A custom rugby jersey is a knitted polyester shirt built to survive being grabbed. That single sentence explains most of what separates a rugby order from a soccer order: the fabric is heavier, the body is cut closer so there is less cloth to hold, and the seams at the shoulder and side are the parts that decide whether the shirt lasts a season or a term. This guide covers what to specify, what our published size blocks actually tell you about rugby fit, what drives the price, and what the import duty looks like on the headings we have verified. It is written from our own published data, and where we do not have data we say so rather than filling the gap with a plausible number.
The three specification lines that matter most
Most rugby enquiries arrive describing a colour scheme. Colour is the easy part. The lines that decide whether you reorder in three years or three months are these: fabric weight, seam construction, and collar type. All three are decisions you make, not defaults you inherit, and all three should appear on the purchase order in writing before a sample is cut.
Fabric weight in GSM, not adjectives
Ask two suppliers for a “heavy rugby fabric” and you will get two different cloths. Ask for a target GSM and you get a comparable quotation. Rugby buyers generally want a denser knit than a soccer jersey because a loose, light jersey stretches out where it is pulled. If you already own a shirt you like, send it to us — a physical reference removes more ambiguity than three paragraphs of description.
Seam construction at the shoulder and side
The shoulder and armhole take the load in a tackle, and the side seam takes it in a maul. Whether those seams are single-needle, twin-needle, overlocked plus coverstitched, or reinforced with tape is a specification you should name. It changes cost slightly and durability substantially, which makes it the best value line item on the whole order.
Collar and placket
A traditional rib collar with a short button placket, a self-fabric collar, or a closed bound neck are three different garments to a pattern cutter. The placket decision also has a customs dimension that most buyers never consider, which we come back to below — it is not just a styling choice.
What our published size blocks actually tell a rugby buyer
We have not published a rugby-specific graded block, and we are not going to relabel one. But our published adult blocks contain three findings that are directly useful when you write a rugby fit brief, because they show how much silhouette varies between garments that all look like “a polyester top” on a website.
Finding one: adding long sleeves changes nothing in the body
Our adult soccer short-sleeve and long-sleeve blocks share an identical body from XS to 3XL — the same lengths, the same chest, the same waist, size for size. The long-sleeve block simply adds a sleeve. If you assumed a long-sleeve rugby shirt would come with a little more room through the body, it will not.
| Size | SS jersey length (cm) | LS jersey length (cm) | SS chest (cm) | LS chest (cm) | SS waist (cm) | LS waist (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 68 | 68 | 102 | 102 | 98 | 98 |
| S | 70 | 70 | 106 | 106 | 102 | 102 |
| M | 72 | 72 | 110 | 110 | 106 | 106 |
| L | 74 | 74 | 114 | 114 | 110 | 110 |
| XL | 76 | 76 | 118 | 118 | 114 | 114 |
| 2XL | 78 | 78 | 122 | 122 | 118 | 118 |
| 3XL | 80 | 80 | 126 | 126 | 122 | 122 |
Finding two: the sleeve barely grows while the chest grows a lot
On the long-sleeve block, chest grades 4 cm per size but sleeve length grades only 1 cm per size. From XS to 3XL the wearer gains 24 cm of chest and 6 cm of sleeve. That ratio is normal garment engineering — arm length correlates with height, not girth — but it has a practical consequence for rugby: a heavily built forward who sizes up for chest will find the sleeves get long-ish relative to his arms rather than short. If your squad has several players who size up for build rather than height, ask for the sleeve to be checked separately on the graded spec.
