Company jacket sizing: how to collect sizes without returns
Jackets are sized over clothing, not against skin, so the shirt-size list your office already has is usually wrong by one size. Here is how Battle Born Clothing recommends collecting sizes, what the typical spread looks like and what 2XL and up costs.
Jacket sizing basics
- Soft shells and rain shells are cut to go over a shirt or polo. Most people order their normal size; people who layer a hoodie underneath go up one.
- Fleece pullovers (F218) fit like a sweatshirt. Normal size.
- Insulated vests and puffers are cut roomier. Normal size unless the wearer is between sizes, then size down.
- Carhartt loose fit runs large. Many wearers size down one from their usual.
- Branded premium styles (OGIO, Eddie Bauer, The North Face) tend to run closer to the body. Normal size or up one for layering.
Typical size run for a mixed crew
| Size | Share of order | Example, 48 jackets |
|---|---|---|
| S | 5% | 2 |
| M | 20% | 10 |
| L | 30% | 14 |
| XL | 25% | 12 |
| 2XL | 13% | 6 |
| 3XL | 5% | 3 |
| 4XL | 2% | 1 |
Field crews skew larger than office staff. If your order is mostly supers and techs, expect more XL and 2XL. 2XL and up carry a supplier upcharge of roughly $1 to $7 per piece depending on the style; it appears as a separate line on your quote.
Women's and tall cuts
Most Port Authority styles on this site have a women's companion (L317 soft shell, L903 vest, L709 and L7710 puffers). Eddie Bauer (EB531, EB535) and OGIO (LOG740) do too. Carhartt has tall sizes in many styles. Women's cuts use the same logo file and the same price tier as the men's or unisex piece, so there is no reason to put everyone in a unisex cut. Tell us the count of each cut and we add it to the quote.
Collecting sizes without returns
- Send staff the manufacturer's size chart for the exact style (we provide it with the quote). Ask them to measure a jacket they own that fits over work clothes.
- Use one shared spreadsheet: name, cut (men's/women's/tall), size. HR or an office manager owns it.
- Set a deadline one week before you want to approve the proof.
- Order two or three extras in the most common sizes for new hires and misses. Extras are priced at the same tier.
- Do not round everyone up. Oversized jackets get left in trucks.
How to measure a jacket that fits
Lay a jacket that fits well over work clothes flat on a table, zipped. Measure chest width armpit to armpit and double it; measure body length from the base of the collar to the hem; measure sleeve length from the center back of the collar, along the shoulder, to the cuff. Compare those three numbers to the manufacturer's chart for the style you are ordering, not to a generic chart. Soft shells and fleece from different makers can differ by an inch or more at the same letter size, which is why we send the exact chart with the quote.
Exchanges
Embroidered jackets cannot be returned to the supplier, so a wrong size is a reorder at the 12-23 rate with no new digitizing fee. That is why the extras in step 4 matter. If we make the error (wrong size shipped from your list), the redo is free.
Questions
Do you need sizes to quote?
No. Quantity and style are enough for a quote. We need the size list before the proof is approved so we can confirm stock.
Can we order a single 5XL?
If the manufacturer makes it in that style, yes, with the size upcharge. Many Port Authority styles stop at 4XL; Carhartt goes larger in some styles. We check stock when you send the list.