Types of caps: which one should you customise?

Types of caps: which one should you customise?

The types of caps people have embroidered are the six-panel, the five-panel, the trucker, the dad cap, the snapback and the fitted cap. For a wide, centred logo, choose a five-panel, with no seam on the front; for a small badge, a dad cap.

Types of caps in four pointers:

• On tknp.io, a cap can be embroidered online from 10 caps of one model, mixing sizes and colours: that is the case on our Beechfield, Flexfit, Atlantis Headwear and Result cap product pages, where a patch is priced on quotation.
• A structured cap keeps a stiff front that carries an embroidered logo about 5 to 6 cm high; an unstructured cap, such as the dad cap, is embroidered smaller.
• On a six-panel cap, a logo placed across the front seam is split in two, according to our caps page; the five-panel cap, with its seamless front, takes a wide, centred logo in one go.
• On a trucker cap with a foam front, a sewn-on patch, priced on quotation, keeps overly dense embroidery from making the panel buckle.

Of all your merch, the cap is what travels furthest: people keep it on at a café terrace, on holiday or by the pitch, long after the match, party or trade fair where they got it. Before you have it embroidered, though, you need to choose among the types of caps, because a seam down the middle of the front or a crown that is too soft changes what the embroidery can do. Here is each shape a club, a team or a brand has customised, with a real model from our product pages, where the logo goes and what the batch costs.

How do you tell the different types of caps apart?

The different types of caps are told apart by three things: the number of panels that make up the crown, its structure and its closure. The peak, flat or curved, and the fabric then refine the style.

• The panels. On a six-panel cap, a seam splits the front in two, from top to bottom; a five-panel cap has a single-panel front.
• The structure. A structured cap holds its shape thanks to a stiff interlining sewn into its front panels; an unstructured cap sits softly on the head.
• The closure. Buckle and strap, hook-and-loop, snap tab, plastic snaps, or no adjuster at all on a fitted cap.

This guide sticks to the peaked caps that a team has embroidered, and leaves aside the beret, the newsboy cap and the flat cap found in fashion guides. The bucket hat, with no peak and no structure, is marked differently from all these caps and has its own page.

What is a six-panel cap (baseball cap)?

The six-panel cap is the most common construction according to our caps page, descended from the modern six-paneled round cap of baseball (the "Baseball cap" article on English Wikipedia). A seam runs down the middle of its front: the same page warns that a logo placed across it is split in two.

On tknp.io, the Pro-Style Heavy Brushed Cotton Cap by Beechfield is a good example: six panels of 360 g/m² brushed cotton, ventilation eyelets, a pre-curved peak, and a strap cut from the same fabric with a metal buckle. Flexfit's Curved Classic Snapback Cap keeps six panels, reinforces its front panel and adjusts with plastic snaps from 55 to 60 cm head circumference.

For size, our page about cap embroidery gives a benchmark: on the front of a structured cap, a logo about 5 to 6 cm high, or else the middle seam and the curve of the front distort it; it is the height that matters, according to our inspiration below. Our caps page advises keeping the design compact; on a six-panel cap, a name written lengthwise also works if it stays under 6 cm high, as on the six-panel snapback of our skate shop inspiration. Our inspiration for an imaginary sports club, for its part, embroiders a raised logo of 60 × 45 mm on the front of the Pro-Style.

What is a five-panel cap (5 panel)?

The five-panel cap, or 5 panel, stands out for its single-panel front, with no seam down the middle. According to our caps page, that front is what shows off a wide or centred logo best.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original 5 Panel Cap, in 185 g/m² cotton twill, has a seamless front panel that, according to its page, gives your marking a clear surface, and adjusts with a Rip-Strip closure to a 58 cm head circumference. Result's Boston 5-Panel Printers Cap adds a stiff front panel; Beechfield's Leisure Cap, also a five-panel, stays soft and unstructured instead.

What is a trucker cap, and how do you customise it?