| Size | Chest, around (cm) | Chest step | Sleeve length (cm) | Sleeve step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 102 | — | 58.5 | — |
| S | 106 | +4 | 59.5 | +1 |
| M | 110 | +4 | 60.5 | +1 |
| L | 114 | +4 | 61.5 | +1 |
| XL | 118 | +4 | 62.5 | +1 |
| 2XL | 122 | +4 | 63.5 | +1 |
| 3XL | 126 | +4 | 64.5 | +1 |
Finding three: three of our tops have three completely different silhouettes
At the same wearer height, our soccer jersey tapers, our training top flares, and our half-zip top is tighter than either. The soccer jersey runs 4 cm narrower at the waist than at the chest. The training top runs 2 cm wider at the waist than the chest and another 2 cm wider again at the hem. The half-zip is 8 cm narrower at the waist than the chest, the most shaped garment we publish. For a rugby shirt — where you generally want a close body with no loose cloth to grab — the soccer or half-zip silhouette is the sensible starting reference, and the training-top silhouette is the one to avoid.
| Garment | Wearer height (cm) | Chest, around (cm) | Waist, around (cm) | Hem, around (cm) | Chest to waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soccer jersey XS | 170–175 | 102 | 98 | — | −4 cm (tapers) |
| Half-zip top S | 170–175 | 98 | 90 | 98 | −8 cm (strongly shaped) |
| Training top S | 175/92A fit code | 104 | 106 | 108 | +2 cm (flares) |
That last point deserves emphasis, because it is the mistake buyers actually make. The half-zip labelled S and the soccer jersey labelled XS are graded for the same 170–175 cm wearer, and the S is the narrower of the two. Labels are not portable between blocks. Order to measurements.
Decoration: what sublimation does and does not solve
Full dye-sublimation prints the artwork into the fabric before the panels are cut, so hoops, sponsor blocks, gradients and per-player names are all part of the cloth. The practical consequences for rugby are worth stating plainly: there is no printed layer on the surface to crack or peel where the shirt is repeatedly grabbed, unlimited colours cost the same as two colours, and individual player names do not add a separate decoration operation the way hand-applied lettering does.
What sublimation does not solve is construction. A sublimated shirt with an under-specified shoulder seam is still a shirt with an under-specified shoulder seam. Decoration and durability are separate budgets, and in a contact code the second one is the one to protect.
What a rugby order costs
We publish verified indicative unit prices for three of our sports, and they are useful as anchors even though rugby is quoted per specification. The pattern behind them is not quantity — it is construction and decoration labour.
| Category | Indicative unit price (USD) | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Custom soccer jersey | ≈ 15 | Simple knit body, sublimated decoration, no placket |
| Custom basketball uniform | ≈ 18 | Two pieces, and reversible construction where specified |
| Custom baseball jersey | ≈ 22 | Full front placket plus hand-applied tackle twill |
| Custom rugby jersey | Quoted per specification | Fabric weight, seam reinforcement, collar and placket type |
The direction of travel is clear from that table. Our baseball jersey costs roughly 47% more than our soccer jersey, and the reason is a placket plus hand-applied decoration — not fabric, and not quantity. A rugby shirt with a rib collar, a button placket and reinforced seams shares two of those three cost drivers. If your budget is fixed, changing the construction moves the number further than adding another twenty pieces does.
Import duty on the headings we have verified
Duty is charged on the customs value, and on a container of team kit it is not a rounding error. These are the rates we have verified for a knitted jersey. Rugby shorts and other pieces sit under different headings, which are listed on our shipping reference.
| Destination | Heading | Rate we have verified | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 6114.30.30 | 14.9% | Plus 7.5% Section 301 where it applies to Chinese origin |
| United Kingdom | 6114.30 | 12% | — |
| European Union | 6114.30.00 | 12% | — |
| Canada | 6114.30.00 | 18% | Highest of the five |
| Australia | 6114.30.00 | 5% | Lowest of the five |
On 100 shirts at a customs value of USD 20 each, the difference between the Australian rate and the Canadian rate is USD 100 against USD 360 — the same shirts, the same factory, a USD 260 gap created entirely by destination. That is why a quotation is only comparable once you know whether it is FOB or DDP.
