Embroidered hoodies are the company merch people actually keep: a small stitched logo on a midweight fleece hoodie looks sharp, survives years of washing, and gets worn on weekends. Here are the best hoodies for embroidery, when to print instead, where to put the logo, and how to care for them.
If there's one piece of company apparel people fight over, it's the hoodie. Tees get lost in a drawer. A good hoodie gets worn to the job, to the gym, and on the couch on Sunday. Put a clean embroidered logo on it and it looks like something people would buy at a store.
Here's what we've learned stitching hoodies for businesses, churches, and teams: which hoodies embroider best, when screen printing is the better call, where the logo should go, and how to keep them looking new.
Can you embroider a hoodie?
Yes, and hoodies are one of the best garments to embroider. A midweight cotton-poly fleece hoodie gives the needle a stable base, and a small logo on the left chest or center chest looks clean and lasts for years. The shop just needs a solid backing and a topping on fuzzy fleece.
The inside of a hoodie is brushed fleece, and the outside is a smooth knit face. That combo is great for embroidery. We hoop it with a backing on the inside so the logo stays flat, and use a thin topping on top when the face is fuzzy so stitches don't sink. Same idea as embroidery on fleece jackets.
The only hoodies I steer people away from for embroidery are very thin, stretchy fashion hoodies. They can pucker around a dense logo. A print is usually better on those.
The best hoodies for embroidery
Look for a midweight hoodie (around 8 to 10 ounces) in a cotton-poly blend. It's heavy enough to support the stitches, soft enough that people love it, and it holds its shape after washing. Here are the ones we reach for most:
Independent Trading SS4500. A soft, midweight hoodie with a modern fit and great colors. A customer favorite, and it embroiders cleanly.
Gildan 18500. The classic. Affordable, comes in every color, and holds up fine. Great for big crews and events.
Port & Company PC78H. Another solid value pick with a huge color range and an easy reorder story.
Champion S700 (Powerblend). A recognizable brand with a heavier feel. Good for gifts and teams that want a step up.
Carhartt CTK121. The heavyweight workwear pick. Thick, tough, and loved by trade crews. A left-chest logo on a Carhartt hoodie is basically a uniform at this point.
Pullover or full-zip? Pullovers give you a clean chest for the logo. Full-zips split the chest, so the logo goes on the left side. Both look great. Many teams order one of each with the same logo and let people pick.
Embroidered vs screen printed hoodies
Both are great. They're just good at different things.
| Embroidery | Screen printing | |
|---|---|---|
| Best design size | Small: left chest, sleeve, hood | Big: full front, full back |
| Look | Polished, dimensional, high end | Bold, colorful, graphic |
| Durability | Lasts as long as the hoodie | Lasts years with good care |
| Detail | Simple logos and clean text | Fine detail, gradients, many colors |
| Minimum | 12 pieces | 48 pieces (smaller runs as DTF) |
My quick rule: if the logo is smaller than your hand, embroider it. If it's a big graphic, print it. A huge stitched design on a hoodie gets stiff and heavy. A tiny print on a chest looks a little plain next to thread.
You can also mix them. A stitched left-chest logo on the front with a big printed graphic on the back is a really popular combo for crews and church events. More on the tradeoffs in our embroidery vs screen printing guide.
Where to put the logo on a hoodie
Left chest is the classic for a company hoodie. About 3.5 to 4 inches wide, a few inches below the collar.
Center chest works well on pullovers for a slightly bigger logo or a short word. Keep it above the kangaroo pocket so it doesn't fold or get hidden when people put their hands in.
Sleeve or wrist is a fun extra: a small icon, a year, or a website.
Hood is the sneaky favorite. A small logo on the side of the hood shows from behind when the hood is down.
We check every hoodie style before we place the logo, because drawstring holes, zippers, and pocket seams all move around a bit from brand to brand.
Caring for embroidered hoodies
Embroidery is tough, but a few habits keep a hoodie looking new:
Wash inside out in cold water. It protects the stitching and keeps colors bright.
Skip the bleach. It can fade both the hoodie and the thread.
Tumble dry low or hang dry. High heat shrinks cotton blends and can pucker the fabric around the logo.
Don't iron directly on the logo. If you need to, iron from the inside with a towel over it.
If a loose thread ever pops up, snip it with scissors rather than pulling it.
Mistakes to avoid when ordering company hoodies
Going too big with embroidery. A 10-inch stitched logo is heavy and stiff. Print big designs, stitch small ones.
Tiny text. Words under about a quarter inch tall get lost in the fleece.
Picking the thinnest hoodie. It puckers around the logo and pills fast. Midweight is the sweet spot.
Waiting until the first cold snap. Popular hoodie colors sell out every fall. Order early in the season.
Forgetting sizes go big. Hoodies run generous, but people still size up. Collect real sizes, and check our shirt size chart guide for how.
Company hoodies: one bulk order or an online store?
If you're outfitting a team once, a bulk order is simple. Collect sizes, pick a hoodie, and we stitch the whole batch. Embroidery starts at 12 pieces, and the price per hoodie drops as the order grows. Here's what three of the hoodies above actually cost with a left-chest logo:
| Hoodie | At 12 | At 24 | At 48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port & Company PC78H | $36 | $32 | $30 |
| Champion S700 | $46 | $42 | $39 |
| Carhartt CTK121 | $81 | $77 | $74 |
If people join all year, or you want employees to grab extras for their family, an online company store is easier. We load your hoodie, quarter-zip, and polo, and each person orders their own size with no minimum. Lots of teams do both: one bulk order to kick things off, and a store for everything after.
Want something a little dressier than a hoodie for the office? A custom quarter-zip is the hoodie's more polished cousin.
Send us your logo and we'll mock it up on a couple of hoodie options with a real quote. Turnaround is about 2 to 3 weeks from art approval. Just let us know what you're thinking!
Frequently asked questions
- Can you embroider on a hoodie?
- Yes. Midweight cotton-poly hoodies are one of the best garments to embroider. The shop uses a backing inside and a topping on fuzzy fleece so the logo stays flat and crisp.
- What is the best hoodie for embroidery?
- A midweight cotton-poly hoodie around 8 to 10 ounces, like the Independent Trading SS4500, Gildan 18500, Port & Company PC78H, Champion S700, or Carhartt CTK121 for a heavyweight work hoodie.
- Is embroidery or screen printing better on hoodies?
- Embroidery is better for small logos on the chest, sleeve, or hood, and looks more polished. Screen printing is better for big, colorful graphics on the front or back. Many teams do both on the same hoodie.
- How do you wash an embroidered hoodie?
- Turn it inside out, wash in cold water, skip the bleach, and tumble dry low or hang dry. Don't iron directly on the logo.
- Where should a logo go on a hoodie?
- Left chest is the classic, about 3.5 to 4 inches wide. Center chest works on pullovers if it sits above the front pocket. A small logo on the sleeve or hood is a nice extra.
- How much do embroidered hoodies cost?
- With a left-chest logo and digitizing included, a Port & Company PC78H is $36 at 12, $32 at 24 and $30 at 48. A Champion S700 runs $46 to $39 and a Carhartt CTK121 $81 to $74 across the same quantities. 2XL and up cost a little more.
- What is the minimum order for embroidered hoodies?
- Embroidery starts at 12 pieces. Through an online company store there's no minimum, so people can order one hoodie at a time.
Want your logo stitched?
Send us the artwork and we'll digitize it, show you the mockup, and keep the stitch file on record so every reorder from here matches the first one exactly.
Embroidered polos are $26 a piece at 48 and caps start at $18 — garment, logo and digitizing included. Bulk runs start at 48 pieces.
