Ordering custom soccer jerseys for your club, school or business should be exciting, not confusing. Yet most first-time buyers get tripped up by the same questions: What fabric should I choose? What file format does the factory need? How many pieces do I have to order? How long does production actually take?
This guide walks through the complete ordering process — the same one we run with hundreds of teams every season at our Guangzhou factory — from your first email to the day the parcels arrive. By the end, you will know exactly what to prepare, what to expect at every step, and how to avoid the five most common mistakes we see in custom jersey orders.
Step 1: Define Your Requirements Before You Contact a Factory
A factory can only quote accurately when it knows four things: the sport, the quantity, the sizing breakdown and the deadline. Teams that skip this step lose a week of back-and-forth emails.
1.1 Sport and silhouette
Soccer jerseys are cut differently from basketball, rugby or volleyball kits — sleeves, collar shape and length all change. If your order covers multiple sports, list them separately so each garment gets the right pattern. Most factories, including ours, carry dedicated patterns for soccer, basketball uniforms, rugby and volleyball, so the pattern choice is nearly always free.
1.2 Quantity and sizing breakdown
Know your rough quantity before asking for a quote. For a team of 18 players, plan for 20 to 24 jerseys including spares. If you also want training tops, shorts, socks or a goalkeeper kit, add them to the same enquiry — combined orders usually get better per-unit pricing because they fill the same production run.
Sample orders start at 1 piece, while trial and bulk orders start at 100 pieces at most factories. At TeamKit, a trial batch of 100–300 pieces is a common first step for clubs that want to check fit and color before committing to a full season order. One-piece samples are also available so you can approve the design before touching bulk quantities.
1.3 Deadline and event date
Work backwards from your first match. As a rule of thumb: samples take about 7 days, bulk production takes 15–30 days depending on quantity, and international shipping takes 7–15 days. If your season starts in eight weeks, you have plenty of time — if it starts in three, ask about express production in the first message.
Step 2: Prepare Your Design and Artwork
The design file is the most important thing you will send us. Here is what makes the process smooth.
2.1 File formats that work
- Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) — best for logos and crests; they scale to any size without losing quality.
- High-resolution PNG or JPG — acceptable when a vector file does not exist; aim for 300 DPI at the final print size.
- Photos of a mockup or reference design — fine as a starting point; our designers will redraw it cleanly for print.
2.2 Colors, sponsor logos and player details
Tell us the exact colors you want (or send a hex code / Pantone reference), and list every sponsor logo with its position: chest, sleeve, shorts, back below the number. Player names and numbers can be supplied as a spreadsheet — in 2026 most teams simply send a Google Sheet with name, number and size per player.
2.3 Free design mockup
If you do not have finished artwork, no problem. Our in-house design team prepares a free mockup within 24 hours showing your crest, colors and layout on a realistic jersey render. For a live preview, try the interactive preview tool on any of our product pages — you can build your kit in the browser before we ever touch a design file.
Step 3: Approve the Mockup, Then Order a Sample
This is the checkpoint where mistakes are cheapest to fix. Check three things on every mockup:
- Spelling — names, sponsor names and slogans, letter by letter.
- Number placement — front, back and whether shorts need numbers too.
- Colors — on-screen colors shift slightly; the printed sample is the real proof.
Most customers approve the digital mockup and go straight to a physical sample (about 7 days). Others skip the sample and approve the mockup for bulk production directly — we keep the approved design on file, and our QC team checks the first finished piece against it before the full run starts.
Step 4: Production, Quality Control and Certification
Once approved, the order enters production. Here is what happens inside our factory:
4.1 Sublimation printing
The vast majority of modern team jerseys are made with sublimation printing: the design is printed onto transfer paper, then heat-pressed so the ink becomes part of the fabric itself. The pattern cannot peel or crack, colors stay vivid wash after wash, and there is no limit on gradients or full-front/back artwork. You can see the process in action on our custom sublimation soccer jersey page, and compare it with stitching in our sublimation vs stitching guide.
4.2 Quality control at every stage
A serious factory inspects at four points: incoming fabric, print calibration, sewing line checks and final pre-shipment inspection. Our QC team checks stitching tension, print alignment, color accuracy against the approved mockup and size measurements against the size table. Garments that fail are reworked or discarded — never shipped.
