The Custom Iron On Patches workshop sits at 10 Newhall Street in central Birmingham. The facility manufactures every patch sold by the company, embroidered, woven, PVC, printed and chenille, using a team of more than 60 staff and a full set of in-house production equipment. No part of production is outsourced overseas.

This page documents the manufacturing process from artwork submission to dispatch.

Inside the Workshop

The Birmingham workshop houses five production zones, each dedicated to a specific patch type:

Embroidery floor – commercial multi-head embroidery machines run flat, 3D puff and appliqué embroidered patches
Weaving zone – narrow-loom weaving equipment produces detailed woven patches with high thread counts
PVC moulding station – silicone mould production for 2D and 3D PVC patches
Print finishing area – dye-sublimation and digital printers produce printed and photo-realistic patches
Chenille production line – specialist chain-stitch machines produce traditional letterman-style chenille patches

A dedicated digitising studio sits alongside production. The studio converts customer artwork into stitch files, weave files, mould files and print files depending on the patch type ordered.

A quality control bay inspects every batch before it reaches the dispatch area, where orders are packed and handed to the courier.

How We Make a Custom Patch – The Six-Stage Process

Every patch produced at Custom Iron On Patches passes through six stages.

Stage 1 – Artwork Submission

The customer submits artwork via email or the website quote form. Accepted formats include vector files (.ai, .eps, .pdf) and high-resolution raster files (.png, .jpg). The in-house design team handles file conversion and clean-up free of charge.

The design team also creates artwork from scratch when the customer supplies a sketch, a description or a reference image. This service is included in the order price.

Stage 2 – Digitising

Digitising converts artwork into a machine-readable production file. The file format depends on the patch type:

Embroidered patches – converted into a stitch file (.dst or .emb format) that controls every needle movement
Woven patches – converted into a weave file that maps thread colours and pixel density
PVC patches – converted into a 3D mould file
Printed patches – colour-corrected and prepared for sublimation or digital print

Digitising is performed in-house at the Birmingham studio. Every file is reviewed for stitch density, thread count, registration and colour accuracy before it reaches the production floor.

Stage 3 – Proofing

A digital proof is sent to the customer within 24 hours of artwork submission. The proof shows the patch at scale, with the chosen backing, border, thread colours and dimensions clearly marked. Production does not begin until the customer approves the proof in writing.

The 24-hour proof turnaround is a fixed standard at the Birmingham workshop. Most overseas suppliers take three to seven days to return a proof.

Stage 4 – Production

Approved proofs move to the relevant production zone:

Embroidered patches are stitched on multi-head embroidery machines onto twill, felt or polyester base fabric. Stitch counts typically range from 1,500 to 25,000 stitches depending on patch size and detail.
Woven patches are produced on narrow looms using fine polyester thread. Weaving achieves higher detail than embroidery for small patches and intricate logos.
PVC patches are moulded in silicone using liquid PVC, then cured, trimmed and finished by hand.
Printed patches are produced via dye-sublimation onto a polyester base, then sealed and finished.
Chenille patches are chain-stitched onto a felt backing using a chenille machine.

Each patch then receives the requested border finish, merrow border, laser-cut edge, hot-cut edge or hand-cut edge and the requested backing: iron-on, sew-on, hook-and-loop (velcro), adhesive or plain.

Stage 5 – Quality Control

Every batch is inspected at the QC bay before packing. Inspectors check thread tension, colour accuracy against the approved proof, border consistency, backing adhesion and dimensional accuracy. Any patch that fails QC is reworked or replaced before the batch ships.

Custom Iron On Patches operates a zero-defect dispatch policy. No patch leaves the workshop until it matches the approved proof.

Stage 6 – Dispatch

Approved batches are packed and dispatched via tracked UK courier the same day. Standard UK delivery uses Royal Mail Tracked 24 or DPD Next Day depending on order weight. International orders ship via tracked airmail with full customs documentation.

The customer receives a tracking number by email on the day of dispatch.

Our Equipment

The Birmingham workshop operates a full set of commercial production equipment:

Equipment	Purpose	Output
Multi-head embroidery machines	Embroidered patches	High-volume stitched output
Narrow-loom weaving machines	Woven patches	Fine-detail thread weaving
Silicone moulding equipment	PVC patches	2D and 3D rubber patches
Dye-sublimation printers	Printed patches	Photo-realistic colour reproduction
Chenille chain-stitch machines	Chenille patches	Traditional varsity / letterman style
Laser cutting system	Border finishing	Clean sealed edges on synthetic fabrics
Heat-seal backing presses	Iron-on and adhesive backings	Permanent backing application

A dedicated maintenance team services the equipment to prevent production downtime.

Our Team

More than 60 staff work at the Birmingham workshop. The team is divided across five functions:

Design and digitising – graphic designers and digitisers prepare artwork and production files
Production – machine operators and finishers run the embroidery, weaving, moulding, printing and chenille lines
Quality control – inspectors check every batch before dispatch
Customer support – UK-based account managers handle orders, queries and B2B accounts
Dispatch and logistics – packers and shippers handle UK and international orders

The full team works from the same Birmingham facility. No customer query is routed to an offshore call centre.

Why UK Manufacturing Matters

Patches imported from overseas suppliers carry three measurable disadvantages compared to UK-made patches:

Factor	UK manufacturing (Custom Iron On Patches)	Overseas import
Proof turnaround	24 hours	3-7 days
Production lead time	5-10 working days	2-4 weeks
Shipping time	1-2 days (UK courier)	7-21 days (international freight)
Customer support	UK-based, direct line	Email-only or offshore
Quality control	On-site, every batch	Remote, sampled
Customs / VAT handling	None, domestic order	No VAT

UK manufacturing also removes the risk of design files being copied or resold by third-party suppliers, a known issue with overseas patch production.

Visit the Workshop

Custom Iron On Patches welcomes site visits from B2B customers, public sector buyers and procurement teams. Visits are arranged by appointment. Contact the team to schedule a visit:

Address: 10 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 3AG
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07746 501247

For a free quote or to start an order, visit the contact page or read the ordering process.