Football Kit Manufacturing in Sialkot, Pakistan
- Est. 2005 · Sialkot, Pakistan
- MOQ 20–25 pcs per design · no limit for brands
- Free 24h digital mockup
- Sample 5–7 days, credited on bulk
- Bulk 15–25 business days · express 7–12
- DHL/FedEx/UPS 5–10 days
- 🛡️ Free remake within 3 days
How the football-goods trade grew a kit industry
Sialkot's football kit industry grew out of its football-goods trade. The district makes about 70% of the world's hand-stitched footballs, according to The Business Standard, and the buyers, freight forwarders and export desks that the ball trade brought to the city gave garment factories a ready route to the same clubs and distributors.
The scale of the ball trade is still visible in the export data. Momentum Pakistan, citing Pakistan Bureau of Statistics figures, reports 47.99 million footballs exported between July 2025 and April 2026, worth roughly 222 million US dollars, and Eurasia Review puts Pakistan's football exports for FY2025-26 at 256.7 million US dollars, up 11.72% on the previous year. A distributor who already buys balls from Sialkot tends to ask the same city for shirts, shorts and socks. Dye sublimation, which prints the design into polyester fabric before the garment is cut, then made short custom kit runs practical for factories already set up for cut-and-sew work.
What "made in Sialkot" means for a football kit: the jersey, shorts and socks were printed, cut and sewn in the Sialkot district of Punjab, Pakistan, usually by dye sublimation inside one factory rather than decorated onto imported blanks.
Disclosure: this page is published by ZipaSports, itself a Sialkot manufacturer.
How a match kit is made in a Sialkot factory, stage by stage
A custom football kit passes through nine stages in a Sialkot factory, and the bulk run takes 15–25 business days after design approval. The table shows each stage as it runs at ZipaSports.
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief and digital mockup | The club sends crest, colours, sponsor logos and any reference; the studio returns a mockup of jersey and shorts | Within 24 hours; unlimited revisions |
| 2. Physical sample | One jersey or a full kit made in the chosen fabric to check fit, colour and print | 5–7 days at sample cost, credited against bulk |
| 3. Sizes, names and numbers | Names, numbers and sizes returned against the size chart; order confirmed | Club-dependent |
| 4. Pattern and grading | Computerised patterns graded across adult, women's and youth sizes | Inside the bulk window |
| 5. Sublimation printing | Artwork, including each name and number, printed to transfer paper and bonded into the polyester on a calender press | Inside the bulk window |
| 6. Cutting and sewing | Computer-controlled cutting; overlock and coverstitch assembly | Inside the bulk window |
| 7. Embroidered crests or heat-applied sponsors | Where a club prefers a raised crest or needs a late sponsor change | Inside the bulk window |
| 8. QC, labelling and packing | Colour-fastness and measurement checks, woven labels and size tags, one polybag per player | Inside the bulk window |
| 9. Export and delivery | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin; courier or sea booked | 5–10 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS; 3–6 weeks by sea |
Express production in 7–12 days is available at additional cost for a fixed fixture or tournament date.
Football kit fabric options, with GSM ranges
Most football jerseys made in Sialkot are 100% polyester at 140–180 GSM, because polyester is the fibre that takes sublimation dye. Each piece of the kit has its own fabric options.
| Kit piece | Fabric options | Weight | Construction notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match jersey | 100% polyester interlock, mesh or pin-dot mesh, moisture-wicking finish | 140–180 GSM | Interlock gives the smoothest print surface; mesh breathes better in heat |
| Goalkeeper jersey | Polyester interlock, long sleeve; elbow padding available | 140–180 GSM | Same print process as outfield shirts |
| Shorts | Polyester interlock or microfibre | 140–180 GSM | Elasticated waist with drawcord; sublimated to match the jersey |
| Socks | Polyester-cotton-spandex knit | Knitted, not woven | Made by a dedicated partner knitting unit; stripes knitted in or sublimated |
| Staff polos and travel wear | Polyester piqué 160–200 GSM or poly-cotton piqué 200–240 GSM | 160–240 GSM | Embroidered crest |
| Base layers | Polyester-spandex or nylon-spandex 4-way stretch | 240–300 GSM, elastane 12–20% | Under-jersey layer for winter fixtures |
| Hoodies and joggers | Cotton-polyester fleece or performance polyester fleece | 280–350 GSM; poly fleece 240–300 GSM | Club leisurewear; embroidered or printed crest |
Within the 140–180 GSM jersey band, the lighter end suits summer leagues and youth squads and the heavier end gives a denser, more opaque print. GRS-certified recycled polyester is available on request. The football jersey GSM guide goes through the choice in more detail.
