Why is there no single price for a custom patch?
Every custom patch is made to a specification you choose, so the price is worked out per design rather than taken from a fixed list. Two patches that look similar online can differ a lot in cost because one is 5 cm and fully stitched while the other is 9 cm with half the surface left as twill.
At Irish Customized Patches every quote is in euro, per piece, for a specific size, type, backing and quantity. It comes with a free digital mockup, usually within 12 hours, so you see the design and the price together before deciding.
The five things that set the price
These are the factors that move the price, roughly in order of how much they matter.
| Factor | What raises the cost | What lowers the cost |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Larger patches use more thread and machine time | Measuring the real space and not over-sizing |
| Patch type | PVC, chenille, 3D puff and leather | Woven and printed patches |
| Coverage | 100% stitched surface | 50% or 75% coverage with twill showing |
| Backing | Velcro hook and loop, special adhesives | Sew-on, standard iron-on |
| Quantity | Very small runs of many different designs | More pieces of the same design |
Size
Embroidery is priced largely on stitch count, and stitch count grows with area. A patch that is 10 cm wide has roughly four times the area of a 5 cm patch, not twice. Our patch size guide shows typical sizes for caps, chests, sleeves and backs, so you can pick the smallest size that still reads clearly.
Patch type
Woven patches and printed patches are usually the most economical at a given size because they are made faster and handle fine detail without extra stitching. Embroidered patches sit in the middle. PVC patches need a custom mould, chenille uses yarn plus a felt base and often an embroidered outline, and 3D puff embroidery adds foam and more stitches, so all three cost more.
Stitch coverage
Coverage is how much of the patch surface is embroidered. At 50% coverage the twill background shows and only the design is stitched. At 100% the whole surface is covered in thread. Full coverage looks richer and hides the base, but it adds stitches and therefore cost.
See your artwork as a custom Ireland patch before you buy. Free digital mockup in 12 hours — 5-piece minimum per design. We do not produce until you approve.
GET A FREE MOCKUPBacking
Sew-on (no backing) and iron-on are standard. Velcro hook and loop adds a second component, and safety pins or magnets add hardware. If you are unsure, read our guide to patch backings before choosing.
Quantity
Each design needs setting up: the artwork is digitised into a stitch file, colours are matched and a sample is checked. That setup is the same whether you order 5 or 500, so it is spread across more pieces in a bigger order. This is why the price per patch falls as quantity rises.
Does ordering more patches really save money?
Yes, and usually by more than people expect. Because setup is shared across the run, the price per piece drops at each quantity step. Two practical ways to use this:
- Combine orders. If your club needs crests for the senior team now and the juveniles next term, ordering them together as one run of the same design lowers the price of every patch.
- Avoid unnecessary variations. A different size, colourway or backing counts as a separate design with its own minimum and setup. Keeping one version where you can keeps the cost per patch down.
Our minimum order guide explains how designs are counted.
Which costs are included in a quote?
A quote from Irish Customized Patches includes:
Ready to spec type, size, backing, and quantity? Open the quote form for a free 12-hour mockup and Ireland-wide shipping after approval.
GET A FREE MOCKUP- The free digital mockup and any reasonable revisions before approval
- Digitising your artwork for production
- Production of the patches with your chosen backing and border
- Free shipping to any address in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
For delivery outside Ireland, the shipping cost is shown on the quote before you approve. See our shipping policy for details on international orders.
How to get the most from your budget
These choices lower the price without making the patch look cheaper:
- Reduce the size slightly. Dropping from 9 cm to 8 cm can make a visible difference to the price and very little to the look.
- Use 75% coverage instead of 100% when the background is a solid colour anyway; the twill can be dyed to match.
- Choose woven for small lettering. It is often cheaper than embroidery and holds detail better.
- Keep to one backing for the whole run.
- Order one design in a larger quantity rather than several near-identical versions.
Is the cheapest quote the best value?
Not always. Price differences between suppliers often come from things you cannot see in a product photo: thread quality, stitch density, how cleanly the border is finished and whether the backing glue covers the whole patch. Check whether a quote includes a mockup, delivery and revisions, and ask what happens if the finished patches do not match the approved proof. Our refund and returns policy sets out what we do in that case.
What this guide is based on
This guide reflects how Irish Customized Patches prices quotes for customers in Ireland: per piece, per design, in euro, after a free mockup. We do not publish a fixed price list because the five factors above change the price of every order. For an exact figure, request a free mockup and quote with your artwork, size, quantity and backing.