Richardson 168 – Seven-Panel Trucker Cap – Heather Gray / Black

The Richardson 168 is a structured seven-panel Hi Pro trucker cap with a flat bill, a foam-backed cotton/polyester twill front, and a 100% polyester trucker mesh back. It is the flagship flat-bill trucker decorators reach for when the front panel is the product: the tall structured crown and seamless front give a larger, flatter embroidery and patch field than a curved six-panel cap, and the foam backing holds dimensional stitching upright. Shops running headwear programs for breweries, outdoor brands, trades, teams, and merch lines standardise on the 168 because one snapback size covers an entire roster or event without size-curve guessing.

For decoration, the structured foam front is what sets the 168 apart. The foam backing behind the twill holds 3D puff embroidery exceptionally, standing the stitch up cleanly where a soft unstructured front would collapse it, and the tall Hi Pro crown raises the usable embroidery field above the bill seam so a 4 to 5 inch wide design clears without crowding. Flat and 3D puff embroidery both run well; digitise puff with the wider column widths and a run-stitch outline the foam needs to read cleanly. Patches are the other primary use: this style is a workhorse for woven, leather, and PVC patches applied by heat-press tape or sewn through the front panels. Heat-press tape is faster for volume and sits flat on the twill, while sewn patches are the durable choice for caps that see hard wear, and the foam front gives a stable base for either. Heat transfer and DTF apply to the twill front for full-colour artwork and gradients embroidery cannot hold, screen printing works on the flat foam front for bold spot-colour, and sublimation is limited to white polyester fronts only. The mesh back stays decoration-free.

• Brand: Richardson
• Style: 168 (Seven-Panel Trucker Cap, also listed as Richardson 7-Panel Trucker)
• Front panels: 60% cotton / 40% polyester twill, foam-backed and structured (some production lots list alternate front blends, confirm the lot if exact fibre content is critical)
• Back: 100% polyester trucker mesh
• Profile: Structured, seven-panel, Hi Pro (tall) crown
• Bill: Flat bill
• Closure: Adjustable snapback
• Sweatband: Moisture-wicking
• Sizing: One size fits most (snapback adjustable, fits roughly 7 to 7 3/4)
• Colors available: Wide range including many two-tone and tri-tone colorways (Charcoal/Black, Royal/Black, Heather Gray/Black, Charcoal/Old Gold, and more, check current availability on the product page)
• Case quantity: 144 units (12 dozen) per case
• Care: Spot clean. Do not machine wash structured caps.

One sourcing note for the 168: many colorways are two-tone or tri-tone, and the front-panel dye lot can drift slightly between production runs on the lighter heather and pastel fronts. If a program reorders across several months, order the full quantity from one lot where possible, or expect minor front-panel shade variation between batches and stitch a patch or darker thread design that absorbs it. For flat-bill snapback programs that need a deeper crown, the 168 is the Hi Pro answer; if you want the same trucker in a structured mid-profile, compare it against the Richardson 112 before committing. TheClothingSpace stocks the Richardson 168 at wholesale pricing with bulk discounts that increase as case and unit quantities rise, among the lowest prices online for this style, with fast US shipping on stocked colorways.

Planning a headwear run? Browse wholesale blank caps and headwear for the full trucker and snapback lineup.