Fitted Hat Guide 101

I created this fitted hat guide to help individuals understand basic terminology used in the baseball cap industry. This fitted hat guide comes with photos and reference terms so you know exactly which part of the baseball cap is being referred to. On top of that I also included street culture/hat world slang such as "sky bottoms" and "black nasty".

What Is A Fitted Hat?

A fitted hat is simply a modern day baseball cap that is created in specific sizes such as a size 7, 7 1/4, 7 5/8 etc. to fit your head perfectly. There were originally 11 - 12 different size fitted hats available but as of 2021 there are as many as 20 different sizes to fit specific head shapes. 59FIFTY is the most popular fitted hat, created by New Era Cap Company, and is also the cap that Major League Baseball players wear on the field.

How Can I Make A New Era Hat?

Simple answer you can't. First, you would need the machinery and tools New Era Cap Company uses, which most people cannot purchase because they don't know what that is. Second, New Era may have patents on the process of creating their hats. Which brings us to the third reason you can't create a New Era hat which is relative to the second point, adding a New Era logo on a hat when you are not authorized by New Era to do so is an infringement on their property and you can get sued. 

Baseball Caps, Fitted Hats...What's The Difference?

First thing first, baseball caps and baseball hats are the same thing. Same with fitted hats and fitted caps. These terminology are used interchangeably (meaning used in the same way). According to Google, most people prefer to search for baseball caps over baseball hat and fitted hats over fitted caps. Baseball cap, baseball hat, fitted hat and fitted cap are all the same exact product.

Different Styles of Baseball Caps

There are around seven different styles of New Era baseball caps. Now before I get started I want to also mention that there are at least 2 other known styles of baseball caps  in addition to the 7 New Era style caps and they are "Flexfit" and "Dad hat" although the line gets a little blurred with the Dad hats. There are also baseball caps that I am not including in this section because they are no longer modern day caps such as the "Pill Box" baseball cap. New Era Cap Company is the most popular and well known manufacturer of baseball caps which is why I am focused on them, but Adidas, Nike, 47 and Fanatics are also brands that make great baseball caps as well.

7 Types of Baseball Caps From New Era

There are 7 different styles of New Era baseball caps. Below we discuss the most popular ones.

1. 59Fifty is the the official "fitted hat" that is worn by professional athletes in the MLB, NFL and NBA. Sometimes called "5950" or simply "fitted", this hat is the classic modern day baseball cap. The 59Fifty has a straight-flat visor and a high structured crown. If you do not understand what those terms mean, its okay I've covered the terminology below.

2. 59Fifty Low Profile is exactly like the 59Fifty fitted hat with one exception...it has a low curved visor. The 59Fifty is a better fit for buyers that do not like the straight visor fitted hat.

3. 9Fifty is also popularly known as the "Snapback" cap. This cap has the same features as the 59Fifty fitted hat except it has an opening on the back with plastic strip that snaps in place to fit the individual head size. Because this baseball cap snaps in the back, that's why it is commonly called a "snapback", "snapback cap" or "snapback hat".

What Are The Parts of A Baseball Hat Called?

Fitted hats and snapbacks have very similar parts. In fact the only thing that is different between the two is the back of the hat. In this section we help you identify different parts of the hat. This information can become useful if you need to repair a portion of your favorite baseball cap.

Eyelets, Brim & Undervisor.

1. Eyelets are located on the top of the fitted hat. Its the 6 embroidered opening holes (one one each panel, we discuss what panels are shortly). The purpose of the eyelets is to prevent your head from overheating. Eyelets are a ventilation mechanism, they allow your head to breathe.

2. Brim of a fitted hat is also popularly known as "bill" or "visor" of the hat. It's the portion of the hat that sticks out in the front. The brim of a baseball cap is there to protect your eyes from the sun.

3. Undervisor of a fitted hat is pretty much the bottom portion of the brim/bill/visor  of the hat (hence the name under visor, because it is literally underneath the visor). The alternative name for an undervisor is "under brim" or simply "bottom". This portion of the fitted is important for hat collectors because many people want specific color undervisors such as pink bottoms, red, bottoms, blue bottoms and grey bottoms.

Crown & Squatchee Button of A Fitted Hat

1. Crown of a fitted hat makes up 90% of the fitted hat. It's the portion that covers your entire head. If you really look at the crown you'll notice it's made up of 6 triangular parts (that looks like small pizza slices). These are known as panels. One triangular portion is a single panel. The 6 panels together creates the "crown" of a baseball cap. Some baseball caps have 4 panels that make up the crown but 59Fifty fitted hats and 9Fifty snapbacks will always have 6 panels.

2. The little button on top of the baseball cap is called a "Squatchee" button (weird name we know). The squatchee button holds the 6 panels together.

The Two Side Panels

1. New Era Logo - The left side panel of a fitted hat or snapback for that matter ALWAYS have the New Era "Fly Your Own Flag" logo which looks like the letter N in the form of a flag. There may be some rare occasions where New Era Cap Company decide to move it elsewhere on the hat or completely remove it for the sake of a unique design. Other than that, the New Era logo is always there 99% percent of the time. If the New Era logo is located on the right panel of the hat, there's a high chance the hat is a fake (not manufactured by New Era or an authorized seller).

2. Side Patch - The right panel of the fitted hat use to be blank, no designs or anything on it other than the color of the crown. However,m that has changed a lot since New Era first started producing hats. The right panel of a fitted hat and snapback usually hosts a side patch. A side patch is simply a designed patch stitched to the right panel of the hat. For example many MLB baseball caps have World Series side patch and NFL hats typically always have a Superbowl side patch among other patches. The patches varies a lot but usually have something to do with the history of the team, or a charity organization.