Embroidery on caps — Spain

Why embroidery is the dominant technique on caps

The cap — the second most-produced item in Spanish corporate merch after the T-shirt — is a substrate especially favourable to embroidery. The flat, taut surface of the front panel accepts the stitch without the finish sinking, and the thread contrast against the fabric creates tactile relief that signals craft and permanence. Versus DTF or screen printing, embroidery does not degrade under intensive use, washes or direct sun exposure.

The technique fits especially well medium and large corporate runs — from 100 to 25,000 units — where the screen or film cost amortises with margin. For runs under 50 units we recommend direct embroidery without digital programming, with a 20-35 % unit-cost surcharge. With correct application, the stitch holds 80-120 domestic wash cycles before visible fray, depending on thread type.

We work with Madeira Polyester thread in 40 (fine, small lettering and gradients), 30 (standard, logos up to 80×80 mm) and 12-20 (heavier, large lettering and decorative patches). 220 Madeira shades in stock and Pantone-coated special dyeing on request. Machines are Tajima TFMX-II 15-head with a maximum placement area of 360 × 200 mm.

Embroidery technical specifications on caps

Stitch placement is agreed upfront per cap model. For standard 6-panel the embroidery sits on the front panel centred, at a height between 50 and 80 mm from the bottom edge of the visor. For 5-panel trucker the placement is identical but the height adjusts to the shorter panel. For flat snapback the embroidery occupies practically the whole front panel and accepts sizes up to 100×60 mm.

Embroidery is programmed on Tajima TFMX-II 15-head machines with a maximum placement area of 360 × 200 mm per placement. Logos with more than 12 colours are pre-separated to 6-8 unless the client insists otherwise. Backing is chosen by end use: paper tear-away for one-shot caps, tear-away for uniformity programmes, water-soluble for industrial application, ultrasonic cut-away for premium finishes.

Quality controls apply every 250 units: embroidery centring and height check, thread coverage verification, ASTM D3359 tape adhesion test, Crockmeter rub fastness ISO 105-X12 (grade 4-5 on wool), wash fastness ISO 105-C06 (grade 4 on multifibre). The batch register is filed for 5 years and delivered with every shipment.

Compliance, certifications and traceability

All caps and threads meet OEKO-TEX Standard 100 class I and REACH SVHC < 0.1 %. GOTS organic cotton and GRS-recycled polyester options ship with verifiable transaction certificate on blockchain or via the certifier's serial number. The electronic invoice is issued with 21 % IVA broken out via FACe/SII (AEAT) in FacturaE-XML format with electronic signature, valid for supported IVA recovery by the B2B client.

Quality controls are documented per batch: optical density with X-Rite spectrophotometer, Crockmeter rub fastness (minimum grade 4 on wool), wash fastness ISO 105-C06 (minimum grade 4 on multifibre), Martindale abrasion resistance (minimum 20,000 cycles), seam tensile strength ASTM D5034 (minimum 200 N). Reports are delivered with the invoice or uploaded to the client's B2B portal. The quality policy covers stitching defects, pattern misalignment, off-tone threads and premature breakage; any incident is resolved by replacement, credit note or refund at the client's choice.