Short overalls, your specification
Made to your tech pack, fabric and colours by a factory matched to the order.
Private label
Your main label, care label, hangtag and polybag. Nominated trims accepted.
Short overalls, often sold as shortalls, put the bib and straps on a short leg for summer. Everything above the waist works like a full overall; the leg is where they differ. Inseam, leg opening and hem finish decide the style, and a raw edge left unspecified looks like a fault to an inspector and a feature to a designer. A short overalls manufacturer in Bangladesh needs the leg written down in centimetres and in words.
The desk sends the shortalls brief to two factories on the bench and checks that both priced the same hem finish and the same distressing, which can swing the cost. A raw or turned up leg goes into the inspection criteria as intended, so it is judged against the approved sample rather than rejected as an open hem.
Kinds of short overalls
Hemmed shortalls
A clean double turned and topstitched hem, with an inseam usually 8 to 15 cm. The neatest finish, and the one that keeps its length through many washes.
Turn up shortalls
The hem turned up once or twice and tacked at the side seam and inseam, showing the paler back of the denim. Turn up depth is part of the design.
Raw hem shortalls
A cut edge left to fray, held by a stay stitch so the fray stops where intended. Usually washed in production so the fringe has started before shipping.
Knee length shortalls
A longer, bermuda style leg with an inseam around 20 to 25 cm. Reads more relaxed and suits customers who want more cover than a short leg.
Distressed shortalls
Rips, abrasion and fraying on the legs and bib, made by hand or by laser. Holes are often backed with denim from behind so they do not grow.
How to brief a short overalls manufacturer in Bangladesh
- Inseam in centimetres
- Inseam per size after washing, usually 5 to 25 cm depending on the style. On a short leg every centimetre of error shows.
- Leg opening
- Measured flat. The opening must clear the thigh when the wearer sits, or the leg rides up into the crotch.
- Hem intent
- Hemmed, turned up or raw, written as the intended finish. For raw, give the stay stitch distance from the edge, usually 1 to 2 cm.
- Turn up depth
- Depth of each turn, usually 3 to 5 cm, taken off the cut leg, so the inseam is stated with the turn up made and the pale back of the denim showing.
- Summer weight and wash
- Usually 8 to 10 oz denim in light or bleached washes. Heavier denim makes a short leg stiff and flared.
- Distressing
- Placement, size and method of rips and abrasion, taken from a marked sample, with backing wherever holes would otherwise grow.
Tests for short overalls
- ISO 13937
- Tear strength, run on distressed panels. Abrasion and rips weaken denim, and the test shows whether the leg still holds when the wearer sits or bends.
- ISO 105-B02
- Light fastness on the 1 to 8 blue wool scale for bleached summer washes, which keep fading in the sun after sale. Ask for the result on the bulk wash.
- ZDHC MRSL
- The list of chemicals barred from intentional use in the laundry. Bleached and distressed summer washes use the most chemistry, so ask whether the laundry works to it.
What moves the price of short overalls
- Distressing by hand against laser, and the number of rips and abraded zones.
- Bleached light washes, which take more laundry steps than a rinse.
- Turn up tacks and raw edge stay stitching, small operations on every leg.
- A short leg uses less denim than full length overalls in the same size.
- Backing patches behind rips: an extra piece and operation for each hole.
Lead time for short overalls
Sampling usually takes 7 to 14 days and bulk 30 to 60 days after the PP sample is approved. A new distressing or bleach wash is developed on full garments before the PP sample, which adds days. Raw hems are washed to start the fray, and that is built into the wash time. The quote confirms the dates.
What we check on short overalls before shipment
- Inseam by sizeInseam on both legs measured after washing on several sizes, against the graded chart and its tolerance.
- Raw edge frayFringe even in length round each leg, stay stitch intact, and no fray running past the stitch.
- Turn up tacksTurn ups the same depth on both legs, the pale back of the denim showing evenly, and tacks holding at side seam and inseam.
- Distressing placementRips and abrasion matching the marked sample in position and size, with a backing patch behind every hole.
Questions buyers ask about short overalls
Will a raw hem on short overalls keep fraying after washing?
It frays down to the stay stitch and stops there. The fringe grows a little in the first few home washes and then settles. Specify the stay stitch distance, and ask for the raw edge to be washed in production so the fringe starts even.
What inseam counts as short overalls?
Most shortalls sit between 5 and 15 cm of inseam, with knee length styles around 20 to 25 cm. Give the number for your base size and its grade, measured after washing, since the word short fixes no length. Check it on a fit model seated as well.
What denim weight suits summer shortalls?
Usually 8 to 10 oz. Lighter is cool to wear but the bib loses body; heavier makes the short leg stiff, so it flares out from the thigh. Light and bleached washes suit summer ranges and should be checked for light fastness on the bulk wash.
Can the same pattern make short and full length overalls?
The bib, straps and upper body can be shared, but the leg is new pattern work: a short leg opening is shaped differently from a full leg cut off. Most factories treat it as a separate style with its own sample.
Get a quote for short overalls
Tech pack or sketch with quantities per colour. A compared quote in 48 hours.