4.3 Certifications and third-party testing
For buyers shipping to the EU and US, fabric testing matters. Our garments are tested by SGS for color fastness, shrinkage, tensile strength and restricted substances, covering the EU and US markets. Ask any factory for their testing reports — if they cannot show you lab results, that is a red flag.
Step 5: Shipping and Export Documentation
When production finishes, your order is packed and inspected once more. Every export order includes the documents customs needs: commercial invoice, packing list and, on request, certificate of origin. Most of our US and European customers import by sea freight or express courier — we prepare everything so the goods clear customs without surprises. An export invoice is issued for every order, and your name, address and VAT details can be printed directly on it.
Choosing the Right Fabric
Fabric choice decides how the jersey feels, how long it lasts and how much it costs. Three options cover almost every team situation:
160 gsm interlock (the all-round default)
Interlock is a double-knit polyester that feels smooth on both sides, drapes well and holds its shape through hundreds of washes. At 160 gsm it is heavy enough not to be see-through, light enough for 90 minutes of running. If you are not sure what to pick, pick this.
Mesh and jacquard (for extreme heat)
Open-mesh fabrics dramatically increase airflow, which is why they are used for basketball and summer training kits. The trade-off: more transparent, slightly less durable against snags. Mesh jerseys suit teams that play in 30°C+ conditions or who want the classic ventilated pro look.
Double-knit with spandex (for a pro fit)
Adding 5–10% spandex gives the fabric stretch and recovery — the fitted, athletic cut you see in modern match kits. It costs a little more per meter and is worth it for competitive teams that want a tailored silhouette.
Fabric composition also affects printing: sublimation requires at least 70% polyester, which is why performance kits are polyester through and through. If you need a mixed-material garment — say a polo with a cotton feel — let us know up front and we will propose the right print method instead.
Sizing: Getting the Right Fit
Fit issues cause more returns than any other single problem, and almost all of them are preventable. Three things to know:
- Use the factory's size chart, not your own memory of "L" — charts differ between factories and between regions. Asian-made uniforms tend to run slim versus US sizing, so measure one jersey your players currently wear and compare it against the chart.
- Order a fit sample. If you are unsure between sizes, order one sample in the two candidate sizes and have your most average-sized player try them on.
- Ask about kids' cuts, women's fits and goalie cuts — most factories, including ours, offer separate patterns, so the same design can be produced in correctly proportioned variants.
Every bulk order from our factory is checked piece-by-piece against the size table during final QC, and our size table is published so your players can measure at home before we cut a single piece of fabric.
How Much Does a Custom Soccer Jersey Cost?
Reference FOB prices depend on volume, fabrics and finishing. As a general guide for 2026:
- 100–300 pieces: mid-range unit price — the sweet spot for clubs and schools
- 300–1,000 pieces: progressively lower unit prices (better per-unit pricing for combined kits)
- Above 1,000 pieces: volume pricing with the option of custom fabric development
Every product page on this site shows a reference FOB price; the final quote depends on volume, fabrics and finishing details. Send us your quantity and we will confirm a firm price within 24 hours.
The Five Mistakes to Avoid When Ordering Custom Jerseys
- Sending a low-resolution logo — logos pulled from websites print blurry. Ask the original designer for a vector file.
- Ordering too late — leave at least 6 weeks from order to match day, more if you need samples first.
- Skipping the sample — a $20–40 sample is cheap insurance on a $3,000 order.
- Not checking the size chart — Asian-made uniforms run slim; compare our size table with what your players actually wear.
- Ignoring the fabric weight — 160 gsm interlock is the all-round default; go mesh for extreme heat, thicker fabric for training and winter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
Our MOQ is 100 pieces per design. Sample orders start at 1 piece so new teams can validate before committing.
How long does a custom jersey order take?
Sample: about 7 days. Bulk: 15–30 days depending on quantity and season. Shipping adds 7–15 days to most destinations.
Can you print my crest on the sleeves and shorts too?
Yes — sublimation prints anywhere on the garment, and we routinely add sleeve badges, shorts numbers and goalkeeper prints in the same run.
Ready to Order?
You now know exactly what a factory needs from you. Prepare your quantity, deadline and design, then send us an enquiry, or drop a message on WhatsApp with the product you like — we reply within 24 hours with a mockup and a firm quote. Your season starts at match day; plan backwards from it, and the process will feel easy.