Custom Uniform Patches

Branded Work Shirt Patches for Trades and Service Crews

A patch is the classic way to mark a work shirt. HVAC techs, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, pest control crews, landscapers and delivery teams all wear them, usually a company logo on one side of the chest and a name on the other.

Branded patches beat direct embroidery on work uniforms in three situations:

• You buy shirts from more than one source. A stack of patches makes every shirt match, whatever brand the shirt is.
• Staff turn over. New hires get patches sewn onto fresh shirts, and nothing is wasted when someone leaves.
• The garment is hard to embroider. Heavy coveralls, insulated jackets and canvas aprons take a patch more easily than a stitched logo.

For most crews, a 3" to 4" logo patch on the chest or upper sleeve reads clearly from across a driveway or a counter. Simple shapes, like an oval, a rectangle or a shield with a merrowed border, look sharp and wear well.

Team and Jersey Patches for Leagues and Clubs

Sports uniforms use patches for the details that change: a league crest on the sleeve, a sponsor on the chest, a championship or tournament patch, a memorial patch for a coach or player, and a patch on the cap.

Baseball and softball uniforms carry more patches than most. Typical placements for custom baseball patches:

• Left sleeve: a 3" to 3.5" team or league patch, sewn on.
• Cap front: a 2" to 2.5" patch, often the team initial or logo.
• Chest or sleeve: a commemorative patch for a season, an anniversary or a tournament.

Leagues and clubs also order team patches for bags, warm-up jackets and parents' gear, and personalized patches with player names for equipment bags. League and governing-body logos are trademarks, so you need the league's permission to reproduce one. Your own team and club logos are fine.

Staff Name and Role Patches: How We Personalize Each One

Each patch in an order can carry a different name, and there's no minimum per name. Send the list as a spreadsheet, one name per line, spelled exactly the way it should be stitched. Every name gets the same font, thread color and size, so the team matches.

Common formats:

• Name ovals: about 3.5" x 2", the classic mechanic and technician style, often with a thin border in a company color.
• Name and role: a two-line rectangle with a first name above a title like "Service Manager" or "Lead Tech."
• Name tapes: a narrow strip for vests, coveralls and bags.

Many companies run two patches: a stock of logo patches ordered in bulk and personalized name patches ordered as people join. Browse employee name patches for shapes, fonts and backings.

Patches for Polos, Tees and Coveralls

Custom shirt patches work best on stiff, flat fabric, and not every uniform piece suits one.

• Work shirts and coveralls: the best fit. Poly-cotton twill is stiff and flat, so sew-on patches lie neatly and last.
• Polos: a patch works, but the piqué knit stretches, and a stiff patch can pucker around it. Direct embroidery usually looks cleaner on logo polos.
• T-shirts: a lightweight tee sags under a heavy patch. For crew tees, DTF printing (or screen printing on 100+ pieces) is lighter and cheaper; for event or giveaway tees with a patch, use a small iron-on patch on a heavier cotton tee.
• Chef coats and aprons: sew-on only, since they're washed hot and often.
• Jackets and vests: sew-on for leather and nylon, hook-and-loop where the garment already has a loop panel.

We carry and decorate work shirts, polos, tees, scrubs and outerwear, so one order can combine patches with printed or stitched garments. See our custom work shirts and tees for blanks, or our embroidered logos on uniforms service when stitching straight onto the garment is the better choice.

Laundry-Ready Backings for Uniform Programs

Uniforms get washed more than anything else people wear, so the backing matters more than the design.

Industrial and commercial laundries run hot water and strong detergents, so sew-on is the only backing we recommend for uniforms that go out to a laundry service. If your shirts come from a uniform rental company, ask whether they'll sew on emblems you provide. For home-washed uniforms, wash inside out, skip chlorine bleach on colored thread, and dry on low.

Keeping a Consistent Look Across Locations

When a company has several locations, or a league has dozens of teams, the branded patch has to look the same everywhere. A simple spec sheet does it:

1. Patch spec: You'll see a digital mockup to approve before anything is produced. Copy its size, shape, border, thread colors and backing onto the sheet.
2. Placement: for example, logo patch on the left chest centered over the pocket, name oval on the right chest, both about 1" above the pocket seam. Pick one layout and write it down.
3. Ordering: one person or one account places reorders, so every batch matches the approved proof.

Setup fees are one-time per design: reorders, and the same design on other products, never pay them again; only a design change needs new setup. That covers the $35 embroidery digitizing fee and, if you screen print shirts too (100+ pieces), the screen setup, and the same design in another size. The stitch file is downloadable in your account. For larger programs, see our volume pricing for uniform programs.

Need patches by a start date or opening day? Rush orders are available for a fee quoted with your order; tell us your in-hand date and we'll confirm it before you approve. Every order ships anywhere in the US, and Orlando-area businesses can pick up finished orders at our Orlando-area warehouse.

One note on marks: if your uniform carries a city, county, school, agency or league logo, you're responsible for having permission to use it. We make patches from the artwork you provide; we don't produce official or licensed insignia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uniform patches survive industrial laundering?

Sew-on embroidered patches hold up best, because there's no adhesive to soften in hot water and dryer heat. Heat-seal adhesive alone loosens over repeated hot washes, so for shirts sent to a commercial laundry, order sew-on backing and have the patches stitched around the border. Avoid chlorine bleach on colored thread.

Can you sew patches onto our work shirts?

Not onto shirts you already own. We decorate the blanks we supply and don't work on customer-supplied garments. Your patches arrive ready to sew, so a tailor or your uniform rental service can attach them. If you're buying new shirts from us, we can sew your patches on or embroider your logo directly onto them.

Do you make baseball and softball team patches?

Yes. We make sleeve patches, cap patches, championship and tournament patches, and memorial patches for baseball and softball teams, plus name patches for players' bags. There's no minimum on embroidered patches, so a single team of 12 is as easy as a whole league. League and governing-body logos need the league's permission.

Can each patch include a different employee name?

Yes. Send the names as a spreadsheet, one per line, spelled exactly as they should be stitched, and each patch gets its own name in the same font, color and size. There's no minimum per name, so you can add new hires one at a time. Your mockup shows the name layout, and we'll confirm how a name list is set up before you approve.

Can you put patches on t-shirts?

You can iron or sew a small patch onto a heavier cotton tee, but a lightweight tee sags under a stiff patch. For crew tees, DTF printing, screen printing (100+ pieces) or direct embroidery on tees we supply is lighter, more comfortable and usually cheaper. Patches make more sense on work shirts, jackets, hats and bags.

Is there a minimum order for uniform patches?

Not for embroidered patches (PVC minimums vary by type). You can order one replacement patch or a full rollout for every location. Larger runs bring the per-patch price down, and reorders of custom uniform patches never carry a new setup fee as long as the design stays the same.