Choose a header card if your socks will hang on a peg, a paper band if they will sit on a shelf or go in a mailer, and a gift box if they are a present. A barcode sticker and, where needed, a hang tag complete the pack.
Socks differ from most garments in one way: there is no neck label. Your brand on the sock is knitted in, and everything else the shopper reads sits on the packaging. That makes sock packaging and labels more important than they are for a T-shirt or a hoodie. This post covers each option and what to send us so the pack comes out as you planned.
Branding on the sock itself
Before the packaging, a quick word on the sock. We brand socks by knitting your logo or pattern into the fabric using jacquard knitting. The design is part of the sock, so it does not peel or crack.
Most brands knit a logo on the cuff or the outer leg. Bold shapes and a limited number of colours knit most clearly. Fine text, such as a web address or care wording, belongs on the packaging, not in the knit.
The packing options compared
| Option | How it looks | Suits | What we need from you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Header card | Printed card folded over the top of the pair, often with a hanging hole | Peg display in shops, single pairs | Card artwork, both faces |
| Paper band | Printed strip wrapped around the middle of the pair | Shelves, drawers, online orders, multi-pair packs | Band artwork |
| Hang tag | Printed tag attached to the pair | Gift shops, fashion ranges | Tag artwork |
| Sticker | Barcode or size sticker on the card, band or bag | Retail and marketplace stock | Barcode data and size wording |
| Gift box | Printed box holding one or more pairs | Gifting, festive and corporate sets | Box artwork and pairs per box |
Header cards
A header card is the classic retail sock pack. The card folds over the top of the socks and is fixed in place, with a hole or hook slot for hanging. The front carries your logo and the product name. The back has room for size range, fibre content, care instructions and a barcode.
Header cards suit shops that display socks on pegs, and single pairs sold at a till.
Paper bands
A paper band wraps around the pair and holds it flat. It uses less material than a card and packs neatly into drawers, boxes and mailers. Bands also work well for multi-pair packs, where one wider band holds three or five pairs together.
Bands suit online sellers and brands with a clean, simple look.
Hang tags and stickers
A hang tag is a separate printed tag attached to the pair. It adds a retail touch and can carry a story, a price space or a barcode. A sticker is the simplest finish: a barcode or size sticker placed on the card, band or bag.
Gift boxes
A gift box holds one or more pairs and is printed with your design. It suits gifting companies building festive or corporate sets, and brands selling socks as a present. Tell us how many pairs go in each box and how they should be arranged.
What to print on the pack
Packaging carries the information that the sock cannot. Plan for these items:
- Brand name and logo.
- Product name or style, such as “Crew sock” or “Sports sock”.
- Size range. Our socks come in UK 4–7 and UK 8–11. If you sell in markets that use other size systems, decide how you want sizes shown.
- Fibre content, based on the yarn blend you choose.
- Care instructions.
- Barcode, if you sell through retailers or marketplaces.
- Any wording your destination country requires. Labelling requirements vary by country and are confirmed at quotation.
If you sell on a marketplace, confirm the current labelling and packing requirements with that marketplace. We label and pack to the specification you give us.
Keeping packaging costs under control
Packaging can be a large share of the cost of each pair, because the sock itself is small. A few habits help:
- Use one card or band design across sizes, and show the size with a sticker rather than printing a separate card for each.
- Match the pack to where it is sold. A gift box on socks that go into a mailer adds cost without adding value.
- Keep artwork final before sampling, so the sample shows the real pack.
Our guide to what changes the price per pair of white label socks explains how packing sits alongside style, yarn and quantity in a quote.
Sending your packaging brief
For each style, send us the packing type, artwork files (vector where possible), the text and barcodes to print, how many pairs per pack, and the destination country. We confirm the pack on the sample before bulk production, so you can see the card, band or box on the actual socks.
The minimum for socks is 300 pieces per style, and sizes can be mixed within it. Start with a style on our white label socks page, and send us your packing brief with your enquiry.