Quarter zips generally have a short front opening that extends partway down the chest, although zipper length varies by style and manufacturer. That's enough to change the neckline and show a shirt underneath, and not much more.
This design has made quarter zips a popular layering option for corporate and uniform programs. A short placket leaves both chest panels flat and unbroken, the collar stands up on its own, and the garment reads as business-appropriate in a way a hood never will. Our blank quarter zip sweatshirts serve companies, schools, teams and decorators buying for programs where the garment has to look like part of a uniform rather than gym clothes. For the full range of sweatshirt cuts, start with the wholesale hoodies and sweatshirts selection in ShirtsBargain.
Find a Quarter Zip Sweatshirt for Work, Teams & Everyday Wear
This style occupies a specific slot: the layer someone can keep on in a meeting.
In some workplaces, a quarter zip may be preferred over a hoodie because it offers a more polished appearance. A crewneck sweatshirt covers the collar of whatever's underneath, which flattens the whole outfit. The quarter zip pullover sweatshirt sits between the two, and that's why it turns up on so many corporate gift lists and golf outing orders.
Comfortable Layers for Changing Weather
Be realistic about what a short zip does. It adjusts the neckline and lets some air in at the throat. It does not vent the chest the way a longer opening does.
For someone moving between a cold office and a warm one, that's plenty. For a crew working outdoors through a temperature swing, it isn't, and a half-zip with a longer opening can provide more ventilation than a quarter zip, although exact zipper length varies by style.
The upside of the short placket is coverage. Closed to the top, a quarter zip's stand collar sits snug at the neck with no gap, which is warmer in wind than a longer zip left partially open.
Versatile Styles for Professional & Casual Outfits
Quarter zips are commonly used in corporate programs, employee apparel, client gifts and team uniforms, and usually for two purposes: an employee layer worn over a company polo or dress shirt, and a gift item for clients and staff.
Golf outings, conferences and sales kickoffs order them heavily because a quarter zip is the item people keep. A branded quarter zip may have greater long-term use as a conference or corporate gift than a basic event t-shirt.
Schools and universities put them on faculty, administrators and coaching staff, where a hooded sweatshirt would look out of place on the sideline of a formal event but a suit would be absurd.
Restaurants and hospitality use them for front-of-house staff in cold dining rooms, and for the same reason healthcare and lab settings do: no hood, no drawcords, nothing hanging.
Clubs and community organizations like them because one style covers a very wide age range. A quarter zip looks appropriate on a 22-year-old and a 65-year-old, which is not true of most apparel.
Compare Plain Quarter Zip Sweatshirts by Fabric, Fit & Feel
The category spans two genuinely different garment families, and buyers regularly order from the wrong one.
Sweatshirt fleece is the traditional version. Cotton/poly, brushed or looped interior, the same fabric family as a crewneck. Casual, warm, comfortable, and it reads as sportswear.
Knit and performance quarter zips are commonly used for corporate and professional apparel because of their smoother, more refined appearance, Smoother face, often all-polyester, thinner, and closer to a sweater than a sweatshirt. This is what most people picture when a company says "we want quarter zips for the team."
Collar construction is the other split. Most quarter zips have a stand collar that holds its shape when zipped. Some use a ribbed crew collar instead - the quarter zip crew sweatshirt, essentially a crewneck with a short zip added, which has become popular for a more casual look that still opens at the neck. A few use a Johnny collar that lies flat when open.
Fit runs closer to the body than a hoodie in most cases, because the garment is designed to go over a collared shirt rather than over another sweatshirt. Check chest and body measurements rather than assuming the size matches your tee order.
Lightweight Options for Layering
Thinner styles work indoors year-round and layer under a jacket without bulk at the shoulders, which is the main complaint about wearing fleece under outerwear.
They also decorate more precisely. A smoother, flatter face holds fine embroidery detail better than a heavily napped fleece, which matters when the logo has small text or thin line work.
For office wear or client gifts, a lighter quarter zip can be a practical choice depending on climate, dress expectations and layering needs. A heavy fleece gets taken off at a desk, and a garment nobody wears is a wasted spend regardless of what it cost.
Heavier Sweatshirts for Cooler Conditions
Heavier fleece earns its place outdoors: coaches on a field in November, staff working a winter event, anyone standing still in the cold for hours.
The tradeoff is bulk at the neck. A thick fleece with a short zip has a substantial collar, and it's warmer but harder to pull over the head. Worth knowing before you order extended sizes, since the neck opening is the sizing constraint people don't anticipate on this style.
If sustained cold is the actual requirement, our heavyweight sweatshirts go further than most quarter zips will.
JERZEES & Port Authority Quarter Zips for Custom Apparel
JERZEES Quarter Zips for Everyday Group Apparel
JERZEES is a value-focused blank apparel line with long standing in the decorated apparel trade, which makes it the practical starting point when the quantity is high and the budget is set before the style is chosen.
Schools, churches, youth programs and community organizations buy here because the math works across 200 people. A widely stocked, long-running blank is also one you can reorder next season without rebuilding the artwork around a discontinued style.
