Guides // Workwear

The best custom apparel for contractors

Short answer

For most contractor crews, the best setup is embroidered polos for the techs who go into customers' homes, screen-printed tees for the rest of the crew, and branded hats everyone will actually keep wearing. Embroidery reads professional and lasts; printing keeps the per-piece cost down on volume.

Start with who wears what

The right gear depends on who is wearing it. A tech standing in a customer's kitchen should look sharp, so an embroidered polo makes sense there. A crew doing a tear-off in July does not need a polo, they need a durable printed tee that can get destroyed and replaced cheaply.

Splitting your order this way gets you a professional customer-facing look without paying embroidery prices on shirts that will not survive the season.

The core contractor kit

Embroidered polos for estimators, sales, and lead techs. Screen-printed or DTF tees for the crew. Branded hats for everyone, since a hat is the one piece people wear off the clock and it turns your team into free advertising. Add hoodies and jackets for cold mornings, embroidered so the logo holds up on outerwear.

If you run high-visibility requirements, all of the above comes in safety colors and can still carry your logo.

Why branded crews book more work

A uniformed crew on a job site is a rolling billboard. Neighbors see a clean, marked team and remember the name when their own roof leaks or their AC dies. Unmarked trucks and blank tees leave that impression on the table.

FAQ

Related questions

Should contractors embroider or print their shirts?

Embroider the polos and jackets your customer-facing techs wear, because embroidery reads professional and lasts. Print the crew tees, because screen printing is cheaper per piece on volume. Most contractors do both in one order.

What is the most cost-effective branded gear for a crew?

Branded hats give you the most brand exposure per dollar because people keep wearing them off the job. Screen-printed tees are the cheapest way to uniform a whole crew. Save embroidery for the pieces customers see up close.

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