The Grading Bureau
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
The Grading Bureau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Grading Bureau
- Legal name
- Gradeline-Datagraf Ltd
- Website
- https://gradingbureau.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Grading Bureau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Apparel Pattern Grading Services
- NAICS
- Apparel Manufacturing (315)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear) (IMAOAEAF)
Keywords
Where The Grading Bureau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Grading Bureau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pattern Grading Services: Bespoke pattern grading services for menswear, womenswear, and children's wear, charged per pattern or project based on complexity and size range requirements.
- Digitisation Services: Conversion of physical patterns to digital format, preserving all design details for electronic storage and manipulation.
- Marker Making and Costing: Lay-plan creation and fabric costing calculations to help clients estimate production costs before manufacturing.
- Plotting and Printing: Supply of full-scale graded paper nests and card sets for pattern visualization throughout size ranges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for pattern grading and related services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
The Grading Bureau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Grading Bureau provides specialist apparel pre-production services — pattern digitisation, pattern grading, marker making, and plotting/printing — for fashion brands, designers, and garment manufacturers producing menswear, womenswear, and children's wear. Services are delivered using Gerber and CAD tooling and are offered both locally (with free pickup and delivery in London) and internationally (electronic and physical delivery across Europe and the UAE).
Product overview
The Grading Bureau is a pattern grading service provider for the fashion/apparel industry, operating as a trading name of Datagraf Ltd. Their service portfolio consists of four core offerings: Digitisation (converting physical patterns to digital CAD format), Pattern Grading (sizing patterns to specification), Costing/Marker Making (lay-plan creation and fabric efficiency calculation), and Plotting/Printing (producing full-scale paper nests and card sets). These services work together to take patterns from initial design through to production-ready documentation, serving both UK and international clients in menswear, womenswear, and children's wear sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Lay-plan efficiencies of up to 85% depending on style
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Grading Bureau
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Grading Bureau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Grading Bureau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
The Grading Bureau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CLO3D: CLO3D provides 3D garment simulation and increasingly pattern grading capabilities for fashion brands. Its software enables in-house virtual pattern work, representing an emerging alternative to outsourced grading services.
- Assyst (Hexagon): Assyst, now part of Hexagon, delivers CAD pattern design and grading solutions for the apparel industry. Its Vidya software suite competes for the same fashion brand customers that The Grading Bureau serves with grading and marker-making services.
- Tukatech: Tukatech offers CAD pattern design, grading, and marker-making software specifically tailored for fashion manufacturers. Its TukaCAD product competes with the manual and software-enabled grading services The Grading Bureau provides to apparel clients.
- Optitex: Optitex provides 2D and 3D CAD pattern-making and grading software for the apparel industry. Its tools overlap directly with The Grading Bureau's grading and marker-making services, representing an alternative in-house technology pathway for fashion manufacturers.
- Wild Ginger Software: Wild Ginger Software offers pattern-making and grading software for apparel, sewing, and crafts. It serves small designers and manufacturers with CAD tools that partially overlap The Grading Bureau's customer base of independent designers and emerging brands.
- Gerber Technology: Gerber Technology is the dominant CAD pattern grading and marker-making software provider used across the apparel industry. Its Accumark platform is the same tool category The Grading Bureau uses to deliver its services, making it the closest alternative path for clients seeking to bring grading in-house.
- Audaces: Audaces is a Latin American apparel technology company providing CAD pattern design and grading software. It serves fashion manufacturers globally with tools that overlap The Grading Bureau's grading and digitisation offerings.
Emerging players
- Browzwear: Browzwear provides 3D apparel CAD tools including pattern-making functionality aimed at digital fashion workflows. As an emerging player, it represents a next-generation alternative to traditional grading services for digitally native fashion brands.
Broad incumbents
- Lectra: Lectra is a global leader in fashion technology, offering CAD, CAM, and cut-room solutions including pattern grading. Following its acquisition of Gerber Technology, it represents the largest incumbent serving the same customer base with broader integrated solutions than The Grading Bureau.
Regional players
- Vetigraph: Vetigraph is a European CAD pattern-making and grading software provider, particularly strong in France and Italy. It competes for the same European fashion manufacturer customers that The Grading Bureau serves from its UK base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Grading Bureau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Grading Bureau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Grading Bureau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Grading Bureau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Grading Bureau
What does The Grading Bureau do?
The Grading Bureau provides specialist apparel pre-production services — pattern digitisation, pattern grading, marker making, and plotting/printing — for fashion brands, designers, and garment manufacturers producing menswear, womenswear, and children's wear. Services are delivered using Gerber and CAD tooling and are offered both locally (with free pickup and delivery in London) and internationally (electronic and physical delivery across Europe and the UAE).
Is The Grading Bureau a public or private company?
The Grading Bureau is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Grading Bureau founded?
The Grading Bureau was founded in 1986. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Grading Bureau based?
The Grading Bureau is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Grading Bureau make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pattern Grading Services are the primary driver. The others are digitisation Services, marker Making and Costing and plotting and Printing.
Who are The Grading Bureau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CLO3D, Assyst (Hexagon), Tukatech, Optitex, Wild Ginger Software, Gerber Technology and Audaces. Browzwear is listed as an emerging player. Lectra is listed as a broad incumbent. Vetigraph is listed as a regional player.
Does The Grading Bureau have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Grading Bureau.
What industry is The Grading Bureau in?
The Grading Bureau's product category is Apparel Pattern Grading Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAEAF, Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear). Its NAICS code is 315 and its SIC code is 2300.