and the option to add printing, embroidery or garment dyeing, you can plan for the sizes you'll sell rather than the sizes you're forced to buy.