A woven label is usually specified twice: once by the finished size the customer sees, and once by the cut size
Use the chart below as a production starting point, then check your exact artwork at sample stage. For all label materials and types, see the complete clothing label size guide.
Woven label size chart in mm
These are practical starting sizes for common garment placements. “Cut size” is the flat size before folding; the exact fold allowance should be confirmed against the factory’s sewing method.
| Placement | Typical finished size | Typical cut / order size | Recommended construction |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirt neck label | 25 × 20 mm | 25 × 40 mm | Centre fold; one brand panel per face |
| Premium shirt / kurta neck label | 30 × 25 mm | 30 × 50 mm | Centre fold or flat sew-in, depending on collar construction |
| Denim / outerwear neck label | 35 × 30 mm | 35 × 60 mm | Flat or end fold; use a larger size for a detailed wordmark |
| Mini hem flag | 15 × 15 mm | 15 × 30 mm | Centre fold into the hem or side seam |
| Standard hem tag | 25 × 25 mm | 25 × 50 mm | Centre fold; a good all-round size for tees and sweatshirts |
| Side-seam brand tab | 20 × 30 mm | 20 × 60 mm | Centre fold; keep the logo clear of the seam line |
Read the dimensions correctly. A 25 × 40 mm centre-fold neck label is not 25 × 40 mm visible on the garment. It becomes approximately two 25 × 20 mm panels after folding.
Finished size vs cut size: the quick rule
Finished size is what remains visible after the label is sewn in. Cut size is the complete rectangle cut from the woven tape. When you give a supplier only one number, say which one you mean and state the fold. That removes most sampling confusion.
- Centre fold: cut length is about 2× the visible panel height. A 25 mm visible panel generally needs a 50 mm cut length.
- End fold: add roughly 5-7 mm at each short end for the turn-under and stitch. The body stays visible between the folds.
- Flat sew-in: cut size is close to finished size, but allow a safe edge around artwork and any seam overlap.
Fold style also changes artwork placement. See the label fold types guide before approving a woven-label layout.
How to choose the right width
Width is driven by the smallest detail in your artwork, not just the length of the brand name. A short logo with a thin icon can need more width than a longer wordmark set in bold type.
Use 20-25 mm wide when
You have a short name, a simple logo or a compact size mark, and the label will sit on a light T-shirt or kidswear garment.
Move to 30-35 mm wide when
You need a full wordmark, several thread colours, small lettering or a more substantial label for shirts, denim and outerwear.
Request an artwork check when
Your finest text is under about 2 mm high, the logo uses thin strokes, or you are working below 15 mm wide. A higher-density damask weave may be needed to keep the detail open.
Artwork safe area for woven labels
Do not push artwork into the fold or stitching zone. Keep important text and logos inside the finished, visible panel; treat the hidden folded area as production space rather than branding space.
- For a centre-fold label, keep each face’s artwork within its own half of the flat file.
- For a hem flag, do not position the logo across the centre fold, half of it will disappear inside the seam.
- Leave clear space at edge folds so a stitch does not cross letters or a logo outline.
- Ask for a physical sample when artwork includes fine text, a crest or multiple colours.
For thread limits, minimum lines and artwork that a loom can reproduce cleanly, read woven label design rules.
Order brief: what to send your supplier
A clear brief gets a correct quote faster and makes the sample useful. Send these details together:
- Artwork file and the smallest text height you want preserved.
- Placement: neck, hem, side seam, waistband or another location.
- Finished visible size and the fold style.
- Material or quality preference, such as standard woven or high-density damask.
- Garment fabric and whether the label touches skin.
Sizes for the rest of the label set
The chart above covers brand labels. A garment usually carries two or three more woven pieces, and they size differently because they carry different content.
| Label | Typical finished size | What drives the size |
|---|---|---|
| Size tab, letters | 15 × 25 mm | Your longest code, not your most common one. XXL needs the room that S does not. |
| Size tab, two-digit numbers | 20 × 25 mm | Digits are wider than letters, and 8 and 0 need open counters to stay readable. |
| Kids size tab, age and height | 20 × 30 mm | Two pieces of information on a smaller garment. |
| Waistband label | 30 × 25 mm | Sits inside centre back on trousers and skirts, where there is no collar. |
| Sleeve label, outerwear | 30 × 40 mm | Visible externally, so it is sized to be read at a distance. |
| Loop label under a neck label | 15 × 20 mm visible | Both ends go into the same seam, so the cut piece is far longer than it looks. |
Two rules cover most of these. Width is set by your longest content at a readable letter height, which is why a size tab should be sized around XXXL even if you are launching with S to L. And height is largely set by the fold and the seam, so you have less freedom there than the artwork suggests.
Check every size in the range on your smallest garment. A tab that sits comfortably under the neck label on an XL can crowd the shoulder seam on an XS, because the neck opening narrowed and the label did not.
Fold allowances in numbers
Most sizing confusion comes down to this one table. It converts a visible panel into the flat piece that actually has to be woven.
| Fold | Add to the flat length | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Centre fold | Roughly double the visible height, plus a few mm for the seam | 20 mm visible → about 45 mm cut |
| End fold | 5-7 mm at each short end | 40 mm visible → about 52 mm cut |
| Loop fold | Double the visible height, plus both ends into the seam | 20 mm visible → about 50 mm cut |
| Mitre fold | Similar to end fold, with the corners turned at an angle | 40 mm visible → about 52 mm cut |
| Straight cut | Nothing, but allow a safe margin from the sealed edge | 40 mm visible → 40 mm cut |
Treat these as planning figures rather than guarantees. The exact allowance depends on how the factory sews the seam, which is why the number should be confirmed once against a physical sample and then written into your specification for every reorder.
