Collection: Corduroy Baseball Caps

Corduroy is a cloth, usually cotton, woven with extra yarns that are cut to form raised, velvety ribs, called wales or cords, running in parallel lines. The wale count is the number of those ribs per inch: a low count gives wide, chunky ribs with a bolder, more rustic texture, and a high count gives fine, narrow ribs, often called pinwale, that look smoother and dressier.

On a cap the difference is mostly visual. Wide wale reads casual and a little retro, fine wale sits closer to a plain cap from a distance. Ghelter's listings do not state a wale count, so judge it from the product photos, where the rib width is easy to see. Most of Ghelter's corduroy caps are listed as 100% cotton corduroy, several of them in organic cotton, and two combine cotton with acrylic.

Corduroy is at its best on cooler days, but not only on them. Cotton corduroy is lighter than its pile suggests, so it works in spring and early fall too, and about a third of Ghelter's corduroy caps are listed for summer wear, in the same range of colors as the rest.

For the cold months, a few models add a lining or fold-down earflaps, which turn a light cap into a winter one. Pair a corduroy cap with denim, a sweatshirt or a shirt jacket in a close shade and it sits naturally; for smarter combinations, our guide to styling a baseball cap without looking too casual has more ideas.

Every one of Ghelter's corduroy baseball caps is adjustable, so one cap covers a span of head sizes, most often 55-61 cm (21.7 to 24.0 inches). Across the collection, adult sizes run from 52 to 62 cm (20.5 to 24.4 inches), and the kids' model adjusts from 49 to 56 cm (19.3 to 22.0 inches).

Wrap a soft tape around your head where the cap will sit, 0.5 to 1 inch (1-2 cm) above your eyebrows, and match the number to the span on the listing. Between two sizes, go up. Worn right, the brim is a finger width above your eyebrows and the band holds in a breeze without marking your forehead. Our sizing page lists the US equivalents.

Corduroy pile flattens where it is pressed, but brushing lifts it back. The spots that take the most wear are the edge of the brim and the front panel where you grab the cap, and those areas can lose their raised texture over time. A soft clothes brush, run in the direction of the ribs, brings most of it back.

Fading and shine have different causes. Cotton corduroy fades gradually with sun and washing, dark colors most visibly, which many people like as a worn-in look. Shiny patches appear where the pile has been pressed flat for good, by heat, friction or an iron, so avoid ironing a corduroy cap and store it on its crown rather than squashed under something heavy.

Ghelter's listings do not include care instructions, so check the label inside your cap first; as a general guide, spot clean a corduroy cap first, and wash it by hand in cool water only when it really needs it. Use a mild detergent and a soft cloth, work with the direction of the ribs rather than scrubbing across them, and never wring the cap, which crushes the pile and bends the brim.

Press the water out with a towel, reshape the cap by hand and air dry it on something rounded, like an upturned bowl, well away from heaters and direct sun. Once dry, a light brush along the ribs lifts the pile again. Unless the label says otherwise, keep it out of the washing machine and the dryer; lined or earflap models are best spot cleaned only. For other fibers, our hat cleaning guide explains each method.

Orders leave Ghelter within 1-2 business days, tracked and insured, and most arrive in 5 to 12 business days. Orders over 50 EUR ship free, and you have 30 days from delivery to request a return.

Write to support@ghelter.com with two photos, the cap and its shipping label, and send it back unworn, with tags, original packaging and your proof of purchase. Ghelter sends a free return label if the cap arrives in poor condition, is not in the correct size or differs from the photos; on sale items and orders paid with a discount code, the return shipping is yours. To change size, return the cap and place a new order for the size you need.