Types of beanies: which one should you customise for a team?

Types of beanies: which one should you customise for a team?

The types of beanies to embroider for a team are the short beanie (docker or fisherman), the cuffed beanie, the pom-pom beanie and the beanie with no cuff. For a legible logo, choose a cuffed beanie: its folded edge doubles the thickness and gives a flat surface.

Types of beanies in four pointers:

• The docker beanie and the fisherman beanie are two names for the same short beanie, close to the head, according to the French hat shop Traclet; the cuffed beanie folds its edge up over the forehead, the pom-pom beanie has a pom-pom on top, and the beanie with no cuff stays plain right down to the edge.
• On a beanie, the logo is embroidered on the cuff, the most stable part according to our beanies page, in a 6 × 3 cm format at most according to our embroidered-name inspiration.
• On the 12 beanies in our selection, shown on our custom beanies page and checked on 30 October 2026, embroidery is bought online, from 10 embroidered beanies per model, sizes and colours mixed; on 11 of them, a patch is priced on quote.
• The 12 beanies in our selection are sold in one size, and 7 of them are 100% acrylic, according to their product pages.

An embroidered beanie is the merch of the cold season: people wear it on the touchline, on a rowing club's pontoon, while setting up a Christmas market or on the way to the office. Before you have it customised, though, the types of beanies call for a decision, because a short beanie with a turn-up, a thick cuff or a plain beanie do not leave the same room for a logo. This guide goes through each shape: how to recognise it, where the embroidery goes, which beanie from our selection embodies it and what a batch costs.

What are the different types of beanies?

The different types of beanies differ in height, edge and crown: short and close-fitting, with a folded edge, topped with a pom-pom or plain right down to the edge. In its beanie guide, the French hat shop Traclet describes the short beanie, the cuffed beanie and the pom-pom beanie, and the "Knit cap" article on English Wikipedia notes that a knit cap may have a folded brim or none, and a pom-pom on top.

• The short beanie, known as a docker or a fisherman: close to the head; Traclet gives both names to the same beanie.
• The cuffed beanie: an edge folded up over the forehead, which doubles the thickness.
• The pom-pom beanie: a beanie topped with a pom-pom; in our selection, it keeps a cuff or a turn-up.
• The beanie with no cuff: a pull-on beanie, plain right down to the edge.

Our selection also includes a variant of the cuffed beanie, the patch beanie, which carries a cloth panel designed for the logo. This guide, on the other hand, leaves aside the long, slouchy beanie that falls onto the nape of the neck and the Peruvian hat with ear flaps, two shapes Traclet also describes, to stick to the ones in our selection.

Docker beanie or fisherman beanie: what is the difference?

For the French hat shop Traclet, the docker beanie and the fisherman beanie are two names for the same short beanie, worn close to the head with nothing hanging down at the back. The name fisherman also appears on two product pages in our selection: Beechfield gives it to its Recycled Mini Fisherman Beanie, a short beanie with a turn-up, and Stanley/Stella to its Fisherman Beanie.

The docker beanie

The docker beanie is, according to Traclet, a small, short beanie with a wide cuff, originally worn by sailors against rough weather at sea. It sits close to the head, with an understated urban style, according to the same hat shop.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Recycled Mini Fisherman Beanie has that shape: its product page describes it as a "short lined beanie with turn-up", in recycled polyester. The logo is embroidered on that turn-up; on such a short shape, keep the logo compact, with initials or a short word.

The fisherman beanie

The fisherman beanie is another name for a short beanie with a folded edge. At Stanley/Stella, the Fisherman Beanie comes as a single-layer 1x1 rib knit in combed organic cotton (95%) and elastane (5%): its fold-over edge and four shaping seams on the crown give it, according to its product page, "the classic silhouette of a sailor's beanie".

Once folded up, that edge becomes the cuff where the logo is embroidered. For embroidery, our custom beanies page contrasts a fine rib, which holds the stitch well, with a chunky, ridged knit, where it gets lost.

What is a cuffed beanie?

A cuffed beanie is a beanie whose edge folds back on itself: according to Traclet, this hem adds a layer over the forehead, for more comfort and warmth. It is also the natural place for the logo, because the cuff doubles the thickness of the beanie: our beanies page sees it as the only truly stable part of a beanie.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original Cuffed Beanie is the textbook example: 100% acrylic, 340 g/m², lined, with a cuff that is there "for optimal decoration", according to its product page. From the same brand, the double-layer Classic Engineered Deep Cuffed Beanie has a "wide turn-up for easy branding".

Is a pom-pom beanie embroidered like a cuffed beanie?

A pom-pom beanie is embroidered on its cuff, exactly like a cuffed beanie: the pom-pom stays on top, well away from the logo. On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original Pom Pom Beanie, in 340 g/m² acrylic, has a turn-up meant for branding and a pom-pom in the same colour as the beanie, according to its product page.

Result's Pom Pom Beanie, in acrylic, goes for a double layer, with a turn-up; Beechfield's Recycled Snowstar Beanie, in recycled polyester, is topped with a two-tone pom-pom and can be worn with or without the cuff. Traclet describes the pom-pom beanie as a classic worn by children and adults alike that adds a playful touch: for a club, it is a strong candidate for kitting out supporters in the stands in winter.

Where should the logo go on a beanie with no cuff?

On a beanie with no cuff, the embroidered logo stays small and fairly high: without the folded edge, the surface stays narrow, and our custom beanies page advises moving the decoration up so it escapes the folds of the knit.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original Pull-On Beanie is a pull-on beanie "without a turn-up", in 340 g/m² 100% acrylic, lined inside. Its decoration line is the same as the brand's cuffed beanies: embroidery online, patch on quote. On this plain beanie, choose initials or a pictogram over a long name.

