Ordering shirts for an event is not only a printing decision. It is an attendance, sizing, distribution, and deadline decision.
The most reliable quantity comes from counting the people and purposes you already know, then identifying the parts that are still uncertain. A universal shirt-size ratio cannot know whether your event is a school fundraiser, company retreat, charity run, conference, tournament, festival, or merchandise table.
The RAD Studio prints custom clothing in Stratford, Ontario, and completed apparel orders can be shipped across Canada. This guide will help you prepare the quantity and size information needed for a useful event-shirt review.
Start with what every shirt is for
Before choosing a total, list each reason a shirt is being ordered. One event may need clothing for:
- organizers and staff;
- volunteers;
- registered participants;
- speakers, performers, or special guests;
- sponsors or partners;
- onsite sales or merchandise;
- late registrations or walk-ins;
- replacements after the original order.
These groups should not automatically be combined. Staff shirts may use a different colour from participant shirts. Merchandise may need a different product or size range. Sponsor commitments may be fixed while walk-in demand is uncertain.
When each group has a purpose, it becomes easier to decide which numbers are confirmed and which are estimates.
Count confirmed people before estimating uncertainty
Build the first version of the order from information you can verify:
- Confirmed staff and volunteer rosters
- Paid or completed registrations
- Contracted speakers, performers, sponsors, or partners
- Shirts already included with tickets, packages, or fundraising levels
- Any garments required before the public event, such as staff-photo or packing-day shirts
Avoid starting with venue capacity unless every attendee is actually promised a shirt. Capacity, expected attendance, registrations, and guaranteed shirt recipients are different numbers.
If registration is still open, record the current count and the date on which the final order decision must be made. That makes the remaining uncertainty visible instead of hiding it inside a rounded total.
Separate guaranteed shirts from optional shirts
Create two working groups:
Guaranteed shirts are attached to a known person, registration, role, or commitment. These should be supported by an actual roster whenever possible.
Optional shirts may be used for walk-ins, exchanges, giveaways, merchandise, unexpected volunteers, or people who missed the collection deadline. These need a deliberate budget and distribution plan.
This distinction matters because an unused staff shirt and unsold merchandise create different problems. Staff clothing may be essential for identification. Merchandise is inventory and should be planned around how and where it will be sold.
If the shirts are included with registration, make the size question part of the registration form. If they will be sold onsite, review any sales information from comparable past events rather than assuming the registration size mix will predict retail demand.
Collect actual sizes whenever possible
Confirmed sizes are more useful than a generic percentage chart. Ask people to select from the size chart for the exact garment being ordered, not from memory alone.
For staff, volunteers, teams, or registered participants, use one shared roster with:
- full name or unique identifier;
- role or group;
- garment type;
- garment colour, if more than one is offered;
- size;
- personalization details, if applicable;
- confirmation status.
Set a clear collection deadline and identify one person responsible for the final list. Several separate email threads and handwritten updates make duplicate or missing entries much harder to catch.
If someone is unsure, provide the product-specific size chart and encourage them to compare its measurements with a garment they already wear comfortably. Letter sizes can vary between products.
Do not treat one size ratio as a guarantee
Published size ratios can be a starting point when no better information exists, but they are not facts about your audience. A youth tournament, workplace, music event, school fundraiser, and community race can have very different needs.
Before estimating unknown sizes, ask:
- Is the garment adult, youth, unisex, fitted, or relaxed?
- Does the product run differently from clothing this audience already owns?
- Are youth and extended sizes expected?
- Are the shirts assigned to known people or sold to whoever arrives?
- Does a previous edition of the same event provide useful size information?
Use your event's own registrations, roster, and past order records first. If some sizes remain unknown, document which part of the order is estimated and ask the studio to review the complete mix before production.
Decide where extra shirts are genuinely useful
Extra shirts can solve real problems, but “order extras” is not a complete plan. Decide which uncertainty each extra is meant to cover.
Possible reasons include:
- a late staff or volunteer addition;
- an attendee selecting the wrong size;
- a damaged or misplaced garment;
- a walk-in registration;
- an onsite merchandise opportunity;
- a sponsor or guest who was added after the first list.
Do not apply one automatic percentage to every event. The useful amount depends on how certain attendance is, whether shirts are guaranteed, whether extras can be sold later, the available budget, garment availability, and the practicality of a later reorder.
Assign extras to sizes intentionally. A box of additional shirts is only useful if the sizes support the people likely to need them.
Include youth and extended sizes from the beginning
Do not add inclusive sizing after the main order has already been planned. Ask about youth and extended sizes in the first collection form and use the correct chart for each garment.
