The short answer
Plan blanks by SKU (style, color and size), not by style. For each SKU you keep in stock, set a reorder point: average daily usage × supplier lead time, plus safety stock for the days demand runs high. Keep your fastest movers in stock, buy slow movers to order, and review the numbers weekly.
Holding stock is not free. Carrying costs (the money tied up, space, handling, insurance and the risk of styles going obsolete) commonly run at 20% to 30% of inventory value a year (EazyStock).
Why it is harder now
Blank prices and availability are less predictable than they were. In PRINTING United Alliance’s Summer 2025 State of the Decorated Apparel Industry report, 55.1% of decorators named tariffs raising costs and disrupting supply chains as a risk. Distributor stockouts in popular colors and sizes, less reliable lead times, and demand spikes from a single marketplace listing all push shops towards buying ‘just in case’, which ties up cash in the wrong sizes.
A worked example (illustrative)
One SKU: a black heavyweight tee, size L. It sells about 120 a day, with day-to-day variation of about 30. The distributor delivers in 3 days. Cost per blank: $5.50.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Usage during lead time | 120 a day × 3 days | 360 |
| Safety stock (about 95% of days covered) | 1.65 × 30 × √3 | 86 |
| Reorder point | 360 + 86 | 446: reorder when stock falls to 446 |
| Measure | Two weeks ‘just in case’ | Reorder point, ordering every 3 days |
|---|---|---|
| Average units on the shelf | 1,680 | 266 (half of each 360 order, plus 86 safety stock) |
| Cash tied up | $9,240 | $1,463 |
| Carrying cost a year at 25% | $2,310 | $366 |
That is about $1,900 a year on one SKU, with fewer stockouts, not more. Multiply by your active SKUs. Use your own usage, lead times and carrying cost.
A simple A, B, C rule
| Class | Which SKUs | How to stock them |
|---|---|---|
| A | The small group of SKUs that make up most of your volume (often around a fifth of SKUs) | Always in stock, reorder point with safety stock, reviewed weekly |
| B | Steady but smaller sellers | In stock with lower safety stock, or ordered twice a week |
| C | Occasional colors, sizes and styles | Buy to order; promise lead times that allow for it |
Watch the size curve
Most stockouts are not ‘out of black tees’ but ‘out of black tees in 2XL’. Track usage by size for each style and color, and order to that curve rather than in equal quantities. Check the curve each quarter; school, team and corporate orders can shift it quickly.
A weekly review
- Update average daily usage and variation for A and B SKUs from the last eight weeks.
- Check actual supplier lead times against what you assumed, by distributor.
- List SKUs below their reorder point, and SKUs with more than eight weeks of stock.
- Check upcoming large orders and marketplace promotions that will pull stock.
- Agree substitutes for SKUs likely to be short (same weight and fit from another brand or distributor).
From reorder points to forecasts
Reorder points work from averages. An AI layer that reads your orders, purchase orders and receipts can forecast usage by SKU from your own history and seasonality, warn you days before a stockout, track distributor lead-time drift, suggest substitutes when a blank is short, and flag stock that has stopped moving. It works on top of the system you already run.
Want to know which blanks you’ll run out of next? Bring us one problem. We’ll show you on your own data.
Bring us one problem →Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a reorder point for blanks?
Average daily usage × supplier lead time in days, plus safety stock. Safety stock covers days when demand runs above average.
How much safety stock should a print shop hold?
Enough to cover normal variation in demand during the lead time. A common starting point is 1.65 × daily variation × √lead time, for about 95% of days covered.
What does it cost to hold blank inventory?
Carrying costs commonly run at 20% to 30% of inventory value a year, including capital, space, handling, insurance and obsolescence.
Should I stock every color and size?
No. Keep your fastest movers in stock and buy slow movers to order, with lead times that allow for it.
How often should I review blank inventory?
Weekly for fast movers, and whenever supplier lead times or prices change.
