Embroidery placement measurements: left chest, hat, sleeve, and back

The standard left-chest placement puts the center of the design 7 to 9 inches down from the left shoulder seam and about 4 inches over from the center of the shirt (Embroidery Library). On a hat, the bottom of the design sits about 1/2 inch above the bill (Melco).

Those two numbers cover most of the orders a small shop takes. The rest of this guide gives the standard numbers for sleeves, backs, and kids' sizes. It also covers why every chart you find online says something different, and how I write a placement down now so the second shirt comes out exactly like the first.

Why the placement charts disagree

Search for left-chest placement and you will get three or four answers. Embroidery Library says 7 to 9 inches down and 4 to 6 inches to the right of the placket (source). Digit-It says 7 to 9 inches down and 3 to 4 inches in from center front (source). Neither is wrong. They are measuring from different landmarks.

Three things change the number:

• The landmark. "Down from the shoulder seam" can mean the point where the shoulder seam meets the collar or the shoulder seam out near the sleeve. "Over" can mean from the center of the shirt or from the edge of the placket.
• The point on the design. Some charts measure to the top edge of the design and others to its center. Embroidery Library measures to the top of the design for a center-chest placement and says so on the page (source).
• The garment size. The chest sits in a different spot on a small than on a 2XL. The ranges are wide because they cover a whole size run.

So a range is a starting point. It is not a spec you can hoop to.

How to write a placement down

A placement that says "left chest" is a category. What you actually need on the order is a position. I write every placement as four things:

1. 1How far down, in inches from a named landmark such as where the shoulder seam meets the collar.
2. 2How far over, in inches from a named landmark such as the center of the placket, plus which side.
3. 3That both numbers are measured to the center of the design, written out so nobody has to guess.
4. 4A clearance check: how much blank fabric has to be left between the design and the nearest seam, placket, pocket, or zipper.

The clearance check matters more than the numbers. On a long, thin design the center can be in exactly the right spot while the end of the wordmark crowds the placket.

That happened to me on a polo. A five-inch-wide script logo went on at the generic 4 inches over. The end of it ended up too close to the placket, so I restitched it. For a men's medium cotton pique polo I now put the center of the design 7.5 inches down from the shoulder point and 4.5 inches over from the center of the placket. I also check that 1 to 1.25 inches of blank fabric sits between the placket edge and the nearest stitch. If the numbers and the clearance disagree, the clearance wins. Then I trace the design on the machine and look at where the ends fall before I sew.

Left chest

The left chest is the most common placement on tees, polos, button-downs, sweatshirts, and jackets. All four of these numbers come from Embroidery Library's placement guide:

• On a tee with no pocket, go 7 to 9 inches down from the left shoulder seam, centered between the center of the shirt and the side seam.
• On a polo or button-down with no pocket, use the same 7 to 9 inches down, centered between the placket and the side seam.
• On a shirt with a pocket, center the design above the pocket or on it.
• On a robe, go higher, at 4 to 6 inches down from the left shoulder seam.

"Left chest" also means the wearer's left. That is the right side as you face the shirt on your table. Some customers want the right chest instead, so read the order and never assume the side.

Center chest

For a design centered on the front, Embroidery Library puts the top of the design 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches below the neckline, centered between the side seams (source).

Hat fronts (cap placement)

Center the design on the hat's center seam. Melco's own hat instructions move the design about 1/2 inch above the bill (Melco). Bernina's hat guide gives 3/8 to 1/2 inch between the bottom of the design and the seam where the bill meets the crown (Bernina, PDF).

For height, the same Bernina guide recommends no more than 2.10 to 2.25 inches on a standard hat and about 2 inches on a low-profile hat. Its rule of thumb is to measure your crown height and subtract 1 inch (Bernina, PDF).

A placement number I once figured from a typical crown height came out more than an inch off the brim on a real hat. Now I stitch one test hat of each style and measure from the bill seam to the lowest point of the design. On a script, the lowest point is a letter that hangs below the line, like an f or a g, not the bottom of the other letters. Then I move the design down by exactly the amount it sat too high and record that number for that hat style.

Sleeves

For a sleeve, find the center line of the sleeve first by folding it along the seams. Embroidery Legacy's sleeve guide centers an upper-sleeve design on the shoulder seam and puts a cuff design 1/2 to 1 inch above the cuff seam (source). Move a bigger design up from there.

I stitch names across a short sleeve, never running down it. A name running down a short sleeve reads sideways. On a sweatshirt sleeve the hoop is the limit more often than the measurement. The sleeve is a tube, so the width you can stitch around it is small.

Backs

Embroidery Library puts a shirt-back design 5 inches from the collar and a jacket-back design 7 to 9 inches down from the shoulder seam, both centered between the side seams (source).

A full back is also a pricing question, because the stitch count changes the price more than anything else on the order. The stitch count guide covers how to estimate it before you have the file.

Kids' sizes

Every adult number above sits too low on a kid's shirt. I have not found a youth chart I trust, so I mark the spot on the actual garment. Then I hold a paper printout of the design against it and look.

Check the hoop before you promise a size

The hoop is part of the placement. A hoop's usable stitching area is smaller than the hoop itself. My 5.5-inch round hoop stitches only about 4.3 to 4.5 inches across. So any design wider than about 4 inches goes in my 10 x 5 hoop with the long side horizontal. That goes for a tee or a sweatshirt just as much as a polo. When the hoop is much wider than the design, the design does not sit at the hoop's center. Move it over in the machine so the hoop ring stays off the placket.

Mixed sizes on one order

A team order with sizes from youth small to adult 3XL cannot use one number for everyone. Record a placement for each size on the order. The questions to ask before you stitch guide covers how to confirm placement and design size with the customer before you take the money. The order form template has the placement questions written out, including the "nothing here" answer for every spot.

Keeping it on the order

Once a placement is right, write it where the reorder will find it. On Broidry, you set up the placements each listing offers. The customer picks from those. Each placement keeps its own wording, font, and thread color on the order. The left chest details and the sleeve details stay separate. There is a free plan: broidry.com.

The short version

Left chest: center of the design 7 to 9 inches down from the shoulder seam and about 4 inches over from center. Hat: bottom of the design about 1/2 inch above the bill, no more than about 2 1/4 inches tall. Cuff: 1/2 to 1 inch above the cuff seam. Shirt back: 5 inches from the collar. Then write your own placement as down, over, measured to the center, plus a clearance check, and trace it before you sew.