Custom Fleece Jackets: How to Choose the Right Weight for Your Logo

Fleece is the layer people actually keep. A tee gets worn once and lands in a drawer, but a good fleece ends up on the back of a desk chair, in a truck cab, and at every outdoor event through March. That is exactly why custom fleece jackets are one of the smartest line items in a company logo program — and why the wrong choice is expensive. Two fleeces can look identical in a catalog photo and behave completely differently after twenty washes and a left-chest logo.

Here is how we help buyers choose: not by silhouette, but by fabric weight and face finish. Get those two right and everything else — price, embroidery quality, how long it lasts — follows.

What “fleece” actually means on a spec sheet

Fleece is a napped knit fabric, usually cotton/polyester or 100% polyester, brushed on one or both sides to trap air. It is not one material — it is a family, and the two numbers that matter are the ounce weight and what the face (outer surface) looks like.

Ounce weight tells you warmth and structure. Anything in the 7.5 to 8.5 ounce range is a true year-round mid-layer: warm enough for a Gulf Coast winter or an air-conditioned warehouse, light enough that nobody takes it off at 10 a.m. Above 9 ounces you are into premium territory that reads more like outerwear.

The face finish is what most buyers miss, and it is the single biggest factor in how embroidered fleece turns out. A smooth, tightly knit face gives a needle something firm to sit on. A loose, fuzzy pile lets stitches sink, and fine detail in a logo disappears into the nap.

The four fleece formats for a logo program

Almost every fleece decision comes down to four formats, and they sort neatly by how much of the garment your logo gets to own.

• Pullover hoodie — the highest-volume, lowest-cost option. Best when everyone gets one and the count is high.
• Quarter-zip — the office standard. Reads as business-casual, keeps a collar, and the left chest sits perfectly flat for stitching.
• Fleece vest — layers over a polo or dress shirt without covering it. The go-to for sales teams and client-facing staff.
• Full-zip and fleece-lined shell — real outerwear for crews who are outside in it, or a premium award piece.

You do not need all four. Most programs run a quarter-zip as the core piece and add one warmer option for field staff.

Which fleece takes embroidery best

If the logo is the point — and in a company program it always is — favor a smooth-faced, ring spun or pill-resistant fleece over a fluffy one.

The Port & Company Fan Favorite Fleece 1/4-Zip (PC850Q) is our default recommendation for detailed logos. It is an 8.5-ounce ring spun cotton/poly with a smooth face and a dyed-to-match YKK zipper, and it is one of the better fleece surfaces in the catalog for small type and fine linework. At $26.30 it is not a premium price for a premium stitch-out.

Where the garment will get laundered hard, the Jerzees NuBlend 1/4-Zip Cadet Collar Sweatshirt (995M) is the durability pick — 8 ounces of 50/50 pill-resistant fleece with a high stitch density, which gives a left-chest logo a firm, even base instead of letting it sink into the pile. It is also the value leader at $21.69.

For the hoodie slot, the Port & Company Core Fleece Pullover Hooded Sweatshirt (PC78H) at 7.8 ounces is the volume workhorse — crews, churches, warehouses, event staff — while the District Perfect Weight Fleece Hoodie (DT1101) at 8.26 ounces of combed ring spun cotton/poly is the one to pick when the hoodie has to look like something a customer would pay for.

Matching the fleece to the job

Here is the shortest version of the decision, by what the garment has to survive.

If your team is…	Choose	Weight / build	Starting at
Indoors, client-facing	PC850Q quarter-zip	8.5 oz smooth-face ring spun	$26.30
Washing it constantly	995M quarter-zip	8 oz pill-resistant NuBlend	$21.69
Layering over a polo	F906 / L906 vest	Smooth fleece, men's and women's cuts	$35.74
Outside in wind and drizzle	J317 soft shell	Bonded shell, microfleece lining	$42.62
On a sideline in real cold	JP56 team jacket	Nylon shell, 6.5 oz fleece lining	$60.32
Receiving an award or exec gift	Nike Tech Fleece	9.1 oz, 47/53 poly/cotton full-zip	$149.97

Two notes on that table. The Port Authority Core Soft Shell Jacket (J317) is technically a bonded soft shell rather than a fleece — a wind-resistant polyester shell with a water-resistant film insert and a microfleece lining, rated 1000MM waterproof and 1000G/M2 breathable. Buyers searching for custom soft shell jackets usually want exactly this: the warmth of fleece with a face that shrugs off weather. And the Nike Tech Fleece Full-Zip Hoodie comes in a real women's cut (NKFQ4798), not a small men's size, which matters more than most programs expect.

Price, sizing, and what to expect when you order

Decorated fleece runs roughly $22 to $60 for the working pieces and up to $150 for premium recognition gear. Embroidery pricing scales with stitch count, not garment cost, so a simple left-chest mark costs the same to stitch on a $22 pullover as on a $150 Nike piece.

On apparel we have no minimum — you can order a single piece to see it in hand before committing the whole team. Every order gets a free digital mockup before we run it, and ground shipping is free. We decorate in-house at our Houston, Texas facility, which we have been doing since 1979, so nothing gets handed to a third party and nothing gets lost in a queue you cannot see.

One practical tip: order fleece a size up from your tee sizing. It is a layering piece, and staff will wear it over a polo or a button-down.

Frequently asked questions

What are fleece jackets made of?

Most corporate fleece is either a cotton/polyester blend or 100% polyester, knitted and then brushed on one or both sides to raise a soft nap that traps warm air. Cotton-rich blends like the 8.5-ounce ring spun in the PC850Q feel softer and take embroidery cleanly; polyester-heavy fleece dries faster and resists pilling longer.

Is fleece good for embroidery?

Yes, provided you pick a smooth or pill-resistant face. A tightly knit fleece face supports the stitch so fine detail stays legible; a loose, high-pile fleece lets thread sink into the nap and small type closes up. If your logo has thin lines or small text, tell us before you choose the garment and we will steer you to the right base.

What is the minimum order for custom fleece jackets?

There is no minimum on our decorated apparel — you can order one. Per-piece embroidery pricing does improve as the count goes up, so most company programs land somewhere between 12 and 50 pieces per run.

Should I choose a fleece vest or a full fleece jacket?

Choose the vest when staff are indoors or client-facing and you want the polo or dress shirt underneath to stay visible. Choose a full-zip or fleece-lined shell when people are genuinely outside in wind and cold. Plenty of programs run both and let staff pick.

Where to start

If you are building a fall or winter layer into your program, start with a smooth-faced quarter-zip and add one warmer piece for whoever works outdoors. Browse custom 1/4 zips, custom vests, and custom branded outerwear to see what is in stock, or take a look at company logo jackets if you need something built for weather. Not sure how fleece fits alongside the rest of your gear? Our guide to building a complete branded apparel program walks through the whole lineup.

Send us your logo and we will send back a free digital mockup — no commitment, no minimum.