How Much Does Embroidered Workwear Cost? A Plain-English Guide

Last reviewed: 6 August 2026 · Written and reviewed by the Xcel Print & Promotions team

Embroidered workwear in the UK typically costs somewhere between £10 and £50+ per finished garment, depending on what you’re ordering, how complex your logo is, and how many pieces you need. There is no single universal price — but once you understand what drives the cost, you can budget accurately and avoid nasty surprises. This guide walks you through every part of the bill, with a real-world example to make it concrete.

The Two Parts of Every Embroidery Order

Before we look at numbers, it helps to understand that your invoice has two distinct elements:

• The garment itself — the polo shirt, fleece, hi-vis jacket, or hoodie you’re decorating.
• The embroidery — digitising your logo and stitching it onto the garment.

Both parts cost money, and both vary. Conflating the two is the most common reason people feel confused or short-changed when they get a quote.

What Does the Garment Cost?

Garment prices span a wide range depending on the brand, fabric weight, and style. As a rough guide for UK buyers ordering from reputable workwear brands:

• Basic polo shirts and T-shirts: roughly £6–£15 per garment
• Sweatshirts and hoodies: roughly £12–£30 per garment
• Softshell and fleece jackets: roughly £18–£45 per garment
• Hi-vis vests and jackets: roughly £8–£35 per garment
• Heavyweight work trousers and coveralls: roughly £15–£50+ per garment

At Xcel, we supply trusted brands including Portwest, Beeswift, Uneek, and Regatta — names with a proven track record for durability in trade environments. Cheaper unbranded garments do exist, but they often fade, shrink, or lose their shape after a handful of washes, which means you’re reordering sooner than you’d like.

For a fuller look at what’s available, browse our personalised workwear range or take a look at workers’ clothing options across trades and industries.

What Does the Embroidery Cost?

Embroidery pricing has two components: a one-off digitising/setup fee and a per-garment stitch cost.

Digitising / Setup Fee

Before your logo can be embroidered, it needs to be converted into a stitch file — a process called digitising. This is skilled work done by a human technician, not a simple file conversion. You typically pay this fee once per logo, and then it’s stored for future orders. Depending on the complexity of your artwork, this fee can range from around £15 to £50 or more for a detailed, multi-colour design. Simple text-based logos with one or two colours sit at the lower end; intricate crests or photographic-style artwork sit higher.

The key point: this fee is spread across your entire run. On an order of 50 polos, a £25 setup fee adds just 50p per garment. On an order of 5, it adds £5 per garment. That’s a meaningful difference.

Per-Garment Embroidery Cost

Once digitised, the cost per garment depends mainly on stitch count — the total number of stitches in your design. A small left-chest logo (a common placement for workwear) might run to 5,000–8,000 stitches. A large back design could be 15,000–30,000+ stitches. Higher stitch counts take longer to run on the machine and therefore cost more.

For typical left-chest embroidery, expect to add roughly £2–£6 per garment on top of the garment price. Larger placements or complex designs cost proportionally more.

A Worked Example: 20 Embroidered Polo Shirts for a Plumbing Firm

Let’s put this together with a realistic scenario. A small plumbing business wants 20 polo shirts with their logo embroidered on the left chest.

• Garment: A mid-weight polo from a reputable workwear brand — let’s say approximately £10 each = £200 total
• Digitising fee (one-off): Approximately £25 for a clean, simple logo
• Embroidery per garment: Approximately £3.50 each = £70 total
• Approximate total: £295 for 20 embroidered polo shirts — roughly £14.75 each

That’s a perfectly reasonable budget for a small trade business. And when the same firm reorders six months later, the digitising fee is already paid — so the cost per garment drops.

Key Factors That Change Your Price

No Minimum Order — But Small Runs Do Cost More Per Item

At Xcel, we have no minimum order quantity. You can order a single embroidered garment if you need to. That’s genuinely useful for sole traders, start-ups, or businesses that need one replacement item. But it’s worth being honest: the setup cost is the same whether you order 1 or 100, so your cost-per-garment is higher on tiny runs. If you’re able to batch your order — even loosely across your team — you’ll get better value.

Embroidery vs. Printing: Which Should You Choose?

Embroidery isn’t always the right answer. It’s the gold standard for embroidered workwear — polos, fleeces, jackets — because it looks professional, survives industrial washing, and feels premium. However, for large back designs, photographic artwork, or very large colour fills, printing can be more cost-effective and visually accurate. Our team will always advise you on which method suits your design and garment combination. You can see printed options across our custom T-shirts range too.

Who This Isn’t For

If you need a one-off novelty item, embroidered workwear probably isn’t the most economical route — the setup fee will dominate your cost. Similarly, if your branding changes frequently or you need a very large, full-colour photographic print across the back of a garment, embroidery may not be the best fit technically. In those cases, we’d steer you towards a printed solution rather than push you towards something that won’t serve you well.

Practical Tips Before You Request a Quote

• Have your logo as a vector file if possible (AI, EPS, or high-resolution PDF). It gives the digitiser the clearest starting point and can reduce your setup fee.
• Decide on placements upfront. Adding a second position after the fact means extra cost and potential delays.
• Think about future orders. Once your logo is digitised, reorders are faster and cheaper — so buying a few extra now often makes sense.
• Check size guides carefully. Returns due to sizing add time and cost to any order.

If you need hi-vis clothing with embroidery, our custom hi-vis range covers vests, jackets, and trousers in compliant styles. For branded casual layers, explore our personalised hoodies or the broader work uniform collection.

Ready to Get a Proper Quote?

The best way to get an accurate price is simply to send us your logo and tell us what you need. No lengthy forms, no obligation. Our in-house team handles both embroidery and printing under one roof, which means faster turnaround and one point of contact for your whole order. Get in touch with us here and we’ll come back to you quickly with a clear, itemised quote.

FAQs

Is there a minimum order for embroidered workwear at Xcel?

No. We have no minimum order quantity, so you can order as few as one embroidered garment. Bear in mind that the one-off digitising fee is the same regardless of quantity, so the cost per item is higher on very small runs.

How long does it take to get embroidered workwear made?

Turnaround varies depending on the size of your order and whether your logo already has a digitised stitch file. For most standard orders, we aim for a fast UK turnaround — contact us with your specifics and we'll give you a realistic timescale.

What file format do I need to supply for my logo?

A vector file (AI, EPS, or high-resolution PDF) is ideal as it gives our digitisers the clearest detail. We can work with high-resolution raster files too, though very low-resolution images may affect the quality of the result.

Does the digitising fee apply every time I reorder?

No. The digitising fee is a one-off charge per logo. Once your stitch file is created and stored, repeat orders use the same file without an additional setup cost.

Can I get both embroidery and printing on the same garment?

Yes, in some cases. For example, a jacket might have an embroidered logo on the chest and a printed design on the back. Our team can advise on what works best for your specific garment and artwork combination.

Does embroidery last longer than printing on workwear?

Generally, embroidery is extremely durable and holds up well to frequent industrial washing. Good quality printing is also long-lasting, but the right choice depends on the garment type, placement, and design. We'll always recommend the most durable option for your use case.

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Written by Andy · Founder, Xcel Print & Promotions

Xcel Print & Promotions is a family-run UK workwear, branded-clothing and print company with over 20 years' experience. We embroider and print in-house from our base in Haverhill, Suffolk, with no minimum order — so this advice comes from kitting out real teams every working day, from single tradespeople to large sites and schools.

Talk to us about your workwear or print project →