The trucker cap is recognisable by its mesh back panels. It was born in the 1970s as a cap given away by American farm supply companies to farmers and truck drivers, with a foam front and the rest in mesh to let air through (the "Trucker hat" article on English Wikipedia).

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Snapback Trucker has five panels, a cotton front and peak, polyester mesh at the back and a snap tab. Flexfit's Retro Trucker Cap has six panels with a reinforced front panel and closes with plastic snaps. Result's Detroit 1/2 Mesh Truckers Cap combines four mesh panels with one padded panel.

On a front padded with foam, like that of Beechfield's Retro 5 Panel Trucker, our inspiration for an imaginary roofing company sews on a patch: a badge made separately, finished with an overlocked edge, which allows a dense three-colour design without loading the foam, whereas direct embroidery that is too dense would make the panel buckle. It makes it the team's cap, with the mesh back keeping the roofers cool on the roof.

What is a dad cap?

The dad cap is an unstructured six-panel cap: its soft crown sits on the head and gives it a relaxed look. It is embroidered smaller than a structured cap, because its softer fabric moves more under the needle, and a wide embroidered logo pulls it out of shape.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Low Profile 6 Panel Dad Cap, in 260 g/m² cotton chino, adjusts with a metal buckle. The Low Profile Vintage Cap, in washed brushed cotton, closes with a brass-effect buckle. Our Low Orbit Surf Shop inspiration, an imaginary brand from the brand and retail sector, puts a 6 cm round badge, embroidered in a contrasting colour, on the Vintage Cap.

A model's name is not enough to classify it: Atlantis Headwear's Dad Hat Destroyed-S has structured panels, according to its product page. Look for "structured" or "unstructured" in the description before you choose.

What is a snapback?

The snapback is a cap that adjusts with a snap closure at the back, usually with a flat peak and a high profile (the "Baseball cap" article on English Wikipedia). Our inspiration for an imaginary skate shop describes the flat-peak snapback with a tall, straight front panel, where it embroiders flat a name written lengthwise, 10 to 12 cm wide and 4 to 5 cm high; on the Flexfit Classic Snapback it uses, a six-panel cap, it advises against going above 6 cm in height, at the risk of running over the centre seam. For a name that wide, the price follows the embroidered area, according to our page about cap embroidery.

On tknp.io, Beechfield's Original Flat Peak Snapback, in 310 g/m² acrylic twill, has a flat peak and an adjustable tab for a 59 cm head circumference. Result's Bronx Original Flat Peak Snapback Cap, with six panels and reinforced front panels, adjusts with plastic snaps. Another inspiration, for an imaginary baseball club, embroiders a raised letter on the Original Flat Peak Snapback, in 3D embroidery on quotation.

Flat peak or curved peak: what changes?

The shape of the peak changes how the cap looks, not where the logo goes: our page about cap embroidery describes the same positions, front, sides and back, without distinguishing the peak.

On our product pages, the flat peak is found on Beechfield's Original Flat Peak Snapback and on Result's Bronx. A snapback is not always flat, though: Flexfit's Curved Classic Snapback Cap has a curved peak. Other models have a pre-curved peak, such as the Original 5 Panel Cap or the Pro-Style.

Structured or not, adjustable or fitted: how do you choose your cap?

For a large embroidered logo or a raised one, choose a structured cap: its stiff interlining carries front embroidery without puckering, and 3D embroidery needs a stiff front panel. Keep an unstructured cap for small logos.

The closure sets the style: according to our caps page, a strap with a metal buckle dresses the cap up, while hook-and-loop or a notched strap gives it a sportier feel. It also changes the order: an adjustable cap is simply ordered in quantity, while a fitted cap needs a size breakdown, like a garment. The Flexfit Wooly Combed, for example, has no adjuster at the back: it holds with a stretch headband and comes in adult sizes from XS/S to XXL, and choosing those sizes well is a subject in its own right.

Where should the logo go on a cap?