The RAD Studio offers selected T-shirts through 6XL and selected hoodies through 5XL, depending on product, colour, and availability. An extended-size garment may not be identical to every other style being considered, so product selection should happen before promising a particular size range.
When an event serves both youth and adults, clearly label youth and adult sizes in the roster. “Large” is incomplete when it could mean youth large or adult large.
Keep the product list manageable
Offering many garment styles, colours, and artwork variations can make an event order harder to collect, approve, pack, and distribute.
If everyone serves the same role, one garment and colour may be enough. If staff must be easy to recognize, a second coordinated colour can create the distinction without creating an entirely separate design system.
Before adding another product, ask whether it improves the event experience enough to justify another size chart, stock decision, proof, packing group, and handout instruction.
Work backwards from the first real-use date
The public event date may not be the actual deadline. Shirts may be required earlier for:
- staff photographs;
- volunteer orientation;
- registration-package assembly;
- sponsor review;
- travel or shipping to the event coordinator;
- early participant pickup.
Use the earliest of these dates when discussing timing. Production and carrier transit are separate parts of the schedule. Completed clothing can ship across Canada, but same-day printing is a local Stratford service offered case by case—not a promise of same-day Canadian delivery.
Share the destination postal code and required arrival date when starting the project. Shipping cost and timing are confirmed for the actual order.
Prepare the information needed for a quote
You do not need every answer before asking for help, but a useful event-shirt request should include:
- the event type and location;
- the first date the shirts are needed;
- the Canadian delivery postal code or Stratford pickup plan;
- the rough total quantity;
- known quantities by group;
- the current size list and any unknown sizes;
- garment preferences;
- garment and print colours;
- front, back, chest, or sleeve locations;
- original artwork and sponsor files;
- names, numbers, or other personalization;
- whether extras are for exchanges, walk-ins, gifts, or merchandise.
This gives the studio enough context to identify missing decisions before a proof or quote is treated as final.
Review the final order as a distribution plan
Before approval, check whether the order can be handed out without confusion.
Confirm:
- every guaranteed recipient appears once;
- youth and adult sizes are clearly separated;
- staff, volunteer, participant, and merchandise groups are labelled;
- personalization matches the correct person and size;
- the proof uses the final sponsor list and event date;
- shipping leaves time for sorting before distribution;
- one person owns the final approval.
A correct grand total can still hide the wrong size mix or a missing group. Review both the total and the rows that created it.
Save the approved record for next time
After the event, keep the final roster, quantities, garment style, colours, artwork, proof, and notes about what remained or ran short.
That information is more valuable for a future edition than a generic size chart. It can reveal whether registrations were accurate, which sizes were exchanged, whether merchandise demand differed from participant sizing, and whether the product worked for the season and audience.
Future orders should still be reviewed if the garment, colour, artwork, decoration method, audience, or event format changes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a standard size breakdown for event shirts?
There are common starting ratios, but no universal breakdown can accurately represent every event. Collect actual sizes from known recipients and use product-specific size charts whenever possible. Treat any remaining estimate as an estimate, not a guarantee.
Should I order extra event shirts?
Extras can be useful for late additions, exchanges, damage, walk-ins, gifts, or merchandise. Decide what the extras are meant to cover before selecting the quantity and sizes. The right amount depends on the event and should not be based on one automatic percentage.
How should I collect shirt sizes from attendees?
Add the exact garment and its size chart to the registration or roster process. Collect the person's name, group, garment, size, and any personalization in one shared list with a firm deadline and one final owner.
What if some people have not registered yet?
Separate confirmed registrations from expected registrations. Record the current count, the registration deadline, and the date when the apparel order must be finalized. Discuss the uncertain portion with the studio instead of hiding it inside the confirmed total.
Can event orders include youth and extended sizes?
Yes, depending on the selected products and current availability. Selected T-shirts reach 6XL and selected hoodies reach 5XL. Youth and adult sizes should be clearly labelled because the same letter does not describe the same garment.
What information is needed for an event-shirt quote?
Send the event type, rough quantity, known size list, garment preference, artwork, print locations, required date, and Canadian postal code or Stratford pickup plan. Include any staff, volunteer, participant, sponsor, merchandise, or personalization groups that affect the order.
Build your event-shirt plan
Explore custom event shirts shipped across Canada, then send your rough quantity, known sizes, artwork, postal code, and required date for review.
Custom clothing is printed in Stratford, Ontario. Completed apparel orders can be shipped across Canada. Same-day printing remains a local, case-by-case Stratford service.