Guide to Custom Construction Workwear: Best Hats and Apparel

Upgrade your crew with custom construction workwear from CPH. We’ll walk you through some of our favorites, like custom Carhartt jackets and Richardson hats that are built to last.

Written By: Amy
July 22, 2026

Outfitting a construction crew requires a lot more than just slapping a logo on a generic t-shirt. From blistering summer heat to brutal winter freezes, your team needs a complete, custom uniform built for the elements.

At CPH, we make outfitting your crew painless. You’ll work one-on-one with a dedicated designer to customize premium, jobsite-tested gear—from rugged Carhartt jackets and Richardson truckers to high-visibility beanies. Once you approve your free design mockup, our team handles the heavy lifting. No cut corners, just durable apparel built for hard-working teams.

Because jobsites are brutal on clothing, here is our guide to the best styles and brands to keep your crew protected and your brand looking sharp.

Richardson 112PFP Duck Camo Trucker Hat with stamped leather patch

Headwear: From Summer Heat to Winter Freezes

Go ahead and look in your closet right now—we’ll wait. If you own a trucker hat, it’s most likely a Richardson 112.

The R112 Trucker is our number one seller for a reason. While it’s a staple across dozens of industries, it’s particularly elite for construction crews because it’s tough, holds its shape, and features a classic mesh back for maximum ventilation on hot days. Plus, it comes in a massive variety of colors to seamlessly match your company branding.

While everyone knows the standard 112, we offer a few variations engineered for the jobsite that you should consider adding to your mix. In fact, you can mix and match styles with a 12-hat minimum per color!

• Richardson 112PFP: By eliminating the traditional center seam, the five-panel front provides a completely seamless, flat canvas for your logo to pop. It’s perfect for patches and direct embroidery and looks incredible in camo patterns like popular duck camo (in blaze orange for extra visibility!), Realtree, Mossy Oak Bottomland, and more.

• Richardson 168: This is Richardson’s modern twist on the classic trucker silhouette. The 168 keeps the mesh back but swaps the traditional 6-panel look for a unique 7-panel flat bill front. The seamless front panel creates a perfectly smooth canvas designed for direct embroidery and custom patches, and its companion R168P comes in camo patterns.

Richardson 112WF w/ stamped leather patch, Richardson 168 w/ woven patch, Richardson 112P w/ embroidered patch

Beating the Elements: Performance Tech

If your crew spends grueling, 10-hour days in the direct, blazing sun—we’re looking at you, roofers and framers—you need to consider fabric composition. The classic R112 front panels are 60% cotton. Because cotton is a natural fiber, it will eventually fade under intense UV rays.

If your environment is extra harsh, swap the cotton for synthetic performance materials that won’t lose color as easily as cotton. For example, we have performance hat favorites from brands like Richardson and Zapped Headwear, but we are particularly partial to 1010 Hats’ offerings.

• 1010 Performance Hats: These are lightweight, waterproof, and made from dry-fit polyester that won’t fade as quickly as cotton materials. They feature laser-perforated mesh backing, giving you the classic ventilation of a trucker hat with industrial-grade durability

• Performance Work Shirts: Engineered with built-in UV protection and advanced moisture-wicking technology to complement performance hats. Our top recommendations are the Sport-Tek and Carhartt performance shirts. If your jobsite requires high visibility, the Carhartt shirt in Brite Lime is the ultimate choice—featuring Carhartt Force® and FastDry® technologies to actively fight sweat, stop odors, and keep your crew cool. Plus, the subtle, dyed-to-match Carhartt logo on the left sleeve adds a sharp, professional finish.

1010 Hats R615 5-Panel w/ woven patch, 1010 Hats 616 w/ laser etched leather patch, Zapped Apache w/ PVC patch

Winter Staples & High-Vis Safety

When the temperature dips and the wind picks up, your crew’s headwear needs to pivot from ventilation to heat retention and compliance.

• Sportsman SP12 Beanie: This is our absolute favorite budget-friendly winter staple. It feels soft, but it’s incredibly durable and stands up to daily abuse. It comes in over 30 colors, including neon safety orange and yellow for high-visibility jobsites.

Carhartt Watch Cap Beanie w/ embroidered patch

Sportsman SP12 Beanie w/ woven patch

Cornerstone CS800 Beanie w/ PVC patch

The 360-Degree Shield: Custom Straw Hats

When the heat index spikes and the shade is non-existent, sometimes a standard baseball cap just isn’t enough to protect your crew.

Adding wide-brimmed straw hats to your uniform mix provides full 360-degree sun protection for your team’s face, ears, and neck. Not only does this keep them significantly cooler, but it drastically reduces heat fatigue and sun exposure. Keeping your team comfortable during a heatwave is a game-changer for jobsite productivity, and your crew will appreciate a company that actively protects them from the elements.

• Our Top Pick: Lost Hat Co. Natty Wake. The ultimate in sun protection! Customize this rugged straw hat with your brand’s custom patch, an upgraded accent rope (13 color options for just $0.50 more), and premium under-the-bill fabric designs—including a wrap-around American Flag, classic duck camo, or Mossy Oak Bottomland.

