How to size a crew shirt order
The order gets delayed more often by sizes than by artwork. Here is how Battle Born Clothing's trade customers size an order fast: a roster when you have one, a spread when you do not, and a few extras either way.
Option one: a roster
Best when shirts get names or when each person gets a set number. One row per person: name, style, size, quantity. Send it as a spreadsheet. We put the roster on the proof so you check it once.
Option two: a size spread
When shirts go in a bin at the shop, order by percentage. Trade crews run larger than the general population. This spread is what our contractor customers typically land on; adjust for your crew.
| Size | Share | Pieces of 48 | Upcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 4% | 2 | none |
| M | 15% | 7 | none |
| L | 29% | 14 | none |
| XL | 29% | 14 | none |
| 2XL | 15% | 7 | $1-7 by style |
| 3XL | 6% | 3 | $1-7 by style |
| 4XL | 2% | 1 | $1-7 by style |
Extras
Order two to four extra in L and XL. A new hire shows up the week the shirts land. On a 48-piece print run, extras cost the per-piece rate and nothing more; on a reorder of three shirts, the screens come back at $20 each and the per-piece rate is quoted per job. A few extras now are cheaper than a tiny reorder later.
2XL and up
Suppliers charge more for extended sizes, $1 to $7 per piece depending on style and size. We pass that through at the same markup rule as the base blank. It shows as a separate line on the quote. Decoration is the same price at every size.
Women's cuts
Port & Company and Port Authority make women's versions of most styles (LPC54, L500). Women's sizes run about one size smaller than men's at the same letter; a woman who wears a men's M usually takes a women's L. Order women's cuts on a separate line so the proof and the box are clear.
Long sleeves and polos in the same order
Keep one roster with a column for style. Mixed styles are fine; we embroider them from one digitized file and print them from one set of screens where the artwork matches.
Polos vs tees: size differently
A tee runs loose and a polo runs closer to the body, and people size a polo they will wear to a customer's house more carefully than a tee they will wear in a crawlspace. On mixed orders we see one more XL and one fewer L in the polo column than the tee column for the same crew. If you are guessing, size polos up.
The 2XL math on a real order
| Line | Qty | Each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC61 S-XL, printed | 37 | $15.22 | $563.14 |
| PC61 2XL-4XL, printed (example $2 upcharge) | 11 | $17.22 | $189.42 |
| Screens, 2 | 1 | $40.00 | $40.00 |
| Total | 48 | $792.56 |
The actual upcharge depends on the style and size ($1-7); the quote shows the exact amount. Decoration is identical across sizes, so the extended-size line only moves by the blank difference.
Tall sizes
Red Kap work shirts come in regular and long. Port & Company tees come in standard lengths only; tall crews often size up one for length. Carhartt offers tall in some styles, quoted per job.
Questions
What if I get the sizes wrong?
Decorated shirts cannot be exchanged. We print the sizes on the proof so you can check before production. Order extras in the middle sizes.
Do youth sizes cost less?
Youth blanks are usually cheaper; decoration is the same rate. Youth PC54Y is available for company events.
Can you ship sorted by person?
Shirts with names are bagged per person. Unnamed shirts ship sorted by size.