Scrub Caps for Hospitals: Styles, Colours and Name Embroidery
Custom Uniforms team · · 4 min read
Scrub caps for hospitals come in two main closures, ties at the back or an elastic edge, and are usually made in the same colour as the team’s scrubs or in a colour that marks a department. Many theatre and procedure teams also add the wearer’s name or role to the cap, so colleagues can tell who is who when masks cover most of the face. Choosing a cap comes down to hair length, how long it is worn and what your hospital’s own theatre rules require.
Who wears scrub caps
Caps are most common in operation theatres, procedure rooms, labour rooms, ICUs and cath labs, but they are also worn in:
- Dental surgeries during procedures.
- Laboratories and sample-handling areas.
- Sterilisation and CSSD departments.
- Nursing and paramedical colleges, where a cap is often part of each student’s uniform package.
Your hospital’s infection-control team or theatre in-charge decides where caps are required and what kind is acceptable. Check those rules first, since they may limit fabric, style or whether reusable caps are allowed in certain areas.
Cap styles
Tie-back caps
A tie-back cap fits close to the head and is fastened with ties at the back. Wearers can adjust the fit themselves, which suits short and medium hair and a mix of head sizes. Tie-back caps are a common choice for surgeons and anaesthetists.
Elastic caps
An elastic edge holds the cap in place without tying. These are quick to put on between cases and are often fuller in the crown, which helps staff with longer hair or hair tied up. Some staff find elastic tight over a long shift, so try a sample before ordering for the whole team.
Choosing between them
| Consideration | Tie-back | Elastic |
|---|---|---|
| Adjustable fit | Yes, by the wearer | Fixed by the elastic |
| Long or tied-up hair | Can be tight | Usually easier |
| Speed between cases | Slower | Quick |
| One size for many heads | Works well | Depends on the elastic |
Many hospitals order both: tie-back caps for theatre staff who prefer them and elastic caps for nursing staff with longer hair. We make scrub caps in your scrub colours with ties or elastic, so both can come from the same order.
Colour coding with caps
Caps are a simple way to show role or department in areas where everyone wears the same theatre green. Some approaches:
- Match the scrubs. Each department’s caps are the same colour as its scrub suits, so the whole outfit reads as one.
- Colour by role. In theatre, surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and technicians each wear a different cap colour while everyone wears the same scrubs.
- Students in a separate colour. Nursing and medical students on rotation are easy to identify.
If you colour-code, keep the system small, write it down and put a chart up in the changing room. A scheme with too many colours gets forgotten within a few months. Our guide to scrub colours by department covers how to plan a colour system across the hospital.
Name and role embroidery on caps
When masks are on, names on caps help in theatre communication and handovers. Common layouts:
- Name on the front band, short and centred, readable across the table.
- Role on the front, such as “Anaesthetist” or “Scrub Nurse”, if staff rotate or names are long.
- Hospital logo on the side, with the name on the front.
Keep the text short. A cap has much less space than a chest panel, so a first name or a short role reads better than a full name and designation. Send the names list with one row per cap, and check the spelling before stitching. Our name embroidery guide explains how to prepare the list.
We digitise the logo once, stitch a sample and send you a photo before the full quantity. If your team already has plain caps, our embroidery service accepts garments you bring, including caps, in small quantities.
Fabric and care
Reusable caps go through the same laundry as scrubs, so choose a fabric that holds its colour and shape. Poly-cotton is a common choice. Cotton is cool but may shrink or fade faster. Match the cap fabric to the scrubs if you want the colour to stay consistent after washing.
Plan enough caps per person for your laundry cycle. Caps are small and go missing more easily than scrub sets, so order a few spares in each colour. See how to wash scrubs for laundry habits that keep colours even.
Ordering scrub caps
Caps are usually ordered with scrub suits, OT gowns or a nursing college package, which keeps colours matched and lets you meet the minimum order across the whole uniform. Our minimum order is 30 sets with mixed sizes allowed. One paid sample set is made first, with its cost credited against your bulk order, and production takes 15 to 20 working days after sample approval.
When you send your requirement, include:
- Number of caps in each colour.
- Tie-back, elastic or both, and how many of each.
- Whether names, roles or a logo go on each cap.
- The scrubs or gowns you want ordered with them.
Request a quote
Send your cap and scrub requirement on WhatsApp or through the quote form on our medical uniforms page, or contact us. We reply with a quote from our unit in Konni, Pathanamthitta.