Cutting Room

costs
The cutting room has a greater effect on
excessive manufacturing costs than any other
department concerned with the actual
production of garments.
Internal costs those incurred in the cutting
room itself.
External costs those incurred by other
departments as a result of the malfunctions of
the cutting room.

Internal costs

Labour : Effective utilisation

Material : 40% to 50% of the cost price of

most of the mass produced clothing and
largest cost component of a garment

Efficiency

Pattern accuracy

Marker waste

Spreading waste

The factors influencing materials untilisation

External costs
Coordination
Defects
Matching
Accuracy
Sewing
Shading
Quality

Production Process in the Cutting

room
Planning
Spreading
Cutting
Preparation for sewing

Production process in the Cutting Room

Spreads
Planning

Markers
Production
Manual

Spreading

Machine
Machine

Cutting

Die Press
Computer
Shade marking

Preparation
for sewing

Ticketing
Bundles

Cut order planning

It translates customer orders into cutting
orders.
It is the process that coordinates customer
orders with all the variables of marker
making, spreading, and cutting to
minimize total production costs and meet
customer demand for timely products.
It seeks most effective use of labor,
equipment, fabric and space.

Responsibilities of Cut Order

Planning

Examining incoming orders and piece goods

width and availability
Determining volume, size ratios, and sectioning
procedures for marker making
Determining whether file markers are available
or new ones are needed
Developing specifications for optimum marker
making and fabric utilization
Determine most effective use of spreading and
cutting equipment and personnel
Issuing orders for marker making, spreading and
cutting

Most common considerations

Number of sizes in order

Number of colors in order
Max/min number of sizes allowed in marker
Maximum spread length
Maximum ply height
Percentage of overcut or undercut units
Fabric cost per yard
Usable cloth width
Width variation
Common lines among pattern pieces
Costs of marking markers, spreading, cutting, bundling
Fabric roll change time

Results of
Cut Order Planning

Cutting Orders
Leads to

Marker planning

Lay planning

Marker planning is to determine the most

efficient combination of sizes and shades
for each order and to produce the best
fabric yield and equipment utilization
Lay is a stack of fabric plies that have
been prepared for cutting
Lay planning is the basis of managing
cutting room labor and table space

Marker Making

Marker is a diagram of a precise arrangement of

pattern pieces for a specific style and the sizes
to be cut from a single spread.
Marker Making is the process of determining
the most efficient layout of pattern pieces for a
specified style, fabric, and distribution of sizes
(requires time, skill and concentration)

Marker Making

Manually produced

Computerized marker making

Dimensions of marker

Markers are made to fit the cuttable widths of fabrics.

Blocked or sectioned markers contain all of the pattern
pieces for one style in one or two sizes.
Continuous markers contain all the pattern pieces for
all sizes included in a single cutting. Splice marks are
points in marker where fabric can be cut and the next
piece overlapped to maintain a continuous spread. They
are planned in continuous marker.

Types of Markers
Open marker Marker made with full
pattern pieces
Closed Marker marker made with half
garment parts pieces for laying along the
folds of the tube (tubular knit)

Marker Modes
Is determined by the symmetry and
directionality of fabric.
Nap either way (N/E/W)
Nap one way (N/O/W)
Nap up and down (N/U/D)

The term Nap is used to indicate the fabric

is directional.
N/E/W with symmetric, non directional
fabrics, pattern pieces can be placed on a
marker with only consideration for
grainline
N/O/W all the pattern pieces be placed on
a marker in only one direction
N/U/D all patterns pieces of one size to be
placed in one direction and another size
placed in opposite direction. eg. corduroy

Requirements of marker planning

1. Nature of the fabric and the desired result in
the finished garment
Pattern alignment in relation to the grain of the
fabric
Symmetry and asymmetry
The design characteristic of the finished garment
2. The requirements of quality cutting
3. The requirements of production planning

Marker Efficiency
Area of patterns in the marker plan X 100%
Total area of the marker plan

It is determined by fabric utilization

Minimum waste

Factors effecting marker efficiency

Fabric characteristics
Characteristics of Pattern pieces
splitting pattern pieces and creating a seam ,
reducing seam allowances, hemwidth, adjusting
and modifying grainline, etc
Grain Orientation
Fabric utilization standards 90 to 97% which
lead to 80 -85% achievement

Plotting
The process of drawing or printing pattern
pieces or markers on paper so they can
be reviewed or cut.

Duplications of marker

Carbon duplicating small no. of copies only

are made (68)
Spirit duplicating or hectograph carbon
system uses alcohol and it is a messy process
many copies can be produced
Diazo photographic method the master
marker and light sensitive paper passes under
high intensity ultra violet light and the light
sensitive paper is developed using amonia

Spreading
Spreading is the processes of
superimposing lengths of fabric on a
spreading table cutting table or specially
designed surface in preparation for the
cutting process
A spread or lay-up is the total amount of
fabric prepared for a single marker .

Spreading mode
Spreading mode is the manner in which
fabric plies are laid out for cutting
Direction of the fabric: it may be positioned
in two ways face-to-face (F/F) or with all
plies facing-one-way (F/O/W)
Direction of the Fabric Nap: it may be
positioned nap-one-way (N/O/W) or napup-down

Spreading modes
F/O/W
N/O/W
F/F
N/O/W

F/F
N/U/D
F/O/W
N/U/D

Requirements of Spreading
process

Shade sorting of cloth pieces

Correct ply direction and adequate lay stability
Allignment of plies
Correct ply tension
Elimination of fabric faults
Elimination of static electricity
Avoidance of distortion in the spread
Avoidance of fusion of plies during cutting

Setup for spreading

Verifying cutting orders
Positioning materials
Preparing cutting tables
Preparing machines
Loading machine
Reloading and delay time may use upto 70% of
the time required for the entire spreading
operation.

