Custom hat labels and hat tags
Custom hat labels and hat tags for caps and beanies
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Custom hat labels and hat tags for caps and beanies
Custom hat labels, also called hat tags, are woven labels sewn inside a cap or a beanie, carrying your brand name, size or care information. Super Label Store weaves them in damask on a jacquard loom, from 5 pieces per design, OEKO-TEX certified, with a free 1:1 proof before you order.
They are what separates a branded product from a blank with something printed on it. A customer who pulls on a beanie and finds a woven label in the cuff reads that as a brand. A blank with no label reads as a blank, whatever is on the front.
Headwear is also the category most often bought blank and branded afterwards, which makes the label the one part that is genuinely yours. That comes with tighter constraints than a garment: a sweatband is narrower than a t-shirt collar, band widths differ between manufacturers, and knit cuffs stretch while a woven label does not. Get the size or the fold wrong and the label puckers, folds over on itself, or sits proud of the band where it rubs. The sections below cover where a hat label goes, which fold suits each placement, how small the text can go, and how to check all of it on a free proof before you orde
Why Super Label Store?
Super Easy
Easy to use configurators help you to design and order in minutes.
Super Quality
Premium quality from start to finish. FROM 5 TO 10.000+ PIECES
Super Fast
Fast production time. 4-12 business days or less
Free Digital Proof
Download and print your proof (pdf) before ordering, scale 1:1.
Where a hat label goes
Custom hat tags sit in one of five places, and each has its own size constraint.
Headwear gives you fewer placement options than a garment.
- Sweatband, inside the cap. The standard placement on a structured cap and the most common order. Sewn into the band where the wearer sees it when the cap is off. Typical size 1.5 x 0.5 in to 2 x 0.75 in.
- Beanie cuff, inside or outside. Inside the fold for a subtle finish, outside on the fold for visible branding. The cuff is flat when folded, which makes it the most forgiving surface in headwear. Typical size 1.5 x 0.5 in to 2 x 1 in.
- Centre back seam. A small loop or fold label caught in the back seam of a beanie or a five-panel. Often just a logo mark. Typical size 0.5 x 1 in to 0.75 x 1.5 in.
- Crown lining, inside a structured cap. Where a size label or a care label usually goes, alongside the main brand label.
- Under the brim. Less common, and only works on a flat brim rather than a curved one.
Measure the sweatband before you set a size. Band widths vary between manufacturers, and a label wider than the band has to be folded or trimmed, which never looks intentional.
Hat labels or hat patches?
Two different products, and most headwear brands end up using both.
Hat labels go inside. Woven, flat, thin, carrying your brand name, size and care information. They stay with the cap for its life and they are what makes it read as a product rather than a blank.
Hat patches go outside. Embroidered, raised, and they are the visible design on the front panel. Those are on our custom hat patches page.
If you are producing headwear for retail, you generally want a label inside and a patch or embroidery outside. They do different jobs and neither replaces the other.
Custom hat label specifications
Every hat label from Super Label Store is woven in damask from polyester yarn, OEKO-TEX 100 certified, from a minimum of 5 pieces per design, produced in 8 to 12 business days.
- Size range: 0.4 x 0.4 in up to 11.8 x 11.8 in, fully custom. Hat labels typically 1.5 x 0.5 in to 2 x 1 in
- Material: Damask woven polyester, OEKO-TEX 100 certified. Recycled PET yarn available
- Colors: Up to 8 thread colours per design
- Yarn: 50, 75 or 100 denier, selected to suit your artwork
- Folds: Straight cut, centre fold, end fold or Manhattan fold
- Application: Sew-on, iron-on, or a combination backing that irons on and can also be stitched
- Edges: Hot cut, sealed so the label does not fray
- Minimum text width: Approximately 2 mm (0.08 in)
- Minimum order: 5 pieces per design
- Price: From $43 for 5 labels at the smallest size
- Production: 8 to 12 business days plus shipping. Rush 4 to 8 business days
- Proof: Free Digital Proof as a PDF at scale 1:1
Which fold for headwear
The fold decides how the label sits and how it is attached, and headwear narrows the sensible options.
- End fold is the usual choice for a sweatband. Both short ends fold under, the label lies flat, and there is no raw edge against the forehead.
- Centre fold works well on a beanie cuff or a back seam, stitched in at the open end so the fold forms a clean loop.
- Straight cut suits a label sewn flat on all four sides, for example on the outside of a cuff as a visible element.
- Manhattan fold is for a seam where the label needs to read from both sides.
All sizes we quote are finished sizes, meaning what is visible once folded. A centre fold or end fold label is cut larger before folding and production allows for that automatically, so order the size you want to see in the cap.
Beanie labels
Beanie labels are the easiest headwear labels to get right. Beanies are the easiest headwear to label and the most common after caps. The cuff is a double layer of flat knit, which means you can stitch a label in without fighting a curve or a seam.
Two placements worth knowing:
Inside the cuff. Hidden when worn, visible when the beanie is off or the cuff is unrolled. This is the standard for brand and care information.
On the fold, outside. Beanie labels stitched onto the front of the cuff, visible when worn. This has become a common alternative to embroidery on knitwear, because a woven label reads as more considered than a stitched logo on a rib knit.
Knit is stretchy and a woven label is not, so keep the label narrow relative to the cuff. A wide label on a beanie pulls the knit flat and creates a visible rigid patch when the beanie stretches over a head.
