Make every quantity belong to an identifiable hat
A bulk inquiry is easier to review when each quantity belongs to a clear combination of style, colour and size. “Five hundred mixed caps” leaves too many purchasing decisions open. A simple variant matrix can show what the buyer wants, which combinations have been selected and which details still need confirmation. It can also prevent a total quantity from being mistaken for a complete specification.
The matrix is a buyer planning document. It is not a promise that every proposed combination is available, nor does an illustrative quantity establish a minimum order. Start with an exact product reference or your own drawing, then describe the version you want to discuss. Relia Hats works on custom hat projects from customer requirements or drawings, with customer-specified materials and logos. The proposed combinations and applicable commercial arrangements need project review.
Choose the row identity before adding numbers
Use one row for one distinct specification that needs its own quantity. A practical row can contain a buyer style code, the catalogue reference, a colourway reference, a size description, an artwork revision and a quantity. Add the approval status and open questions if they are relevant. This gives purchasing, design and the supplier a common way to point to the same proposal without searching through separate email attachments.
Keep the buyer style code stable throughout the discussion. If a proposed cap changes from one design to another, do not keep its old product reference merely because the overall colour looks similar. Record the change and ask whether it affects the material, fit, artwork or sample requirements. A row should identify a hat that can be reviewed, not just a colour name and an approximate head count.
Preserve the whole colourway
Do not collapse reversed combinations
A two-colour description may refer to an arrangement across the front, mesh, brim or other panels. Black+White and White+Black should remain separate selections unless their actual arrangement has been confirmed as identical. Both descriptions appear among the choices for a six-panel mesh snapback reference. The name alone does not explain which part carries each colour; request a selected-version image or an annotated component description.
Keep closely named shades distinct
The mesh-rope golf reference includes Deep Green and Dark Green as separate choices. Avoid merging them into one “green” row when sending a quantity split. Record the exact chosen wording and ask for the corresponding shade reference. If your brand requires a particular colour target, supply that target separately and ask how it will be evaluated for the proposed fabric, mesh, trim and artwork.
Translate codes through confirmation, not guessing
The novelty foam-mesh trucker reference identifies its Color choices as 1, 2 and 3. Keep the selected code in the matrix, but request a clear shade reference before approval. Do not assign an invented colour name to the code from an unverified thumbnail. A buyer description can be added after the code and actual shade have been connected in the review record.
Give size labels their actual boundaries
A letter size is useful only when the relevant dimensions are clear. On the short-brim five-panel reference, M is stated as 56–59cm and L as 60–62cm. Those are distinct rows when both are requested. Do not reinterpret the two ranges as one continuous adjustment promise or assume that the same letter sizes apply to a different style.
Where the selected reference includes metric and inch values, retain the complete information. The novelty foam-mesh cap states 56–58CM (22.05–22.83in). The six-panel mesh snapback offers 56–62cm (22.05–24.41in), while its fit discussion also identifies 58–60CM (22.83–23.62in) as a range to confirm where required. Keep these references attached to their own products and resolve the selected version instead of borrowing a wider range from a neighbouring style.
“One Size” and “Adjustable” still need interpretation for the chosen construction. Ask which finished circumference or usable adjustment range is proposed and how the closure operates. Include crown depth or another wearing measurement if it is important to the intended buyer. The fit specification guide can support this conversation, but a physical review with the intended wearer remains a separate approval decision.
An illustrative matrix with separate totals
The following table is illustrative only. Quantities are invented for explaining the document and are not a quotation, MOQ, confirmed stock level or assurance that these versions can be supplied together. Style A refers to a proposed short-brim cap based on the stated M and L ranges. The buyer must still confirm each selected colour, actual construction and applicable order conditions.
| Buyer style | Colour reference | Size description | Illustrative quantity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Black, shade to confirm | M, 56–59cm | 120 | Proposed |
| A | Black, shade to confirm | L, 60–62cm | 80 | Proposed |
| A | Navy Blue, shade to confirm | M, 56–59cm | 150 | Proposed |
| A | Navy Blue, shade to confirm | L, 60–62cm | 50 | Proposed |
The illustrative style total is 400 hats. Black totals 200 and Navy Blue totals 200; M totals 270 and L totals 130. These separate checks help identify a misplaced quantity without obscuring the original four rows. If one row changes, update the row and the affected totals together. A buyer should be able to trace the complete requested quantity back to individual specifications.