Methods of spreading
Spreading by hand
Spreading using a travelling machine
(100 to 150 yards per minute)

Fabric control devices

Tensioning involves synchronizing the rate of spreading

with the rate fabric is unrolled
Positioning devices and sensors monitor position and
control fabric placement during spreading. (to improve
quality in spreading)
Width indicators may sound an alarm to alert the
operator when fabric becomes narrower wthan the
established width
End treatment device are used with spreaders but are
separate and placed at the end of the spread (end
catcher and folding blade)

The nature of fabric packages

Open fabric rolled
Tubular knitted fabric rolled
Folded fabric rolled
Folded fabric cuttled
Velvet - hanging

Spreading costs

Labour cost
Fabric Waste
Splicing

loss occurs with excessive overlap at splice

marks
End loss occurs when the spreader reaches the end
of the marker and fabric must be cut from the roll or
folded back for the return lap
Width loss occurs when the fabric is wider than the
marker and the extra fabric is not used

Equipment purchase

Cut order plan

Cutting room manager issues lays to

satisfy two requirements:
The

targets given in the cutting schedule

The most economic batch size (economic cut
quantity)

Overview of economic cut quantity factors.

Width of fabric

Number of sizes

Marker Type
Contract details

MARKER UTILISATION

Essential laying losses

Fabric Properties
ECONOMIC CUT
QUANTITIES

Quality constraints
Equipment constraints

Labour costs
Material availability

Sewing room needs

Production rates

Delivery deadlines

Disruptions
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

Cutting plan example 1

The contract details are as follows

Size

10 12 14 16 18
Quantity
40 90 80 25 25
The constraints on lay dimensions are:
Maximum lay height = 50 plies
Maximum lay length = 4 garments marked
The limit of four garments marked may seem rather
contrived but it allows the concepts to be explained
more easily

It is useful to determine the theoretical minimum

number of lays required to cut the contract:

Max no of gmts per lay is 4X50=200gmts

The no. of gmts required = 40+90+80+25+25
=260 gmts
There fore the theoretical minimum no. of lays
= 260/200 = 1.3
This gives a practical minimum of two lays to
cut the contract the best that is possible

Lay 1
Lay 2
The contract details
Size
Quantity

10
40

12
90

14
80

The worked solution is:

16

18

12

12

Lay 1 25 plies

10

14

14

12

Lay 2 40 plies

16
25

18
25

Cutting plan example 2

The contract details are follows

Size

12 14 16 18
Quantity
100 160 120 60
the constraints on lay dimensions are:
Maximum lay height = 60 plies
Maximum lay length = 4 garments marked

Theoretical minimum no. of lays required

are:

Max no of garments per lay is 4X60=240 gmts

The no. of garments required = 100+160+120+60
= 440 garments
There fore the theoretical minimum no. of lays = 440/240
= 1.83
This gives a practical minimum of two lays to cut the
contract.
Lay 1

16

16

14

18

Lay 1- 60 plies

Lay 2

12

12

14

14

Lay 2 50 plies

Cutting plan example 3

The contract details are follows
Size
S
M
Quantity 300 600 400

the constraints on lay dimensions are:

Maximum lay height = 75 plies
Maximum lay length = 5 garments marked

Theoretical minimum no. of lays required are:

Max no of garments per lay is 5X75 = 375 gmts
The no. of garments required = 300+600+400
= 1300 garments
There fore the theoretical minimum no. of lays = 1300/375
= 3.47
This gives a practical minimum of four lays to cut the
contract.
S

Lay 1- 60 plies

Lay 2 - 75 plies

Lay 3 - 75 plies

Lay 4 - 50 plies

COSTING OF CUT ORDER PLAN

MATERIAL COSTS ( Example 4)

You have received the following contract:

Quantity
1200
Size
E
Quantity
1
Single gmt marker lengths (m) :
2.6

2
2.0

4
2.2

2
2.4

1
2.5

Other relevent information

End allowance 3 cm per ply
Maximum number of plies 100
Maximum lay length 10 meters
Cost of the fabric is 3$
Cloth saving on multi-size or multi-garment marker is 5%

1. Determine targets:
Theoretical minimum no. Of lays is a little more
complicated as the maximum no. of garments
must be inferred. Since the average length is
about 2.3 m per garment, the maximum
number marked will be 4
Theoretical minimum no. of lays = 1200/4X100
=3
Since quantities are not in multiples of 100 three
lays is an impossibility consequently, the
target must be four lays
2. Consider options
3. Make decision

Lay 1- 60 plies

Lay 2- 80 plies

C
C

D
D

Lay 3 - 80 plies
Lay 4 - 80 plies

4. Calculation of material
Marker for lay 1

(2.0+2.0+2.6+2.6) X 95/100 = 8.740 m

Marker for lays 2-4

(2.2+2.4+2.4+2.5) X 95/100 = 9.025 m

Ply lengths
Ply length for lay 1
Ply length for lays 2-4

8.770 + 0.030 = 8.770 m

9.025 + 0.030 = 9.055 m

Lay lengths
Lay length for lay 1
Lay length for lays 2-4

8.770 X 60 = 526.20 m
9.055 X 80= 724.40 m

Material costs
Total length
Total cost

526.20 = (724.40 X3) = 2699.40 m

2699.40 X 3.00 = 8098.20 $