How Long Do Embroidery Projects Usually Take?

How long embroidery projects usually take will depend on several factors, including the number of stitches in a logo — which attribute to the time it takes on the embroidery machine, the number of items we will be embroidering, and a few other details you should know about.

The two biggest time consumers of an embroidery project usually have to do with the number of stiches and how big a project is.

For example: An embroidery project of 48 hats with a stitch count logo of 2,000 stitches in all white thread is going to be out of production significantly faster than a project of 48 hats with a stitch count logo of 7,000 stitches with multi-color thread.

The same applies to how big your project is. Let’s keep the same scenario of 48 hats with a stitch count logo of 2,000 stiches in all white thread.

Getting 48 hats out of production will be much quicker than 200-500 hats, though both quantities at Collective Embroidery will get out the same day they were put into production.

The type of garment and item we use for your project also plays a big role in how long an embroidery project takes to be completed.

Type of Garment/Item Matters

The type of garment and item also matters.

For example: Certain jackets, especially the thicker ones, take a little longer to clamp, adding time to the setup.

If we run your logo on thin t-shirts, we have to be mindful of the delicate fabric, meaning we must slow down our SPM (stiches per minute) significantly lower than average to ensure clean runs.

While garments and items do affect how long the setup takes prior to a run, or whether we must slow down our embroidery machines to ensure safe measure on delicate fabrics, they don’t always mean slower production times.

But it helps to understand how different garments affect production prior to shipping.

Placement Matters

This is another big one.

Placement, and the number of placements (multiple embroidered locations), will add time to a production.

Collective Embroidery has years of experience embroidering multiple placements across various style of garments and items.

A popular choice during events is front center on hats, followed by right side embroidery, back side embroidery, and even left side embroidery.

On an order of 400 hats with 3-4 placements, it’s the equivalent of running between 1,200 to 1,600 items.

And while each placement has its own challenges, our team is equipped to proficiently handle these complex projects at scale.

We also handle orders that require placement on the left chest and right sleeve of shirts, polos, or jackets.

You can expect a longer production lead time the more embroidered logos you would like to add to your project.

What Are Collective Embroidery’s Turnaround Times?

For Q1 and Q2, our turnaround times range between 4-6 production days after all approvals and goods have been delivered. For Q3 and Q4, our turnaround times range between 5-8 productions days.

For rush projects (2-3 days or sooner), email bryan@collectiveembroidery.com.