Round the final cut size to the nearest 5 mm. Mills work in round steps, so asking for 47 mm generally means either paying for a special size or quietly receiving 50 mm.
One more habit saves a surprising amount of trouble: decide the size against a printed mock-up at actual scale before you send anything. Print the label at 100% on paper, cut it out, and hold it against the garment in the position it will occupy. Screens flatter small artwork, and a label that looks balanced at 400% on a monitor is often noticeably too small or too busy at 25 mm in the hand. It costs two minutes and it catches proportion errors that a supplier cannot catch for you.
Weave density sets the smallest size you can use
A woven label's size is limited by the artwork it has to carry, and the artwork is limited by how many threads are available to draw it. That is why "make it smaller" is sometimes simply not possible.
- Standard taffeta is coarser, so it needs a more generous label and simpler artwork. Good for plain wordmarks.
- Damask is higher density, holds finer detail, and lets you go smaller for the same design. It is the answer when a small label has to carry a real logo.
- High-density damask pushes further again, and is what to ask for when the label is under about 15 mm wide or the artwork has thin strokes.
Below roughly 4 mm of letter height, the enclosed gaps inside characters start to close up regardless of density, the holes in 8, 6, 0 and R fill in. That is a physical floor, not a supplier limitation. If your design needs text below that, the honest options are a bigger label, a simplified mark, or a printed label instead. Our guide to weave density and quality covers what each grade can hold.
Copying the size of a label you already have
The most common brief we get is a photo of an existing label and "this size". That works, provided you measure the right thing.
- Measure it as it sits in the garment, folded, without flattening it. That is your finished size.
- Then unpick one if you can spare it, flatten it and measure again. That is the cut size, and the difference between the two numbers is the fold allowance.
- Note where the stitching runs, because that tells your supplier which fold was used.
- Measure the letter height in millimetres, not points. Your supplier is matching a physical measurement on a loom.
- Measure two or three labels, not one, since cutting varies slightly across a run.
Sending both numbers plus the fold removes essentially all the ambiguity. Sending one number and the word "size" is what produces a first sample at half the height you expected.
What tolerance to expect
Labels are cut from a woven tape, not machined, so a small variation across a run is normal rather than a defect. Expect a fraction of a millimetre either way on cut length, and a little movement in where the fold lands.
What should not vary is the visible panel looking inconsistent from label to label, artwork sitting noticeably off-centre, or the finished size differing from the approved sample. Judge a delivery against the sample you signed off rather than against a number in an email. The sample is the reference both sides agreed on. Our QC checklist covers how to inspect a bulk run.
Sizing mistakes worth avoiding
- Giving one number without saying whether it is the finished or the cut size.
- Forgetting to state the fold, so the supplier has to guess the allowance.
- Sizing the label around your largest garment and finding it crowds the neck on the smallest.
- Shrinking a label to fit a small garment and pushing the text below what a weave can hold.
- Placing artwork across a centre fold, so a crease runs permanently through a letter.
- Asking for a size that is not a round number and paying for a special.
- Choosing taffeta for a detailed mark that needed damask, then blaming the size.
Every one of these is settled before anything is woven. A label cannot be trimmed or resized after the fact, it can only be remade, which is why the specification stage carries so much weight on something this small.
Getting woven labels made at Labelwala
We make woven and printed labels in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and we have been doing it for 25 years, so the sizes in this chart are the ones we quote from day to day rather than a generic table.
- Minimum order: 1,000 pieces per design.
- Quotes: usually within 2 hours on a working day.
- Production: 7-10 days once artwork is approved. Rush jobs run 3-5 days.
- Delivery: across India, depending on destination and consignment size.
Send the finished size you want plus the fold, and we will confirm the cut size before anything is made. If you are unsure, send the artwork and the garment it goes into and we will recommend a size. That is usually faster than working it out from a chart.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do I add to the flat size for a fold?
A centre fold needs roughly double the visible height plus a few mm for the seam, so a 20 mm visible panel is about a 45 mm cut. An end fold adds 5-7 mm at each short end. A loop fold doubles the height and takes both ends into the seam. A straight cut adds nothing. Round the final cut size to the nearest 5 mm, because mills work in round steps.
What is the smallest woven label I can order?
It depends on the artwork rather than the label. Below roughly 4 mm of letter height the enclosed gaps inside characters like 8, 6, 0 and R close up, regardless of weave density. High-density damask holds finer detail than taffeta and lets you go smaller for the same design, but if your text needs to sit below that limit the options are a bigger label, a simplified mark, or a printed label instead.
How do I copy the size of a label I already have?
Measure it folded, as it sits in the garment, that is the finished size. Then unpick one, flatten it and measure again for the cut size; the difference is the fold allowance. Note where the stitching runs, since that tells your supplier which fold was used, and measure the letter height in millimetres rather than points.
What size variation is normal between labels?
Labels are cut from woven tape rather than machined, so a fraction of a millimetre either way is normal, along with slight movement in where the fold lands. What should not vary is the visible panel looking inconsistent between labels, or the finished size differing from the sample you approved.
What is the most common woven neck-label size?
25 × 40 mm cut size is a common starting point for a centre-fold T-shirt neck label. It produces two visible 25 × 20 mm panels, enough for a short wordmark and a simple reverse-side detail.
Can I use the same woven label size on every garment?
Usually not. A size that works on a T-shirt collar may feel too small on denim or too large on babywear. Keep one artwork system, but scale the woven label to the garment, placement and detail level.
Should I order by visible size or cut size?
Give both whenever possible: the visible finished size you want, plus the fold. Your supplier can then confirm the correct flat cut size and show it in the sample proof.