How many event shirts to order, and in what sizes
Order the sign-up count plus a buffer, break sizes by a known curve, and round up to the next price break. That is the whole method. Battle Born Clothing prints for events every week; here is the math we see work.
The buffer
- Pre-registered events (5Ks, tournaments): sign-ups at the cutoff plus 10%, in the middle sizes. Late registrants and race-day walk-ups take the extras.
- Give-away shirts at a festival or corporate event: expected headcount plus 5-10%.
- Fundraiser pre-sales: the pre-sold count plus a few of each common size to sell at the event.
- Merch tables: start small (48) and reorder. A reorder is new screens ($20 per color) and 28 days standard.
Size breakdown
| Size | Per 100 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| S | 10 | More for a women-heavy or youth-adjacent event |
| M | 25 | |
| L | 30 | |
| XL | 22 | |
| 2XL | 10 | Supplier upcharge, $1-7 by style |
| 3XL+ | 3 | Upcharge; order only what is requested |
Collect sizes at registration if you can; a known breakdown beats any curve. For a running event, shift one or two percent from XL to M. For a trades or rodeo crowd, shift toward L and XL. For youth events, add a youth block (XS 5, S 25, M 35, L 25, XL 10 per 100 youth).
Round up to the break
Screen print is priced per job, and 48 is the published rate ($4.34 per location, $0.25 flash on darks). Embroidery breaks are at 12, 24, 48, 60 and 80. If your count is 44, order 48. The four extra shirts cost less than the difference in rate across the order.
Youth and adult in one order
Youth shirts printed with the same screens count toward the same run. If the art has to shrink for youth sizes, that is a second screen ($20). Youth blanks are quoted per job. Decorated kids' apparel also carries a CPSIA tracking label requirement; see https://battlebornclothing.com/blogs/custom-apparel-guides-screen-printing-embroidery-dtf-tips/cpsia-tracking-labels-decorated-kids-apparel.
A worked order
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 130 + 10% | 143 |
| Round to a break | 144 | |
| Sizes | Curve above | S 14, M 36, L 43, XL 32, 2XL 14, 3XL 5 |
| Price | 144 pieces, 2 locations | Quoted per job (the 48 rate is $15.22 each; the per-piece rate drops at 144) |
What to do with leftovers
Sell them at the next event, give them to volunteers, or keep a few for next year's sponsors. Leftovers cost less than running out in size L on race morning.
Questions
Can we add shirts after we approve the proof?
Before printing starts, usually yes, at the same rate. After, it is a reorder with new screens.
What if we do not know sizes?
Use the curve above and tell us the crowd. We will adjust it.