Cap sizes: ordering the right fit for a team

Cap sizes: ordering the right fit for a team

Cap size is read from head circumference. An adjustable one-size cap is ordered as a quantity, with no sizes to collect; a fitted one, like the Flexfit Wooly Combed, by adult size, from S/M to XXL according to Flexfit, plus XS/S and children's sizes on our product page.

What to know before you order:

• Head circumference is measured about 1 cm above the ears, according to the "Hat" article on English Wikipedia.
• Of the 21 cap product pages reread on 26 October 2026, 18 come only in one adjustable size; 10 of them give a head circumference: 58 cm on seven, 59 cm on one, and 55 to 60 cm on the two Flexfit models.
• For adults, the Flexfit Wooly Combed, a fitted cap, runs from S/M (54 to 58 cm) to XXL (59 to 64 cm), according to Flexfit's pages and size chart.
• An embroidered batch starts at 10 caps per model, with sizes and colours mixed, and a single blank cap can be ordered to try the size.

Like any merch, a team cap only gets worn if it fits: the one that slips over the eyes or pinches the forehead may well end up at the bottom of a bag the day after it is handed out. When you order custom caps for 10, 25 or 50 people, the cap size comes before the embroidered logo. One first choice settles the rest: an adjustable cap in one size, or a fitted cap, ordered by size like a garment. Here is how to measure a head, read the sizes and decide for the group.

How do you measure head circumference for a cap?

A cap size matches your head circumference, measured in centimetres about 1 cm above the ears. That is the height given by the "Hat" article on English Wikipedia, which adds that makers use inches or centimetres depending on the case. Flexfit, the brand behind the Wooly Combed and the Retro Trucker Cap, sums up the same approach: measure your head, then match the figure to its size guide.

1. Take a soft tape measure, the sewing kind.
2. Go round the head about 1 cm above the ears, where the cap will sit, without pulling tight.
3. Note the figure in centimetres, then compare it with the head circumference on the chosen model's product page.

For a team, ask for that figure in centimetres rather than a letter: head circumference is what counts, not a t-shirt size.

What size is a one-size cap?

A one-size cap measures 58 cm head circumference on most of the cap product pages we reread that give a figure, and 55 to 60 cm on two Flexfit caps. It is an adjustable cap: a closure at the back adjusts its head circumference; among the "One size" product pages reread, only one, a gatsby cap, is fully closed. Here are the adjustable caps, offered in one size only, whose product page gives a head circumference:

A range, like the 55 to 60 cm of the two Flexfit caps, reads directly: any head between those two figures finds its setting. A single figure, like 58 cm, is the model's head circumference, which its closure adjusts; to know whether it suits every head in the team, from the smallest to the largest, trying a blank cap is still the safest way.

Adjustable or fitted cap: what changes for the size?

For the size, the difference is clear: an adjustable cap adapts to each head through a closure at the back; a fitted cap has no adjuster and is chosen by size. The style each closure gives, like the shape of the cap, is covered in our guide to the types of caps. You will find among others the Rip-Strip closure of Beechfield's Original 5 Panel Cap, the metal-buckle strap of the same maker's Pro-Style, the snap strap of its Snapback Trucker and the PVC snaps of Flexfit's Retro Trucker Cap.

Of the 21 pages reread, two are fitted caps:

• the Flexfit Wooly Combed, with a fully closed crown, holds through a stretch headband; its fabric blends polyester, cotton and elastane, and it is sold in fixed sizes;
• the Gatsby Street-S by Atlantis Headwear, also fully closed, is made for a 58 cm head circumference, in one size.

The "Baseball cap" article on English Wikipedia traces this split: the baseball cap only came in standard sizes before it was offered, from the early 1970s, in one size with an adjuster at the back; advances in textiles also gave the stretch-fit cap, fitted while still "adjustable" within its size.

What do S/M, L/XL and XXL mean on a cap?

