Sizing custom shirts for a group sounds simple — until half the team is swimming in their shirt and the other half can’t breathe in theirs. After 20 years of helping customers order custom apparel, I’ve seen every sizing situation imaginable. This guide covers what I wish every customer knew before placing their order.

The #1 Mistake Group Orders Make

If there’s one thing that causes the most sizing headaches, it’s this: not sharing the spec sheet of the garment being ordered.

When someone orders a Gildan tee, they’re usually fine. Gildan is a universal, generic fit that most people are already familiar with. But a lot of our customers are ordering Bella Canvas, Next Level, or other fashion-fit brands — and those run noticeably slimmer. Plenty of people size up in those styles without thinking twice when they’re shopping for themselves. But in a group order, where someone just clicks their usual “Large” without a second thought, you end up with unhappy people.

My advice: before you send out your sizing form to your group, ask us for the spec sheet of the specific garment you’re ordering. Share it with your group. Let people look at the actual measurements and decide for themselves. It takes two minutes and saves a lot of headaches.

“What Size Should I Order?” — Here’s How I Walk People Through It

When a customer asks me this, I ask them a few quick questions (and yes, if all else fails, ask your mom — she always knows):

What size are you wearing right now?
Do you like how that shirt fits?
What brand is it?
Is it a regular cut or more of a fashion fit?
Do you want this one to fit the same, a little bigger, or a little more relaxed?

From there, it’s usually pretty clear. And if someone is right between sizes? I always say size up. The oversized look is very much in right now, and a shirt that’s slightly big is far more forgivable than one that’s too small. If someone specifically wants that full oversized aesthetic, I recommend going two full sizes up to get that look right.

Shrinkage: What to Actually Expect

Shrinkage comes up constantly, and here’s my honest breakdown:

100% cotton shirts will shrink. My suppliers quote 2–3%, but with hot water washes, high-chemical detergents, and general real-world laundry habits, I tell customers to plan for up to 5% shrinkage to be safe. That’s roughly half an inch to an inch depending on the shirt size — which is why sizing up is almost always the smarter call.

100% polyester has no meaningful shrinkage. You can wash it all day long and it’ll hold its shape.

Blends (like a 50/50 cotton-poly) fall in the middle at about up to 2% shrinkage.

The takeaway: if you’re ordering a cotton tee and you’re right between sizes, size up. If it’s polyester, you can be more confident in your true size.

Women’s Cuts, Youth Sizes, and Where It Gets Tricky

Women’s Cuts

Women’s sizing is honestly the trickiest part of any group order, because there’s such a wide range of body types, preferences, and fits. A few things I always tell customers:

Women’s V-necks tend to run small. They’re often made in a more fitted fashion style. I recommend sizing up unless you specifically want a snug fit.
Bella Canvas and LAT offer more relaxed women’s crew necks and V-necks. In those, you can generally stick to your standard women’s sizing.
When in doubt — size up. A slightly looser fit is always easier to style than a shirt that’s pulling at the seams.

Youth Sizes

Youth sizing is fairly standard across most brands, but one thing surprises almost everyone: a Gildan Youth XL is actually bigger around than an adult small — but shorter.

Here’s the breakdown:

Gildan Youth XL body length: 26.5 inches
Gildan Adult Small body length: 28 inches
Gildan Youth XL chest width: 20 inches
Gildan Adult Small chest width: 18 inches

So if your kid is right on the edge between a youth XL and an adult small, know that the youth XL will be wider but shorter, and the adult small will be longer but narrower. For growing kids, I still recommend sizing up — a shirt they can grow into is better than one they’ve already grown out of.

Unisex Shirts and the Women’s Fit Question

Unisex shirts are everywhere in custom apparel, and they work great for most people — but women often wonder what to do. Here’s my general guidance:

Want it to fit like a slightly relaxed tee? Go with your regular size. A woman’s Large in a unisex shirt will have a little extra room, but roll the sleeves once or twice, tuck it in, and it looks great.
Want it more fitted? Size down one.
Somewhere in between? Look at the spec sheet measurements and go from there.