Who orders football kits from Sialkot
Football kits made in Sialkot go to five kinds of buyer, and the order shape differs for each.
- Sunday league and amateur clubs order a home kit for one squad, sometimes an away kit, plus training bibs and a kit bag. A squad of 20–25 fits the minimum exactly, and lower quantities are possible on request for a small side. See Sunday league clubs.
- Semi-professional, university and corporate clubs add presentation tracksuits, rain jackets, staff polos and goalkeeper kits across several squads. See football clubs.
- Academies and schools order age-group training tops and junior kits in youth sizes, reordered each season. See football academies.
- Startup kit brands and teamwear resellers order under private label, with their own woven neck labels, size tags and polybags, and reorder as their clubs grow. See kit suppliers.
- Leagues, tournaments and charities order referee kits, event tees and volunteer polos.
Mixed sizes are allowed within one design, so a 22-piece order can carry any spread of adult and youth sizes. Player names and numbers are printed with the design during sublimation, so every shirt in the run can be different without any extra set-up.
Sialkot vs China vs a local printer for a 25-piece soccer kit order
For a 25-piece kit order, a Sialkot factory gives fully custom cut-and-sew sublimation at a squad-sized minimum, a Chinese contract manufacturer usually wants a far larger run, and a local printer decorates stock blanks quickly but within a fixed range of colours and cuts. Rates shown are mid-2026 figures; your customs broker can confirm the current position.
| Factor | Sialkot factory | China supplier | Local UK or US printer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 20–25 pieces per design at ZipaSports; lower on request | A contract manufacturer commonly wants 500–1,000+ pieces per style, according to Fabrioza; some marketplace sellers take less | Often no minimum on stock blanks |
| Construction | Cut-and-sew sublimation from your own pattern and colourway | The same, at volume | Decoration on ready-made blanks; colours and cuts limited to the blank range |
| Names and numbers | Printed into the fabric with the design | Printed into the fabric with the design | Heat-applied vinyl per shirt |
| Lead time to door | 15–25 business days, plus 5–10 days on the courier; express in 7–12 days | Comparable production; sea freight common at volume | Days to two weeks |
| Duty into the UK and EU | 0% under DCTS and GSP+ | Standard duty applies | None |
| Duty into the USA | 19%, reported by Dawn, included in ZipaSports' delivered price | Roughly 33% effective, according to MS Advisory | None |
| Communication | English on WhatsApp and email; Pakistan is 4–5 hours ahead of the UK | Often through a sales agent | Same time zone |
| Fits | Custom design for a squad, academy or private-label kit brand | One style in volume | Emergency replacement of a stock kit |
Verification checklist before you pay for a kit order
Eight checks separate a Sialkot kit factory from a reseller, and each one can be completed on WhatsApp before any payment is made.
