What is a dye lot in fabric?

A dye lot is a batch of fabric dyed together in one run. Fabric from different lots of the same colour will differ slightly in shade, which is why an order should be filled from a single lot wherever possible.

Can you mix dye lots in one order?

Only with the buyer’s agreement. Mixing lots produces visible shading across a finished garment and is a common reason shipments are rejected. If lots must be mixed, get written approval before cutting and record it against the shipment.

How do you track dye lots in inventory software?

Each physical roll is recorded against a dye lot, and stock figures are calculated per lot rather than per style. Textile Wizard does this natively: available-to-sell is shown by lot, and any allocation spanning more than one lot is flagged for shade approval.

The problem

Dye lot tracking, and why fabric inventory falls apart without it

Every fabric business learns this the expensive way: two rolls of the same style, dyed on different days, are not the same colour.

What a dye lot is

A dye lot is one batch of fabric dyed together in a single run. Water chemistry, temperature, dye concentration and machine loading all vary slightly between runs, so two lots of the same colour differ — usually just enough to be invisible on the roll and obvious on a finished garment.

The trade handles this by keeping an order inside one lot. A cutter laying a marker will place panels from the same lot together, and a garment made from mixed lots will show the difference at the seam under store lighting.

Why spreadsheets cannot hold it

A spreadsheet can record that you have 800 yards of style 1050. It cannot easily tell you that those 800 yards are 317 in lot CJ-2401, 295 in CJ-2402 and 188 in CJ-2403 — and that a 400-yard order therefore cannot ship from one lot at all.

That distinction is the entire question. Total yardage tells you whether you can fill the order; lot breakdown tells you whether you can fill it without a claim.

What proper dye lot tracking requires

Stock has to be held at roll level, with each roll belonging to a lot. Available-to-sell has to be calculated per lot, not per style. Allocation has to prefer a single lot, and when it cannot, it has to say so loudly and require approval before cutting.

It also has to handle the aftermath: the short end left when a lot is nearly exhausted, and the memo swatch a salesperson cut off a production roll without telling anyone.

Questions

What is a dye lot in fabric?: A dye lot is a batch of fabric dyed together in one run. Fabric from different lots of the same colour will differ slightly in shade, which is why an order should be filled from a single lot wherever possible.
Can you mix dye lots in one order?: Only with the buyer’s agreement. Mixing lots produces visible shading across a finished garment and is a common reason shipments are rejected. If lots must be mixed, get written approval before cutting and record it against the shipment.
How do you track dye lots in inventory software?: Each physical roll is recorded against a dye lot, and stock figures are calculated per lot rather than per style. Textile Wizard does this natively: available-to-sell is shown by lot, and any allocation spanning more than one lot is flagged for shade approval.