Do not use a blank cell to mean several different things. Write “not requested,” “quantity to confirm” or “combination not yet reviewed,” as appropriate. Zero can mean a deliberate exclusion, while an empty cell may simply mean the document is unfinished. An explicit status keeps another person from treating an unresolved combination as an accepted omission or an available alternative.
Attach artwork and sample references to the matrix
Include the artwork revision where decoration forms part of the requested hat. If one colourway needs a different logo colour or patch background, identify that difference in the relevant row or a linked artwork schedule. The cap body may be the same while the finished branded version is different. Avoid a blanket note saying “same logo” when the intended contrast or placement has changed.
A sample reference should identify what has actually been reviewed. Record whether the sample confirms shape only, material and fit, or the complete decorated version. Add the date and the specific approval decision. If only one colourway has been sampled, do not silently extend that approval to every other row. Ask how any proposed variation will be assessed and document the answer in the project record.
Use a controlled handover from planning to quotation
Give the matrix a filename, revision and date. Mark whether it is a draft for discussion or the quantity schedule you want quoted. When sending a revised file, state which rows changed and whether the previous version is superseded. This is more reliable than adding a new total in the email while leaving an older spreadsheet attached. The supplier needs one clear version to review.
Keep the destination, requested date and packing needs beside the matrix, rather than burying them inside a colour cell. They affect the overall project discussion, but they do not replace the style-level details. Ask the supplier to identify any proposed alternative combinations, unresolved requirements or conditions in the response. A clear inquiry makes those differences visible before a buyer accepts a quotation.
Separate order quantities from packing instructions
A correct style total does not explain how different versions should be identified when received. If the buyer needs colourways or sizes grouped separately, include a packing proposal alongside the quantity matrix. Use the same buyer row codes in both documents so an instruction for a particular size cannot be mistaken for the whole style. Ask which labels, grouping and packing arrangement can be agreed for the project.
Keep that proposal distinct from an accepted packing specification. For example, a request to separate the illustrative M and L rows is a handling preference to discuss, not a claim that a particular carton capacity has been established. Record any agreed identifiers and check them against the final quantity schedule. This connects purchasing decisions with receiving needs without inventing packaging dimensions or a supplier packing policy.
A procurement check before you send the file
- Each row identifies one exact style, complete colourway, relevant size and requested quantity.
- Reversed pairings, close shade names and numeric colour codes retain distinct references.
- Metric and supplied inch ranges remain complete and tied to the correct product.
- Row, colour, size and overall totals agree, with unresolved quantities explicitly marked.
- Artwork revisions and sample approval scope are linked to the affected rows.
- The file states its revision, status, destination and requested project conditions.
Questions buyers often ask
Should every possible combination appear?
Include the combinations you want reviewed and clearly mark their status. Do not create a full cross-product of sizes and colours unless those combinations have actually been considered. A catalogue choice list is not automatically a confirmed custom-order matrix.
Can the supplier choose the colour split?
If you want alternatives proposed, say so explicitly. Keep your initial split separate from the supplier's proposal, then approve a specific version before relying on its totals.
Does a total quantity establish the applicable MOQ?
No. The example numbers explain buyer planning. Applicable quantities, pricing, sampling and timing need confirmation for the selected styles, materials and decoration.
What should I send with the matrix?
Attach product references or drawings, material requirements, artwork and the relevant sample notes. Send your variant requirements to Relia Hats to discuss the proposed combinations and the details still needing review.