| Check | Ask for | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Factory or trader | A live video call from the print room during Pakistan office hours | You see the calender press, cutting table and sewing lines, not a showroom |
| Fabric in writing | Composition and GSM on the quotation | "100% polyester interlock, 160 GSM" rather than "high-quality fabric" |
| Print method | How names, numbers and sponsors are applied | Sublimated with the design; embroidery or heat transfer only where you asked for it |
| Sample | A physical sample of your own design before bulk | 5–7 days, at sample cost, credited against the bulk order |
| Size specification | A size chart in centimetres with youth sizes | A stated measurement tolerance of ±1–1.5 cm |
| Registration | Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry membership and National Tax Number | Both supplied the same day |
| Written guarantee | What happens to a misprinted or wrongly sized shirt | Remade free, with the remake in production within a stated number of days |
| Certificates | Copies of any standard claimed on the website | ISO 9001:2015, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tested fabrics or BSCI as certificate copies, available on request |
Where ZipaSports fits for football and soccer kits
ZipaSports manufactures football kits at its own factory in Sialkot, Pakistan, founded in 2005, with six 4-head sublimation printers feeding the calender presses and its own cutting, sewing, embroidery and packing lines. The football teamwear range covers complete team kits, match jerseys, goalkeeper kits, junior kits and socks, along with training wear, presentation tracksuits and kit bags.
Every kit is made from the buyer's own design; there is no stock catalogue. Minimums run at 20–25 pieces per design, lower on request for a small team, and no MOQ limit applies to established kit brands. The free digital mockup comes back within 24 hours, the physical sample in 5–7 days at sample cost credited against the bulk order, and bulk production takes 15–25 business days after approval. Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report.
US soccer clubs receive a delivered price with the import tariff already included; see the USA page. New kit brands can start with the Startup Launch Programme, and the football kit manufacturers guide compares supplier types for clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sialkot good for custom football kits?
Yes, Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan is a specialist cluster for sublimated football kits, having grown its garment trade beside a football-goods industry responsible for about 70% of world hand-stitched football production, according to The Business Standard. Factories there cut and sew fully custom jerseys, shorts and socks from squad-sized runs of 20–25 pieces per design.
Can a Sunday league club order 20 football kits from Pakistan?
Yes, a club can order 20–25 kits per design from ZipaSports, with lower quantities possible on request for a small side. Sizes can be mixed within the design, and each shirt can carry its own name and number because both are sublimated with the artwork.
How long does a custom soccer kit take from Sialkot to the UK or USA?
Allow 15–25 business days for bulk production after design approval, plus 5–10 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS to the UK, USA or anywhere else. A digital mockup arrives within 24 hours and a physical sample in 5–7 days beforehand. Express production in 7–12 days is available at additional cost.
What GSM should a football jersey be?
A sublimated football jersey is typically 140–180 GSM in 100% polyester interlock, mesh or pin-dot mesh with a moisture-wicking finish. The lighter end suits summer leagues and youth squads; the heavier end gives a denser print and more opacity.
Are Sialkot football kits sublimated or screen printed?
Most football kits made in Sialkot are dye-sublimated, which prints the whole design, including names, numbers and sponsor logos, into the polyester fabric before cutting, so it cannot crack or peel. Embroidered crests and heat-applied sponsor logos are added on request.
Do I pay import duty on football kits from Pakistan?
Football kits made in Pakistan enter the UK at 0% duty under DCTS and the EU at 0% under GSP+, as of mid-2026. The USA charges 19% after the August 2025 trade deal reported by Dawn, which ZipaSports includes in its delivered price. VAT still applies at import in the UK and EU; confirm current rates with your customs broker.
Can every shirt in a soccer kit order have a different name and number?
Yes, every shirt in a sublimated kit order can carry a different name and number at no extra set-up, because they are printed with the design rather than applied afterwards. The club supplies a list of names, numbers and sizes after the mockup is approved.
How do I verify a football kit factory in Sialkot?
Ask for a live WhatsApp video call from the print room, the fabric composition and GSM in writing, a physical sample of your design, the SCCI membership reference and National Tax Number, and copies of any certificates claimed. A reseller cannot show you a calender press on demand.
Does ZipaSports make goalkeeper kits, socks and training wear as well as match kits?
Yes, ZipaSports makes goalkeeper kits, football socks, training jerseys, bibs, presentation tracksuits, rain jackets, staff polos and kit bags alongside match kits, all at its Sialkot factory, so a club can place one order for the whole squad. Socks are knitted by a dedicated partner unit.