Custom Lost Hat Co. Natty Wake lifeguard straw hat with American flag underbill and embroidered patch

Outerwear & Apparel: Brands Built for the Grind

Ready to build a complete uniform bundle for your crew? Custom jackets, hoodies, and work shirts look incredible when paired with our patches and perfectly complement your team hats. When you want custom construction clothing that outlasts the season and shows your team you don’t compromise on quality, there is one undisputed king: Carhartt.

Carhartt: The Gold Standard of Custom Workwear

Carhartt absolutely owns the jobsite. Specifically, if you want the ultimate layer of protection for your team, look no further than the legendary Carhartt Duck Detroit Jacket. It has earned a massive reputation for being the toughest canvas jacket on the market. With its classic corduroy collar and ultra-heavyweight fabric, it lasts and looks amazing. We’re partial to the Carhartt Brown or Black Detroit jacket, paired with a custom-stamped leather patch or a classic embroidered patch.

Bundle your Carhartt jackets, beanies, and trucker hats together into a perfect uniform set and to take advantage of our bulk discounts.

Beyond the Detroit jacket, we have your team covered with an entire lineup of high-performance Carhartt gear like some of our favorites:

• Carhartt Crowley Soft Shell Jacket: A lightweight, wind-fighting, and water-repellent jacket that offers elite mobility without the bulk.

• Carhartt Paxton Heavyweight Hoodie: The ultimate upgrade for your crew’s everyday hoodie. It features Carhartt’s famous Rain Defender® technology—a durable, water-repellent finish that forces rain to bead up and roll right off, keeping your team warm and dry.

Carhartt Crowley Soft Shell Jackets w/ direct embroidery

Carhartt Rain Defender Paxton Sweatshirt w/ TPU applique

Carhartt Performance Long Sleeve Tshirt w/ custom label

Polished & Professional: Columbia PFG & Red Kap

Depending on the role, your team might need to balance jobsite durability with a clean, client-facing look.

• Columbia PFG Shirts: These aren’t just for weekend fishing trips. Columbia performance shirts are a secret weapon for outdoor crews. Packed with Omni-Shade™ UPF sun protection and Omni-Wick™ quick-drying technology, they effortlessly combine function and fashion. They are the perfect, polished choice for project managers, estimators, and owners who need to look professional in a client meeting but aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

• Red Kap Work Shirts: The industrial standard for a reason. You’ve definitely seen these collared mechanic and trade shirts with patches before, and now it’s time to put your logo on them. Available in short- and long-sleeved options, these shirts feature Touchtex™ technology to breathe easily on hot days. Even better? They resist stains, wrinkles, and color fading.

• Burnside Flannels: If you want your crew to look sharp both on the clock and at the local watering hole after a shift, flannels are the ultimate choice. They are unbelievably soft, easy to care for, and come in a great variety of plaid colors that pair perfectly with a premium leather or woven patch without sacrificing durability.

Columbia PFG Fishing Shirt w/ Silicone Applique

Burnside Flannel w/ embroidered patch

Red Kap workshirt w/ leather patch

The Budget-Friendly Heavyweight: Cornerstone

What if you love the rugged, canvas aesthetic of Carhartt but need something more budget-friendly? We’d like to introduce you to the Cornerstone brand.

• Cornerstone Workwear: Cornerstone is the ultimate high-value alternative. Their Duck Cloth Jacket is a jobsite-tested dupe to the classic Carhartt jacket. They also make a killer Soft Shell Shirt Jacket that perfectly bridges the gap between style and utility. It’s a snap-front collared shirt that’s great for layering, completely water-resistant, and highly breathable. With triple-needle stitching and reinforced pockets, it’s engineered to last.

Cornerstone Soft Shell Shirt Jacket w/ custom embroidered patch

When you pair a Cornerstone jacket with a custom fabric patch hand-stitched by our team right here in Raleigh, you get a premium, incredibly durable uniform combination that looks like a million bucks without breaking the bank.

Don’t Take Our Word For It: See Why Elite Builders Choose CPH

We can talk all day about “jobsite-ready” durability and premium style, but in the construction industry, real proof matters. If you are investing in uniforms for your team, you need to know they’ll look sharp in front of high-value clients and hold up in the field.

Don’t just take our word for it. Brian Perry, Owner and Founder of a Constructive Design Group, chose Custom Patch Hats to outfit his entire crew. Check out the video below to see what they ordered, why they trust us with their brand, and how premium gear makes a difference on and off the job:

Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting

From choosing the perfect Richardson trucker to outfitting your crew in jobsite-tested Carhartt outerwear and indestructible PVC patches, getting the right team uniforms is the ultimate way to protect your crew and build serious brand recognition. You work hard, and your team should have the gear to match.

It also shouldn’t be a difficult process. Let the experts here at CPH do all the heavy lifting, designing the premium gear that best suits your crew.