How Many Workwear Garments Does Each Employee Need?

When you're ordering workwear for a team, one of the most common questions is surprisingly simple:

How many garments does each employee actually need?

Order too few and employees may struggle to keep their uniform clean and ready for work. Order too many and you could spend unnecessarily.

There isn't one number that works for every organisation. The right allocation depends on how often someone works, what they do, how frequently their clothing needs washing and the type of garments they wear.

However, there are some useful starting points that can make planning your workwear order much easier.

1. Start with the employee's working week

The first thing to consider is how many days each employee normally works.

Someone wearing uniform five days a week will naturally need more garments than someone working two or three shifts.

For frequently worn items such as polo shirts and T-shirts, employees should ideally have enough to rotate their uniform between wearing and washing.

As a starting point, a full-time employee might have:

These aren't fixed rules. Think of them as a starting point that can be adjusted around your team.

2. Allow enough garments for washing

It's easy to calculate uniform quantities based purely on how many days somebody works, but washing and drying also need to be considered.

An employee working Monday to Friday won't necessarily be able to wash their uniform every evening.

That's why everyday garments usually need a greater allocation than outer layers.

For example, providing several polo shirts allows an employee to rotate them throughout the working week without needing to wash the same garment every night.

This is particularly important in roles where clothing can become dirty quickly or needs to be changed frequently.

3. How many polo shirts or T-shirts should you provide?

Polo shirts and T-shirts are often the foundation of a workwear uniform.

They're usually worn directly against the body and therefore tend to need washing more frequently than jackets, fleeces and other outer layers.

For a full-time employee, 3–5 everyday tops can be a useful starting point.

The right number will depend on the working environment.

Someone working in a relatively clean indoor environment may be able to wear garments differently from someone working in construction, maintenance, landscaping or another physically demanding role.

For roles where garments regularly become dirty, providing additional tops could be worthwhile.

4. How many hoodies, sweatshirts or fleeces are needed?

Mid-layers don't normally require the same quantity as everyday tops.

For many employees, 1–2 sweatshirts, hoodies or fleeces may provide enough flexibility.

Having two can be particularly useful because one garment can still be available while the other is being washed.

Think about when the garment will actually be worn, too.

An employee who works predominantly indoors may only occasionally need an additional layer, whereas someone moving regularly between indoor and outdoor environments could rely on it every day.

5. How many work trousers are needed?

Work trousers are another garment where rotation is important.

For employees wearing work trousers every day, 2–3 pairs can be a sensible starting point.

However, the job itself makes a significant difference.

Employees working in construction, maintenance, engineering, landscaping or similar environments may need to wash trousers more frequently than employees working in cleaner settings.

It's also worth considering whether your team needs different options throughout the year, such as work trousers during colder months and suitable work shorts during warmer weather.

6. What about jackets and outerwear?

Outerwear usually doesn't need to be supplied in the same quantities as polo shirts and T-shirts.

In many cases, one suitable jacket per employee will be enough.

However, think carefully about what you're asking that jacket to do.

Someone regularly working outdoors may need more than one type of outer layer.

For example:

Softshell – everyday lightweight protection

Fleece – additional warmth

Waterproof jacket – wet-weather protection

Rather than choosing one garment and expecting it to perform every role, a simple layering system can often provide a much more practical solution.

7. Think about seasonal workwear

A good uniform should work throughout the year.

Your employees' requirements in July could be very different from their requirements in January.

A simple workwear system could include:

Base layer: polo shirt or T-shirt
Mid-layer: sweatshirt, hoodie or fleece
Outer layer: softshell or jacket

Employees can then add or remove layers depending on the weather and their working environment.

For warmer months, you might also consider lighter garments or suitable work shorts for relevant roles.

Planning for the whole year can prevent you from having to make rushed additional orders when the weather changes.

8. Different roles may need different allocations

One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is assuming everyone needs exactly the same uniform.

They might not.

Consider a company with office staff, warehouse employees and engineers working on customer sites.

The office team may need:

3 × Polo shirts
1 × Softshell

While an engineer might need:

5 × Polo shirts
2 × Sweatshirts
1 × Softshell
3 × Work trousers
1 × Waterproof jacket

The branding and colours can remain consistent while the actual garments are adapted to suit each role.

This keeps your company looking coordinated without compromising practicality.

9. Don't forget new starters and replacements

It's worth keeping a small amount of spare workwear available.

Employees join unexpectedly. Garments get damaged. Sizes sometimes change. Items get lost.

If every garment has to be ordered individually whenever something happens, managing your uniform can quickly become frustrating.

Depending on the size of your organisation, you may want to keep a small stock of your most commonly used:

• Polo shirts
• T-shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Hoodies
• Hi-vis garments

Focus on the sizes your team uses most frequently rather than trying to hold every possible size.

For more expensive or less frequently replaced items, such as jackets, ordering when required may make more sense.

10. Create a standard workwear allocation

Once you've found a combination that works, one of the easiest ways to simplify future ordering is to create a standard workwear allocation for each role.

For example:

Standard Team Member

3 × Branded polo shirts
1 × Branded sweatshirt
1 × Branded softshell
2 × Work trousers

Or:

Outdoor Team Member

5 × Branded polo shirts
2 × Branded hoodies
1 × Branded softshell
1 × Waterproof jacket
3 × Work trousers
Required hi-vis/PPE

Then, when somebody new joins the company, you already know what needs to be ordered.

It also makes budgeting much easier because you can calculate an approximate uniform cost per employee.

11. Think about replacement frequency

Your first workwear order is only the beginning.

Garments will eventually need replacing through normal wear and tear.

How frequently that happens depends on the garment, how often it's worn, the employee's role and how it's washed and cared for.

Rather than waiting until uniforms are noticeably worn out, consider reviewing your team's workwear periodically.

Look for:

• Fading
• Damage
• Excessive wear
• Poorly fitting garments
• Damaged branding
• Missing items

Keeping workwear in good condition helps maintain the professional appearance you wanted when you invested in branded uniforms in the first place.

12. Quality can affect how many replacements you need

Price is important when you're ordering for an entire team, but the cheapest garment isn't always the most economical choice.

If a low-cost polo needs replacing much sooner than a slightly more expensive alternative, the initial saving can quickly disappear.

Consider the expected lifespan of the garment alongside:

Comfort
Durability
Washability
Fit
Appearance
Price

This becomes particularly important once you've paid to have your company logo embroidered or printed onto the garment.

So, how much workwear should you order?

There's no perfect allocation for every employee, but you can use a simple principle:

Frequently worn and frequently washed garments need greater quantities. Outer layers generally need fewer.

For a full-time employee, a sensible starting point could therefore be:

3–5 everyday tops
1–2 mid-layers
2–3 pairs of work trousers where required
1 appropriate outer jacket
Any role-specific hi-vis or PPE

Then adjust those quantities around the employee's working pattern and role.

Make workwear ordering simpler

Once you've established the right uniform, creating standard workwear packs can make managing new starters, replacements and future orders considerably easier.

At Monkey Business Workwear, we can help you put together a practical workwear package based on your team, working environment, branding and budget.

Whether you need uniforms for a handful of employees or a larger workforce, we'll help you choose garments that work together and quantities that make sense.

Need help building a workwear package for your team?

Tell us about your team and what they need, and we'll help you find the right combination.