Browse the JERZEES range when cost per unit across a large group is the deciding factor.
Port Authority Layers for Professional Branding
Port Authority is built around corporate and hospitality apparel, and this is the category where that focus shows most clearly.
For a company program, the quarter zip usually has to coordinate with polos and dress shirts already in the uniform. A corporate line makes that easier, since the color palettes are designed to work together and the styling doesn't fight the rest of the wardrobe.
Check out ShirtsBargain’s Port Authority selection when the layer is part of a uniform rather than a standalone item.
Turn Blank Quarter Zips into Custom Team & Company Apparel
This is the most decoration-friendly garment in the zip family. The placket is short enough that both chest panels stay flat, and there's no hood, no pouch pocket and no full-length zipper crossing the body.
Add Company Logos, Team Names & Event Artwork
Embroidery is a common decoration choice for quarter zips, especially for professional and corporate apparel. A stitched logo suits the garment's register - a screen print on a corporate quarter zip tends to undercut the reason the garment was chosen.
Left-chest placement is commonly used for logos, with the appropriate size depending on the logo proportions, garment and embroidery setup. Keep it clear of the placket seam, since embroidery running into the zipper tape won't lie flat.
Right chest is the useful secondary spot, and it's where personalization goes. Individual names on the right chest are common on golf outing gifts, coaching staff apparel and executive programs, and they're one of the few decorations that genuinely increases what a recipient thinks the item is worth.
Sleeve placements handle sponsors, years and secondary marks. A small design across the upper back below the collar seam works when the chest is already committed.
Screen printing is possible on the back and on either chest panel, though not across the center. Artwork that crosses the placket won't print evenly, because the zipper's raised teeth prevent consistent squeegee pressure.
If a large front graphic is the point of the design, this is the wrong garment. A crewneck sweatshirt gives you an unbroken front panel and costs less per unit, which is why print-forward group orders usually end up there.
Create Coordinated Looks Across Your Organization
Coordination is mostly about thread and shirt color, not the sweatshirt color.
Match the embroidery thread to your logo's actual brand colors before the order runs. Thread doesn't hit every Pantone exactly, and getting the closest available match approved up front avoids a batch of garments nobody wants to hand out.
Tone-on-tone embroidery - thread close to the garment color - reads as more premium and is worth considering for executive or gift programs where a loud logo would cheapen the item.
If the quarter zip goes over a company polo, check them together in person. Two navies from different product lines are rarely the same navy, and the mismatch is obvious when the collar shows.
Stick to core colors for anything you'll reorder. Core colors such as navy, black and heather grey are often easier to reorder, but availability should be confirmed for the specific style; a seasonal shade may not be there when you need twelve more in March.
Order Quarter Zip Sweatshirts in Bulk for Your Next Program
Bulk quarter zip sweatshirts are usually a recurring purchase rather than a one-time one, which changes what matters. You're not just buying this year's order - you're choosing what next year's new hires will wear.
Plan Sizes, Colors & Quantities Before You Buy
Get a sample garment in front of people before collecting sizes. This style fits closer than a hoodie. So collect sizes specifically for the quarter zip rather than relying on previous t-shirt sizes, since fit can vary by garment.
Ask about the neck opening specifically for anyone ordering 3XL and up. It's a pullover, and the short placket is the limiting factor on getting it over the head.
Count beyond your headcount. Consider ordering a reasonable number of extra garments based on anticipated new hires, replacements and additional recipients because they count employees and forget the people who ask afterward: new starters, board members, the spouse at the golf outing, the client who asks where to get one.
Personalized garments need names collected and confirmed before the order goes in, not after. A single misspelling on a named garment is a full replacement, not a correction.
Keep Reorders Simple as Your Team Grows
Reorder by style number, not by description. "The navy quarter zip we got last year" is how programs end up with two garments that don't match.
Keep a record of the style, color, thread colors and logo file used, and the size breakdown. Keeping style, color, thread and size information on file can make future reorders faster and more consistent and it's the difference between a program that runs for years and one that gets rebuilt annually.
For groups that split between office staff and outdoor crews, running two garments is more practical than compromising. Quarter zips for the people who need to look presentable, full zip hoodies for the people who take a layer on and off all day.
Shop Blank Quarter Zip Sweatshirts at ShirtsBargain
Choose a Quarter Zip That Fits Your Apparel Needs
Decide the family first: sweatshirt fleece or corporate knit. That single choice narrows the grid faster than anything else, and it's the one buyers most often skip.
Then work through weight for your climate, collar style for the look you want, and size range for your actual group. Confirm your color runs across the full size range before you commit - extended sizes are frequently offered in fewer colors, and finding that out late reopens a decision everyone thought was settled.
Get Custom-Ready Sweatshirts for Your Next Order
Compare the blanks side by side before choosing, and consider the decoration at the same time rather than afterward. The fabric face determines how well a detailed logo stitches, so the garment and the artwork should be decided together.
For other pullover cuts in the same weight ranges, our blank pullovers selection covers the rest of the category.