There’s no perfect universal answer here because people’s bodies, preferences, and styles vary so much — and that’s okay. If you’re ordering for a fitness gym, a boutique, or any retail situation where you’re reselling branded merch, I’d recommend offering multiple style options rather than trying to find one shirt that works for everyone. Think: a unisex fashion-fit tee, a ladies’ V-neck, a relaxed ladies’ crew neck, a racerback tee, and a unisex hoodie. Give your customers options and let them choose what works for their body.

Tall and Plus Sizes

Good news: tall and plus sizes are very much available in the custom apparel world. We can source extended sizing across a solid range of styles, including t-shirts, long sleeves, button-downs, polos, hoodies, and zip-ups. The color selection isn’t quite as wide as standard sizing, but there are plenty of great options. If you have members of your group who need extended sizes, just let us know upfront and we’ll make sure the garment we choose has what you need.

How Shirt Size Affects Print Placement and Size

This is something most customers never think about — but it affects how your final product looks. Here’s how we adjust print size and placement based on garment type:

Infants and onesies: We print between 4–5 inches. The print area is tiny, so the design stays small and proportionate.
Youth (XS–XL): We stay within 9–10 inches wide, maximum.
Adult shirts: Full front prints max out at 12 inches wide by 15 inches tall.
Ladies/women’s shirts: We like to stay within 9–10 inches wide, depending on the fit.
V-necks (any style): We drop the print only 1 inch from the V, since the neckline is already lower on the chest.
Crew neck placement: Standard is about 3 inches down from the collar.
Youth placement: About 2 inches down from the collar.

One more thing worth knowing: when we print a group order that spans adult smalls through 4XL, we print the same size artwork on all shirts. That’s standard practice for bulk pricing — we set the press once and run the order. What that means in practice is that the design will look fuller and more prominent on a small or medium, and slightly smaller relative to the shirt on a 2X or 3X. It’s the nature of bulk production, and most customers are totally fine with it once they understand it upfront.

What the Internet Gets Wrong About Sizing

“When in doubt, size up” is honestly solid advice for most situations, and I say it myself. But if you want the perfect fit — especially for resale or a higher-end branded merch program — there’s one thing worth knowing that most people online never mention: manufacturing tolerance varies a lot by brand.

Budget-friendly brands like Gildan have a higher tolerance in their sizing — meaning one medium might be a full inch wider or narrower than another medium of the same style. That variance is built into their production process. It’s not a defect; it’s just how mass production works at that price point.

Higher-end fashion brands like Bella Canvas have a much tighter tolerance — we’re talking half an inch or less. So when you order a medium, it’s going to look and feel a lot more consistent from shirt to shirt.

If consistency matters — especially for a retail application where someone is buying an “M” and expecting a specific fit — investing in a higher-quality garment will give you a much more predictable result.

My Advice If You’re Placing a Group Order for the First Time

Keep it simple.

The more options you give people, the longer they’ll take to decide — and the more likely someone misses your deadline. Ask for one garment, one style, make the decision on your end, and then empower your group to pick their size confidently.

Here’s how to do that:

Get the spec sheet from us. We’ll send you the measurements for the exact garment you’re ordering.
Share it with your group. Let them look at the chest width and body length for each size and compare it to something they own.
Tell them the fabric. Cotton? Size up and expect a little shrinkage. Polyester? Your regular size is fine.
When in doubt, size up. The oversized look is in. An too-big shirt is fixable; a too-small shirt isn’t.

And remember — because everything we print is custom-decorated, we cannot accept returns. That’s not unique to us; it’s industry standard for custom apparel. So take a few extra minutes with the sizing before you submit. If you end up with an issue, your best bet is to reach out to your group and see if anyone wants to swap.

Bottom Line

Sizing is one of those things that feels simple until it isn’t. A little bit of upfront communication — sharing the spec sheet, knowing your fabric, and having an honest conversation with your group — goes a long way toward making sure everyone’s happy when the shirts arrive.

And if you’re not sure? Just reach out. That’s what we’re here for.

Jersey Ink has been a custom apparel shop for over 20 years, specializing in screen printing, heat transfers, and embroidery for businesses, sports teams, schools, and organizations.

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