What is the minimum order quantity for custom patches?
No minimum on any type - order a single sample, or a run at our price breaks. One patch is a sample, $30 photographed or $60 mailed, with $30 credited back on a later run. Bulk pricing starts at 10 for embroidered and PVC, 25 for woven and printed/sublimated, 5 for chenille; need a quantity in between? Just ask - our team emails a quick quote. Per-piece pricing then drops at 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 and 500+.
Two different questions hide inside this one, and they have different answers.
If you want a single patch, there is no minimum at all. One real patch, stitched on the same production machines as a full run, is $30 if we photograph it for you or $60 if we mail it, and $30 of that comes back as credit when you order the run. That is a genuine order, not a mockup or a digital proof.
If you want a production run, there is no floor on any type either - order 10 or 6,000 at our price breaks, and every order gets the same expert review. Bulk pricing starts at 10 pieces for embroidered and for PVC in 2D or 3D, 25 for woven and printed/sublimated, and 5 for chenille; need a quantity in between? Just ask - our team emails a quick quote.
Most competitors set minimums of 50-100 pieces for embroidered patches because their quoting and setup workflows assume volume, and most of them cannot sell you one patch at any price. No minimum at all makes us a natural fit for prototype runs, one-of-a-kind gifts, memorial patches, and small organizations that only need a handful of pieces.
PVC costs more per piece at small quantities, because a custom silicone mold must be created for each unique design and that tooling cost is spread across the order. The industry typically requires 50-100 pieces; there is no minimum here, so you can still order just 1. The per-piece price at small quantities is high relative to a large run, but a small PVC order is genuinely available if that's what you need, and so is a single PVC patch as a sample.
Pricing scales with quantity. No minimum - order a single sample, or a run at our price breaks. The per-patch cost drops meaningfully as you move from 10 pieces to 50 to 100 to 500 and beyond, because setup and handling costs are amortized across more units. Our pricing calculator on the Pricing page lets you compare total and per-piece cost at different quantities before you commit.
If you're not sure how many patches you need, it's worth ordering a small run first. A small order lets you check embroidery density, color accuracy, and sizing against the real garment or backing before you commit to a large quantity. Many customers find that ordering 10-20 first saves money compared to re-ordering a full run with corrections.
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