Garment Trim Glossary: 24 Components Every Buyer Should Know

Trim covers every component on a garment that is not fabric, thread or the main label: buttons, snaps, zips, rivets, hardware, labels, tapes and interlinings. This glossary defines the 24 terms that appear most often on a trim BOM, in the words buyers actually use with factories.

How to use this page

Each entry is a working definition, not a dictionary entry. Where a term is used loosely in the trade, the entry says what it means on a purchase order, because that is where the confusion turns into a claim.

Trim terms at a glance

Definitions

Bar tack

A short, dense zigzag stitch used to reinforce stress points: pocket corners, fly openings, belt loops, strap joins. It is a sewing operation rather than a component, but it appears on trim BOMs because it often replaces a rivet.

Care label

The label carrying wash, dry, iron and bleach instructions, plus fibre content and country of origin where required. In the US it falls under 16 CFR 423; in the EU, Regulation 1007/2011 governs fibre names. Content accuracy is a legal matter, not a marketing one.

Cord lock

A spring-loaded barrel that grips a drawcord at a set length. Used on hoods, hems, bags and outdoor gear. The failure mode is slip, not breakage, and it shows up first on thin cords with a smooth braid.

D-ring

A D-shaped metal or plastic ring used to attach straps, usually on bags and outerwear. Its load rating depends on the bar thickness and how the strap is anchored, not on the ring itself, which is why D-ring failures are almost always strap failures.

Eyelet / grommet

A metal ring set into a punched hole to reinforce it for lacing, drawcords or ventilation. Eyelets are the smaller, thinner version; grommets are heavier and used on bags, tarps and footwear.

Hangtag

The retail ticket attached with a swift tack or string. It carries price, size, barcode and brand story, and it is usually the only trim the consumer consciously reads. Attachment method matters: a sharp tack damages knits.

Hook and eye

A two-part closure with a wire hook and a looped bar, used where a button cannot hold, such as trouser waistbands and bra backs. The large flat hook used on waistbands is a separate product from the small sewing hook used on dresses.

Interlining / fusing

A layer bonded to the back of a shell fabric to give body and shape, most often in collars, cuffs and plackets. Bubbling after washing is a fusing failure, not a button failure, and it is diagnosed by separating the layers.

Lab dip

A small colour sample submitted for approval before bulk production. Approved under defined light sources against a Pantone or customer standard, with a Delta E tolerance. Once signed, the lab dip becomes the reference for every later batch.

Printed label

A label where ink sits on the surface of a tape or film. Cheaper and faster to produce, with finer detail, but the print can crack or fade after repeated industrial washing. Common on care and content labels.

Prong snap (ring snap)

A four-part snap: cap, socket, post and stud. The post passes through the fabric and the cap is crimped over it, leaving two prongs buried in the cloth. The prongs, not the plating, are what fail a pull test when the setting die is worn.

Rivet

A two-piece metal fastener set through fabric at stress points, most often pocket corners on denim. It is decorative on some garments and structural on others; on workwear it is usually both, and the burr on the back side must be rolled smooth to avoid abrasion.

Sew-through button

A button attached with thread through two or four holes. Its strength depends on the thread, the stitch pattern and whether a shank is built with thread underneath. A four-hole button sewn flat to the cloth is weaker than the same button sewn with a thread shank.

Shank button

A single button with a moulded or metal loop on the back instead of holes through the face. The loop creates space for thick fabric and lets the button sit above a placket, which matters on coats and tailored jackets. It is not the same component as a tack button: a shank button is one piece with a loop, a tack button is a two-piece cap-and-post set driven through the cloth.

Slider (bag hardware)

The moving piece on a bag strap that adjusts length, distinct from a zipper slider. Bag sliders are specified by strap width and by whether they lock; a non-locking slider on a load-bearing strap will creep under weight.

Spring snap

A snap with a split-ring spring inside the socket instead of a wire ring. It holds tighter and sounds sharper on closing, and it is common on bags, outerwear and workwear where the closure must not pop open under load.

Tack button (jean button)

A two-piece metal button set through denim or heavy twill, with a shank that passes through the fabric and a cap that is pressed over it. It carries high pull load and cannot be removed without destroying the shank, which is why the shank material decides whether it survives industrial washing.

Top stop and bottom stop

The metal or plastic blocks that prevent the slider from running off the chain. On separating zips, the bottom end uses a retainer box and pin instead. Missing or weak stops are a common cause of returns on low-cost zips.

Trim (also: notion, finding)

Any component sewn, set or attached to a garment other than the shell fabric, lining and sewing thread. Buttons, zips, snaps, labels, tapes, elastic and hardware all count. American buyers say trim, British buyers often say notion, and both mean the same line items on a BOM.

Trim BOM

The section of a bill of materials that lists every trim item with its specification, supplier, colour reference, quantity per garment and unit cost. A trim BOM without a colour reference and a size is not a specification, it is a wish list. The test requirements that belong on the same line are set out in trim pull-test and salt spray requirements.

Webbing

A woven narrow fabric used for straps, handles and reinforcement. Specified by width, thickness, fibre and tensile strength. On bags, webbing strength usually exceeds the hardware that attaches it, so the attachment is the weak point.

Woven label

A label made by weaving the text into the tape, so the lettering is part of the fabric. It survives washing and dry cleaning far better than print, and it is the default for main brand labels on garments expected to last.

Zipper chain

The two tapes with their interlocking teeth, before the slider and stops are fitted. Chain is sold by the metre and cut to length; the gauge of the chain is what the #5 or #8 number refers to — see zipper size codes.

Zipper slider

The body that joins or separates the teeth, with a puller attached. Auto-lock sliders hold position when released, semi-auto lock only when the puller lies flat, and non-lock sliders move freely. The choice is functional, not cosmetic.

FAQ

Send the trim list or the BOM section and we will name each component back to you with its specification, so the RFQ goes out with the right vocabulary on it.

Senfa Mfg　Email: [email protected]

Last updated: 2026-11-06