Hats are awkward because the part that sets the size is the part that damages most easily. Brims are wide, thin and shaped, and the whole sizing exercise is a decision about how much you are willing to let the brim move. Everything else follows from that.
Take three measurements
- Brim diameter: lay the hat crown down on a flat surface and measure across the widest point of the brim, including any upturn or curl. This sets the footprint.
- Crown height: measure from the flat surface to the highest point of the crown, with the hat sitting naturally. This sets the depth.
- Brim shape: note whether the brim is flat, curled, downturned or upturned, and whether it holds its shape under light pressure. This decides whether you can go smaller.
Different hats, different governing dimension
| Hat | Dimension that governs | Commonly packed as |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball cap | Crown height with the peak curved | Square carton or mailer, often flat packed |
| Fedora | Brim diameter | Round or square box with a crown support |
| Cowboy hat | Brim diameter with the upturn | Deep box, crown down, with a brim support |
| Wide brim sun hat | Brim diameter, often the largest in the range | Round box, or shipped folded if the design allows |
| Beanie or soft hat | Nothing rigid, so the fold decides | Mailer or sleeve |
Round box or square box
A round box flatters a hat and matches the shape, so it does well in retail and gifting. It also wastes space on a pallet, because circles do not tessellate, and it takes more material to build for the same internal volume. A square or rectangular box loses the look but divides the standard 48 x 40 in pallet deck cleanly, which shows up as lower freight cost per unit on any volume. Many brands run both: a square shipper with a round presentation box inside, or a square box for ecommerce and a round one for retail.
Shipping a hat is a different job from displaying one
A display box protects a hat on a shelf, which is a light duty. A shipping box protects a hat through a parcel network, which is not. If the hat ships direct to a consumer, specify corrugated, support the crown so the box cannot be crushed into it, and support the brim so it cannot fold. Our custom hat shipping boxes page covers the shipping format, and custom hat boxes covers presentation.
Ordering and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 boxes, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included, so a box cut to your widest brim costs no more to tool than a near-standard size. We produce in West Chicago in the US and in Guangzhou in China. Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days in production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery.
Measure your widest brim and your tallest crown, tell us whether the box ships or only displays, and send the quantity. Request a quote and we will size the box and the internal supports together.
