Custom FR Full-Zip Sweatshirts: Regular, Tall and Up to 5XL

Say you're dressing a crew for a shutdown job: a dozen names, two of them very tall, and a site rule that the outer layer has to be FR. Sizes are what narrow these custom FR full-zip sweatshirts first, faster than color or brand (FR is short for flame-resistant). Three zip-front styles sit on this page: the Berne FRSZ19, its tall twin the Berne FRSZ19T, and the Bulwark SEH4. Sizes come first here. The label line your site cares about comes next, and the logo is the easy part at the end.

Custom FR Full-Zip Sweatshirts: Regular, Tall or 5XL?

Here's how the size runs split, straight from the listings:

A common mix-up: treating the tall Berne as the next size up. It isn't. Berne's size chart gives the L and the LT the same 26 1/2" chest laid flat, but the body length goes from 30" to 32", and the sleeve from 38 1/2" to 39 1/2". Same story at XL and 2XL: the chest stays put, the body gets two inches longer.

Two inches.

That's the whole reason to put a tall on the list for anyone with a long torso.

One limit: both Berne styles come in Navy and nothing else, and the regular FRSZ19 starts at M and stops at 3XL. Smaller or bigger people, or a crew that wears charcoal, point you to the Bulwark. Its listing also says tall sizes are available under style SEH4T, but that one isn't on this page, so ask us before you count on it.

From the layout table: Bulwark sizes the SEH4 by chest circumference (M is 38–41", 2XL is 49 1/2–54"), while Berne charts the chest laid flat. Don't compare those two numbers side by side. Measure each person around the chest and use the right chart for the brand you pick.

What Do the Labels on These Sweatshirts Actually Say?

This is where the two brands really split, so read each line word for word.

• Berne FRSZ19 and FRSZ19T: "Meets the requirements of ASTM F1506, NFPA 70E, NFPA2112, and OSHA 1910.269." No arc rating number is given in the listing.
• Bulwark SEH4: "NFPA® 2112 Compliant CAT 2 Arc Rating EBT 17.0 calories/cm²."

A couple of plain hints. NFPA 2112 is the standard for flash-fire protection. NFPA 70E is the electrical safety standard for arc-flash work. CAT 2 is a PPE category, an arc-flash protection level. An arc rating is a measure of the arc energy a fabric can block, and the Bulwark lists its number as EBT 17.0 calories/cm², exactly as the label line reads.

Honestly, we can't tell you which of these your job needs. Your site's hazard assessment does that. Get the required standard and category from your safety manager, then match it to the label, not to the color or the price.

Zipper, Cuffs, Hood: How the Builds Differ

Berne FRSZ19 and FRSZ19T

12 oz./yd² (fabric weight: the ounces one square yard of this fleece weighs), 100% cotton flame resistant fleece. A flame resistant brass front zipper, flame resistant rib knit cuffs, two-needle stitched main seams and two front patch pockets. Berne lists it as a relaxed fit, and both are named as hooded sweatshirts on their product records.

Bulwark SEH4

Flame-resistant, 12.5 oz./yd² brushed fleece in 95% cotton / 5% spandex. A hood with a drawcord closure, a zipper front, hemmed sleeves with elastic, an elastic waist and two patch pockets. The care line on the listing says Home Wash.

Close on weight, 12 against 12.5. The real split is how the sleeves finish (rib knit cuffs on the Berne, hemmed with elastic on the Bulwark), the fiber blend, the colors and the label line above.

FR Full-Zip Sweatshirts with Logo: Where It Can Go

A front zipper runs down the middle of the chest, so a centered chest logo is out. Left chest, beside the zipper, is the natural spot. Berne's product records say compact embroidery, a name badge or a sewn-on emblem can be considered, but only with materials and placement the manufacturer or your safety program approves, and nothing over safety labels, closures or rated parts. On FR wear we use approved thread or approved patches only, and only where the garment allows them.

We'd go with one small embroidered mark, left chest, and stop there. Clean, and nothing near the zipper tape or the cuffs.

Your logo is digitized before stitching, which means our team rebuilds it as a needle-by-needle file for the embroidery machine. Then you see a mockup (a picture showing the logo on your sweatshirt) and say yes or no before any thread goes in. Want each person's name too? Ask us first. A second spot on FR wear needs the same approved materials and placement as the logo. What we won't do is tell you a stitched sweatshirt still carries its rating. Nobody should say that until it's confirmed for that garment and that decoration. Our custom embroidery page walks through the process.

Art questions are covered by our Artwork Acceptance Policy. Every order, FR ones included, follows our Spoilage Policy.

Ordering a Crew Set

No minimum here, one sweatshirt is fine. Mix the Berne regular and tall sizes in one order. Your quote comes down to which sweatshirt, the stitch count (a bigger, busier logo means more stitches), the number of logo spots, and your quantity. Send the size list, regular and tall marked, plus your logo, using the quote form. You'll get one price back for the whole mix.

Two to three working days after the logo lands, your mockup is back with you. A smaller order is then in production for 7–10 working days, starting when you okay the mockup. Outfitting a full unit or site? That's a large order, so get its date from us before the shutdown is on the calendar.

Want something besides a zip-front? There are FR pullover sweatshirts and FR quarter and half-zips, or step up to FR work jackets. Crews that don't need FR can shop the wider work full-zip sweatshirts range, and the rest of our gear is under workwear.

Still unsure about the T for someone on your list? Measure the body length of a sweatshirt they already own, send that number along with the sizes, and we'll check it against the Berne chart for you. No rush, no pressure.