What is a patch beanie?

A patch beanie is a cuffed beanie that carries a cotton cloth panel designed to take the decoration: the logo is embroidered on that fabric rather than into the knit. On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original Patch Beanie, in 185 g/m² acrylic, has a cotton patch that gives a decoration area of 5 x 10 cm, with a template from the brand to position it.

The Snowstar Patch Beanie, also by Beechfield, combines a ribbed cuff, a two-tone pom-pom and a cotton twill patch of the same size.

Where should the logo go on a custom beanie?

On a custom beanie, the logo goes in the centre of the cuff, facing the people you meet: for our embroidered-name-on-the-cuff inspiration, it is the only place that counts, at 6 cm wide and 3 cm high at most. It recommends a short word in bold capitals with a strong contrast, and advises against detailed logos, whose fine lines the knit wipes out.

Embroidery or patch: which technique for a beanie?

On a beanie, embroidery on the cuff is the reference technique: the thread follows the rib and the double layer of the cuff keeps the beanie from losing its shape, according to our custom beanies page.

The 12 beanies in our selection can be embroidered online. On 11 of them, the decoration line reads "Embroidery Online · Patch On quote": embroidery is priced on the product page, and a patch is requested on quote. The twelfth beanie, Stanley/Stella's Fielder, in organic cotton jersey, shows "DTF transfer Online · Embroidery Online".

Embroidery belongs on knits, where printing struggles against the texture: our guide to embroidery on clothing explains why. The factors behind the price of an embroidered logo, starting with its size and the quantity, are explained in our article on embroidery pricing.

Which material should you choose for a custom beanie?

Acrylic is the most frequent material among the 12 beanies in our selection: 7 are 100% acrylic, 3 are organic cotton from Stanley/Stella and 2 are recycled polyester from Beechfield. Acrylic is a synthetic fibre, like polyester and polyamide, as our article on synthetic fibres explains; the acrylic beanies in this guide weigh 340 g/m², like the Original Cuffed Beanie, or 185 g/m², like the Original Patch Beanie.

For a team that cares about labels, the Fisherman Beanie and the Rib Beanie 2.0, both by Stanley/Stella, are organic cotton; the first one's product page lists GOTS and OEKO-TEX certifications along with Fair Wear Foundation, which apply to the blank beanie, not to the decoration. The Recycled Mini Fisherman Beanie is in recycled polyester certified by Control Union, according to its product page.

What does an embroidered beanie cost?

In this guide, unless stated otherwise, each embroidered beanie price covers a single batch of one model, embroidered with a single logo in a single spot, and sold at the public price its product page displays. As of 30 October 2026, for guidance only, a beanie embroidered on the "Embroidery 5 × 8 cm" line costs on tknp.io from €11.25 excluding VAT, for Beechfield's Original Pull-On Beanie, to €19.93 excluding VAT, for Stanley/Stella's Fisherman Beanie, in a batch of 10, among the six models in the table. The price goes model by model, not shape by shape: the two short beanies in the table, of the same shape, cost €12.48 and €19.93 excluding VAT for 10.

These amounts come from our product pages on 30 October 2026, for guidance only: public prices excluding VAT, per embroidered beanie, on the "Embroidery 5 × 8 cm" line of each price grid, at the standard lead time, with a single position, in each page's most affordable colour and in one size, with shipping charged on top. On some pages, including the Original Cuffed Beanie and the Fisherman Beanie, a few colours carry a small surcharge from the brand.

On the same terms, 25 embroidered Original Cuffed Beanies come to €276.75 excluding VAT on tknp.io. For a crew of 40, the 25 tier applies, as the grid goes from 25 to 50: 40 beanies of that model come to €442.80 excluding VAT. Several colours of the same model, embroidered with the same logo, add up to reach a price tier, and an embroidered batch can be launched from 10 of one model. A patch, for its part, is priced on quote.

Which beanie should you choose for a club, a crew or an office team?

The right team beanie depends on who wears it and where: a thick cuffed beanie for a crew spending the day outdoors, a pom-pom beanie for a club's supporters, a short beanie or an organic cotton fisherman for an office team or a brand.

• A crew working outdoors, at a winter event, on a building site or on a quay: the lined, 340 g/m² Original Cuffed Beanie, or Result's double-thickness Woolly Ski Hat, whose dense knit its French product page presents as a solid base for team customisation.
• A club and its supporters: a pom-pom beanie in the club's colour; Beechfield's Snowstar Patch Beanie and Recycled Snowstar Beanie have a two-tone pom-pom.
• An office team, a school or a brand: the short beanie, with an understated urban style according to Traclet, or the organic cotton Fisherman Beanie, for a short name embroidered on the cuff.
• A venue selling a souvenir: a warm-coloured beanie with a woven label, as in our mountain hut inspiration, where the beanie is sold at reception.

Given at the end of the year, an embroidered beanie has the advantage of one size: it is one of our gift ideas for employees at the end of the year. When the weather turns warm, it gives way to the bucket hat or the cap, which our bucket hat or cap comparison weighs up; cap shapes have their own guide.

How do you try your logo on a beanie's cuff before ordering?

Before ordering, put your logo on the beanie itself: that is where you see whether it fits on a cuff, where our embroidered-name inspiration allows 6 cm wide and 3 high. On the product page of the Recycled Mini Fisherman Beanie, as on that of the Original Cuffed Beanie, it is from "Customise online" that the designer opens on the chosen beanie; the preview shows where the logo lands and the real size it will be embroidered at, according to our FAQ, and the size can be set to the millimetre. Try your logo on the turn-up of the first, then on the cuff of the second: if your name is no longer legible at that size, keep the initials. Opening an account costs nothing, and nothing is made until you order, from 10 embroidered beanies of the same model.