The placket question, flagged honestly
Here is something worth raising with your broker rather than with us. Our own verified table shows a knitted jersey at 6114.30.30 attracting 14.9% into the United States, while a knitted shirt with a placket — the polo line, 6105.20.20 — attracts 32%. A traditional rugby shirt has a button placket. We are flagging a question, not answering one: whether your specific shirt is classified as a jersey or as a knitted shirt is a determination for your customs broker, and if the volume justifies it, a binding ruling is the way to settle it before you ship rather than after. We will describe the garment accurately on the documents. Changing the paperwork to suit a rate is fraud; changing the garment specification is procurement.
Lead time and the calendar problem
Bulk production runs 15–20 days after you approve the pre-production sample, and samples themselves take around a week. Add mockup rounds at the front and freight at the back, and a first-time order realistically occupies six to ten weeks door to door depending on whether you ship by air or sea.
The calendar trap is Chinese New Year. Northern-hemisphere rugby seasons that start in late summer put production in spring and are fine. Southern-hemisphere and university seasons that start in the new year put production squarely into the factory shutdown window. If your kit has to be on the pitch in February or March, place the order before Christmas, not after.
A checklist to attach to your enquiry
- Target fabric weight in GSM, or a physical reference shirt sent to us
- Seam specification at shoulder, armhole and side seam
- Collar type and whether there is a button placket
- Body fit: close, standard, or matched to a reference garment
- Quantity per design, remembering the 10-piece per-design minimum
- Size breakdown by measured chest and height, not by last season’s labels
- Player names and numbers as a spreadsheet, not in the body of an email
- Destination country and whether you want FOB or DDP pricing
- The date the kit has to be in your hands, not the date you want it shipped
Frequently asked questions
Do you publish a rugby size chart?
No. Our published adult blocks cover soccer, basketball, baseball, training tops, half-zip tops, T-shirts, track pants and three jacket styles. Rather than relabel one of those as a rugby chart, we ask you to confirm the graded spec for your style in writing before bulk production.
What is the minimum order for custom rugby jerseys?
Ten pieces per design. A club can therefore run a home design and an alternate design in the same production slot without meeting a large single-design minimum.
Is a long-sleeve rugby shirt roomier than a short-sleeve one?
Not in our published blocks. The adult soccer short-sleeve and long-sleeve blocks have identical body length, chest and waist at every size from XS to 3XL. The long sleeve adds a sleeve and nothing else.
How much does a custom rugby jersey cost?
It is quoted per specification, because fabric weight, seam reinforcement and collar construction move the number more than quantity does. For scale, we publish indicative figures of about USD 15 for a soccer jersey and about USD 22 for a baseball jersey, and the gap between those two is almost entirely placket and hand-applied decoration.
What import duty will I pay on rugby shirts from China?
On the knitted jersey heading we have verified, 14.9% into the United States plus 7.5% Section 301 where applicable, 12% into the United Kingdom and the European Union, 18% into Canada and 5% into Australia. Classification of your specific garment is your broker’s determination.
Could a button placket change the duty rate?
It is a legitimate question to put to a broker. Our verified tables show a knitted jersey at 14.9% into the US and a knitted shirt with a placket at 32%. We are not in a position to classify your garment, and if the volume is significant a binding ruling is the correct way to resolve it in advance.
Can you match our exact club colours?
Yes. Dye-sublimation supports unlimited colours and Pantone matching, and colour count does not change the price. Send Pantone references rather than a screenshot where you can.
How long will the whole process take?
Roughly a week for a sample and 15–20 days for bulk after sample approval, plus mockup rounds and freight. Budget six to ten weeks door to door for a first order, and start earlier if production would fall near Chinese New Year.
Where to go next
- Custom rugby uniforms — the product page, minimum order and how to start
- Sportswear size chart — every published block in centimetres and inches
- Soccer jersey size chart — the block the tables above are drawn from
- Custom team uniform cost guide — what actually moves unit price
- Shipping cost and import duty reference — verified HS headings and rates
- Sublimation versus screen printing versus heat transfer — why decoration method drives durability
- How to verify a Chinese sportswear factory — before you send a deposit
Figures in this guide are taken from measurement and duty tables published on this site and were last reviewed on 12 August 2026. Duty rates change; classification is determined by your customs broker or importing authority.