Using the hat label maker
The Super Label Store design tool runs in the browser and covers the whole specification: size, fold, colours, backing and layout. You do not need artwork to start.
Two ways in:
- Upload your logo. JPG, PNG, AI, PSD, INDD and PDF are accepted. JPG and PNG upload fastest. Our design team reviews every file before it goes to the loom.
- Design from scratch. Pick fonts, icons and colours in the tool and build a label without any artwork.
Every design produces a free Digital Proof as a PDF at scale 1:1. Print it on A4, cut the label out and lay it inside the sweatband of the actual cap. On headwear this matters more than on a garment, because a label that fits a t-shirt collar is often too wide for a cap band. If your printer scaling is slightly off, adjust the print percentage until the printed label matches the dimensions on the proof.
Designing a label small enough for a hat band
Hat labels are among the smallest labels we produce, which tightens the design limits.
- Text weaves cleanly down to about 2 mm in width. On a 1.5 inch label that is comfortable for a brand name, tight for a name plus a tagline, and not enough for three lines.
- Bold sans-serif reads best. Thin and serif faces lose their fine strokes in thread at this scale.
- Up to 8 thread colors. Gradients, shadows and photographic detail cannot be woven and are simplified to solid colours. We flag this before production.
- If your logo will not simplify, go wider rather than smaller. A 2 inch label holds detail a 1.5 inch one cannot, and most sweatbands take it.
Hat labels are woven the same way as any other brand label: coloured thread on a jacquard loom rather than ink on fabric. If you are labelling more than headwear, the same specification covers our full range of custom woven labels, from 5 pieces per design.
Who orders custom hat labels
- Headwear brands ordering custom hat tags for caps, beanies and bucket hats sold at retail
- Streetwear and fashion labels extending a clothing line into headwear
- Small businesses and makers branding blank caps in runs of 5 or 10 rather than 500
- Knitters and crocheters finishing handmade beanies with a woven label instead of a hand-sewn tag
- Outdoor and fishing brands where the trucker cap is a core product
- Breweries, cafes and events producing branded merchandise headwear
Frequently Asked Questions
What are custom hat labels?
Custom hat labels are woven labels sewn inside a cap or beanie, carrying your brand name, size or care information. They are woven from coloured thread on a jacquard loom rather than printed, which is why they do not crack or fade over the life of the hat.
What is the minimum order for hat labels?
The minimum at Super Label Store is 5 pieces per design. Most label suppliers start at 500 or 1,000, which forces a small headwear brand to buy years of stock before it knows the design is right.
How much do custom hat labels cost?
Hat labels start at $43 for 5 labels at the smallest size. Price is driven by size and quantity, and the unit price falls substantially at higher volumes. The design tool shows the full price ladder as you adjust either.
What size should a hat label be?
Between 1.5 x 0.5 in and 2 x 1 in for most sweatbands and beanie cuffs. Measure the band on your own blank first, because widths vary between manufacturers and a label wider than the band has to be folded or trimmed.
Are hat tags and hat labels the same thing?
Yes. Hat tags and hat labels both describe a woven label sewn inside a cap or beanie. Some brands use tags for anything attached to headwear and labels for what is sewn in, but at Super Label Store both terms mean the same woven damask label.
What is the difference between hat labels and hat patches?
Hat labels are woven and go inside the cap, carrying brand and care information. Hat patches are embroidered and go on the outside as the visible design. Most headwear brands use both, since they do different jobs.
Do you make beanie labels?
Yes, and beanies are the easiest headwear to label. Beanie labels stitch into the cuff either inside for a subtle finish or on the fold for visible branding. The cuff is flat when folded, so a label stitches in without fighting a curve. Keep the label narrow relative to the cuff, because knit stretches and a woven label does not.
Which fold should I choose for a cap?
End fold for a sweatband, since both ends tuck under and there is no raw edge against the forehead. Centre fold for a beanie cuff or a back seam. Straight cut if the label is sewn flat on all four sides as a visible element.
Do you have a hat label maker or design tool?
Yes. The Super Label Store design tool lets you set size, fold, colours and layout in the browser, either by uploading your logo or building a design from scratch. It produces a free 1:1 proof you can print and check against the actual cap.
Can hat labels be ironed on instead of sewn?
Yes. Choose sew-on for maximum durability, iron-on for a heat-activated backing that needs no stitching, or the combination backing, which irons on and can also be stitched. Sew-on is the usual choice for headwear sold at retail.
How small can the text be?
Text weaves cleanly down to around 2 mm in width. On a 1.5 inch hat label that comfortably fits a brand name, is tight for a name plus a tagline, and is not enough for three lines. Bold sans-serif reads best at this scale.
How long does production take?
Standard production at Super Label Store is 8 to 12 business days plus shipping. Rush production runs in 4 to 8 business days. The clock starts when your order enters production, since our design team checks your artwork first.
Can I see the label before I order?
Yes. Every design produces a free Digital Proof as a PDF at scale 1:1. Print it at actual size and lay it inside the sweatband of the cap it is destined for. That is the fastest way to catch a label that is too wide for the band.
Design your custom hat labels
Upload your logo or start from scratch, set the size and fold, and download a free 1:1 proof before you order. Custom hat labels from 5 pieces, produced in 8 to 12 business days.
Related: custom hat patches for the outside of the cap, and care labels for washing information.