Buying aprons for one person is easy. Buying for thirty is where businesses tend to over-order the wrong sizes and under-order the ones everyone wants. A little planning avoids both.
Work out how many are actually in circulation
The common mistake is ordering one apron per member of staff. In practice you need enough for staff on shift, plus those in the wash, plus a small buffer. A workable rule for most businesses is three per person where aprons are changed daily, and more where they are changed several times a shift, as in care settings.
Get the size split right
Ordering a flat spread across every size almost always leaves you with unused stock at both ends. Most UK teams cluster in the middle. Where you can, choose styles with adjustable side fastenings — a tabard apron that adjusts covers a much wider range of body shapes than a fixed cut, which reduces how many sizes you need to hold at all.
Decide colours before you order, not after
If you use colour coding for different tasks, fix the scheme first. Buying all colours in one order also keeps shades consistent — dye lots vary between production runs, and a topped-up order months later rarely matches exactly.
Think about pockets honestly
Pockets add cost and are brilliant for some roles and pointless for others. Ask the team who will wear them. If several roles need them, cobbler aprons carry the most; for kitchen work, chef aprons are usually the better fit.
Factor in the laundry
Before committing, check the wash temperature your setting requires and confirm the garments are rated for it. This is the single most common cause of a bulk order wearing out early.
Budget realistically
Per-unit prices fall significantly with volume, which is the main reason to buy in bulk at all. Set against that the cost of storage and the risk of over-ordering sizes you will not use. For most small and mid-sized teams, a single well-planned order once or twice a year is the sweet spot.
Employers also have duties around providing suitable protective equipment — see the Health and Safety Executive for what applies to your sector.
See our bulk apron range, or contact us for a quote — we can advise on quantities and size splits based on your team.