What is fabric lot tracking?
Fabric lot tracking means recording every batch (lot) of fabric separately, from the day it arrives until it is cut or used, so you always know where each lot is, how much of it is free, and which order it belongs to. Fabric from different lots can differ in shade, width and quality, so mixing lots without knowing it leads to shading in garments, wrong costing and stock that never matches.
This guide explains the words used for fabric lots, why lots matter, what to record at receipt, how a lot moves through the factory, and the rules that stop lot mix-ups.
Lot, dye lot, bale, roll, than: what they mean
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lot | A batch of fabric made or processed together, kept as one unit in stock. |
| Dye lot | Fabric dyed in the same batch. Two dye lots of the “same” colour can still differ slightly in shade. |
| Vendor lot | The lot number given by the supplier or mill. Useful for claims and repeat orders. |
| Roll | Fabric wound on a tube, common for knits and many wovens. One lot often has many rolls. |
| Bale | A pressed, wrapped pack of fabric, used for transport. |
| Than | A folded piece of woven fabric of a set length, a common unit in India. |
Why fabric lots matter
- Shade. If the front of a shirt is cut from one dye lot and the sleeve from another, the difference can show in the finished garment. Buyers reject that.
- Quality claims. When a defect is found, you need to know which supplier lot it came from and which orders used it.
- Processing loss. When a lot goes to a dyer or printer, you need to match what comes back with what went out, lot by lot.
- Stock you can promise. “We have 3,000 metres” means little if 1,200 m is rejected, 1,000 m is already reserved for another order and 500 m is at the dyer.
What to record when fabric arrives
- Supplier, purchase order and the order or style it is for
- Vendor lot number, and your own lot number
- Bale, roll or than numbers with the quantity of each
- Width and weight (GSM) where they matter
- Shade group or shade card reference, if you use one
- Inspection result: OK quantity and rejected quantity
How one lot moves through the factory
Take lot L-2041: 1,000 m of cotton jersey.
- Receive. 1,000 m comes in, split into rolls and recorded under the vendor’s lot number.
- Inspect. 980 m passes, 20 m is rejected and goes back to the supplier. Only 980 m becomes usable stock.
- Reserve. 700 m is reserved for order A, so nobody promises it to order B.
- Issue. 500 m of the reserved fabric goes to cutting or to a dyer.
At this point the lot shows: 280 m free, 200 m reserved but still in the store, and 500 m issued. Together that is the 980 m that passed inspection. If the system shows these three numbers for every lot, the store, planning and purchase teams all see the same truth.
Rules that stop lot mix-ups
- Cut all panels of one garment, and ideally one bundle, from the same lot.
- Write the lot number on the cutting record and the bundle ticket.
- Issue older lots first, unless an order needs a specific lot.
- Keep rejected fabric apart from good stock, physically and in the system.
- Never let a lot go below zero in the system. If the issue is bigger than the lot, the record is wrong somewhere.
Common mistakes
- Recording only the total metres per fabric, not per lot.
- Treating received fabric as usable before it is inspected.
- Losing the link between a processed lot and the lot that was sent to the dyer.
- Keeping lots in a register that the purchase and planning teams never see.
How Karpan ERP tracks fabric lots
In Karpan ERP, each receipt is split into bale/than numbers and vendor lots, with automatic lot numbers. Inspection records OK and rejected quantity per lot, and only the OK quantity becomes usable stock. Lots are reserved to orders, and every lot shows its free, reserved and issued quantity. Lot 360 shows the whole history of a lot, and the lot transaction log lists every movement. Issues to job workers take lots oldest first and are blocked if they are larger than the stock you hold. See fabric inventory and lot tracking in Karpan ERP.
Questions people ask
What is fabric lot tracking?
It is recording each batch of fabric separately from receipt to use, so you know where every lot is, how much is free, reserved or issued, and which orders used it.
What is a dye lot?
A dye lot is fabric dyed in the same batch. Different dye lots of the same colour can differ slightly in shade, so they should not be mixed in one garment.
What is the difference between a roll and a lot?
A roll is a physical piece of fabric on a tube. A lot is a batch that can contain many rolls made or dyed together.
Why should fabric be inspected before it becomes stock?
So that rejected fabric never reaches cutting. If uninspected fabric counts as stock, faults are found only after the garments are made.