How Many Shirts Should You Order for an Event?

Every event organizer faces the same two questions: how many shirts, and in what sizes? Order too few and volunteers miss out; order too many and you're storing boxes for a year.

The 10% rule

Take your confirmed headcount and add 10%. Late registrations, size swaps and "can my friend get one?" requests are inevitable, and reprinting a handful of shirts later costs far more per piece than printing spares now.

The size curve that works

For a general adult audience in the US, this distribution has served hundreds of our event orders well: S 10%, M 25%, L 30%, XL 20%, 2XL 10%, 3XL 5%. Skew larger for trades and construction crowds, smaller for youth-heavy events.

Don't forget

• Staff and volunteer shirts in a distinct colour for visibility
• A few youth sizes if families attend
• Extras for sponsors, they funded the thing, after all

Planning an event order? Get a quote and mention your date, we'll make sure production comfortably beats it.