A custom cap's logo is embroidered on the front first: about 5 to 6 cm high on a structured cap, smaller on a soft one. You can also embroider, in small, one side or the back just above the closure: a discreet second position.

On a corduroy cap, a 7 cm wide script name reads well up close; avoid letters less than 5 mm high, which the corduroy swallows. Two positions are enough, in the same technique: the front and one side, for example.

Embroidery, 3D embroidery or patch: which technique for a cap?

On 23 October 2026, on our Beechfield, Flexfit, Atlantis Headwear and Result cap product pages, embroidery is ordered online and patches on quotation. On a structured model, embroidery lies flat and gives a tight, clean stitch; our caps page recommends a patch for a design too fine to embroider directly, and our inspirations for a logo with more colours.

3D embroidery, which raises the logo with foam slipped under the thread, is priced on quotation and needs solid shapes: our page on 3D embroidery explains how it works.

How much does an embroidered cap cost, depending on its shape?

Unless stated otherwise, each embroidered cap price given here covers a single batch: one model, embroidered with the same logo in the same spot. Priced on 23 October 2026, for guidance only, with the 8 × 10 cm embroidery line, a single position, the base colour and the standard lead time, a batch of 50 caps costs on tknp.io from €6.35 excluding VAT per cap, for Result's Detroit trucker, to €14.04 excluding VAT, for Flexfit's Curved Classic Snapback Cap, among the seven models in the table.

These are the public prices shown on our product pages on 23 October 2026, without any verified-account discount, for guidance only: excluding VAT, per embroidered cap, for the 8 × 10 cm embroidery line of each price grid, with one marking position, in the base colour that each product page gives as the most affordable, in one size, at the standard lead time, and without shipping, which is charged on top. For a name 10 to 12 cm wide or a large format, the price follows the embroidered area, according to our page about cap embroidery: the table does not include that. Several colours of the same model add up to reach a price tier.

On the same terms, with the grid's "8 × 10 cm" embroidery, a batch of 50 embroidered Original Flat Peak Snapbacks comes to €402.50 excluding VAT on tknp.io; for a wider name, the price follows the embroidered area. On the same terms, the Original 5 Panel Cap goes from €8.06 excluding VAT each for 10 to €6.09 excluding VAT for 100.

Which cap for a club, a team or a brand?

• A sports club: the snapback with a tall front panel, carrying a letter or a monogram in relief (on quotation), the club cap people recognise in the stands according to our baseball club inspiration.
• A building site team: the mesh trucker, with a patch sewn onto the front.
• A shop, a café, a brand: the washed dad cap and its round badge, or a corduroy cap with a fine script name.
• A wide, centred logo: the five-panel cap and its seamless front; on a six-panel cap, rather a name written lengthwise, under 6 cm high.

Which cap brands can you have embroidered?

With us, 518 cap and hat models from 11 brands can be customised; four of them make the models in this guide.

• Flexfit, a benchmark for sports and streetwear caps: snapbacks, truckers and stretch-band caps such as the Wooly Combed.
• Beechfield, the British headwear specialist: five-panel caps, dad caps and a flat-peak snapback.
• Atlantis Headwear, the Italian hat maker with a more fashion-led design, including the Dad Hat Destroyed-S with its worn-in effect.
• Result, the jacket specialist, which also offers 57 caps and hats, including the Bronx snapback and the Detroit trucker.

How do you compare two caps with your logo before you order?

The safest way to choose between a six-panel and a five-panel cap is to see your logo on them. On our cap product pages, the "Customise online" button launches the designer on that model: you place your logo and the preview appears straight away. On the caps in our inspirations, the marking area reaches 120 × 70 mm, and the designer offers three formats, "Heart", "Chest" and "Large", or an exact size in millimetres. Open it on the Pro-Style, a six-panel cap, then on the Retro 5 Panel Trucker, a five-panel one, to compare the position and size of your logo on a front with or without a seam. The designer costs nothing: you pay only when you order, from 10 embroidered caps of the chosen model.