On a fitted cap sold in sizes, S/M and L/XL are double sizes, and each size, XXL included, covers a range of head circumferences. For the Flexfit Wooly Combed, Flexfit gives these ranges in US hat sizes, S/M from 6 3/4 to 7 1/4, L/XL from 7 1/8 to 7 5/8 and XXL from 7 3/8 to 8, which its conversion chart turns into centimetres, the same figures our product page gives for S/M and L/XL:

The ranges overlap: a 57 or 58 cm head fits S/M as well as L/XL, and a 59 to 61 cm head fits L/XL as well as XXL. Our Wooly Combed product page also offers XS/S and children's sizes.

How do you convert a US cap size into centimetres?

A US cap size, such as 7 1/4, converts into centimetres by multiplying it by 8: 7 1/4 matches a 58 cm head circumference. Wikipedia explains it this way: the US size measures the head's diameter in inches, and is worked out by dividing the head circumference in centimetres by 8. Flexfit's size chart gives the same markers:

• 54 cm: 6 3/4;
• 56 cm: 7;
• 58 cm: 7 1/4;
• 60 cm: 7 1/2;
• 61 cm: 7 5/8.

Are cap sizes the same from one brand to another?

From one brand to another, the same cap size (S/M, L/XL) does not necessarily cover the same centimetres. The "Hat" article on Wikipedia notes that the match between head circumference and standard sizes varies by maker and by model, and Flexfit's size chart calls itself general, pointing to each model. Our adjustable caps show it: 58 cm for Beechfield's Original 5 Panel Cap, 59 cm for its Original Flat Peak Snapback, 55 to 60 cm for Flexfit's Retro Trucker Cap. For a team order, compare the measured head circumferences with the figure on the chosen model's product page, never with the size of another cap.

Which cap size should you choose for a team of 10 to 50 people?

For a team of 10 to 50 people, whether a club, an association or a company, the simplest cap size to order is one size, on an adjustable cap. Our custom caps page sums it up: the adjustable cap is ordered "as a quantity", whereas the fitted cap is split by size, "like a garment".

• The adjustable cap, in one size. You count people, not sizes: one model, one quantity. If the product page gives a range, like the 55 to 60 cm of Flexfit's Retro Trucker Cap, check that it covers the group; if it gives a single figure, or none, have a blank cap tried on first.
• The fitted cap, in sizes. It needs everyone's head circumference, then a split of the batch between S/M, L/XL and XXL. It has a fully closed back, with no adjuster.

Either way, the embroidered batch is ordered from 10 caps per model, with sizes and colours mixed together, and sizes are picked when adding to the cart.

How do you turn head circumferences into S/M, L/XL and XXL?

To turn head circumferences into the sizes of a fitted cap, take each person's head circumference in centimetres, then place it in the model's size, as on a size guide. With the Flexfit Wooly Combed ranges:

• 54 to 56 cm: S/M;
• 57 or 58 cm: S/M or L/XL;
• 59 to 61 cm: L/XL or XXL;
• 62 to 64 cm: XXL.

Heads that fall into two sizes are settled by trying the caps on. To gather the figures without a spreadsheet or reminders, our guide to gathering sizes sets out the method. And if each member pays for their cap themselves, the Store, which tknp.io keeps for verified organisations, opens a pre-sale where everyone gives their size and pays online: our pre-sale page lists the supporters' cap among a club's garments.

How do you test the sizes of a fitted cap before the embroidered batch?

For a fitted cap, the safest way is to pass two blank caps around the team before counting sizes. On the Flexfit Wooly Combed product page, the button to add a blank cap to the cart orders one with no marking, from a single cap, and the size is picked when adding it: take one in S/M and one in L/XL. Everyone tries both, keeps the one that holds without pinching or slipping, and notes their size: it gets settled on the head, not on paper. This test only decides heads of 57 and 58 cm, shared by S/M and L/XL; from 59 to 61 cm, a head fits L/XL as well as XXL: then plan an XXL blank cap as well. The product page says it itself: the blank cap is the sample route to judge the size. The embroidered batch follows, from 10 caps of that model, with all sizes mixed in the same order. The same test works for an adjustable cap stated at 58 cm, when you want to check that it fits every head in the group, from the smallest to the largest.