U.S. ARMY HATBAND BRAID FOR ENLISTED SERVICE CAP

The design of the hatband found on the blue Army Service Cap varies in design based upon the rank of the wearer. Although all hatbands are the same width (1 ¾ inch), their coloration and borders vary depending upon rank. For the service caps worn by enlisted personnel (corporals and above), the hatband is manufactured in the shade of the cap (our serve caps are made in Army Shade 450), and is bordered on the top by a half-inch gold braid.

This contrasts with the hatbands found on the hats of Warrant Officers and Field- and Company-Grade Officers, which feature the same type of gold braid on both the top and bottom of a hatband that’s manufactured in the first-named color of the branch in which the wearer serves. (Secondary branch colors are used as interior piping.). The hatbands on the service caps of General Officers is unique in that they have arcs of oak leaves similar to the ones found on the visors of both General and Field-Grade Officers’ hats.

The braid used for the enlisted version of the blue Army Service Cap is also unique in that it is used nowhere else on the enlisted blue ASU, while the braid used on the hatband for officers below 0-7 is used on the sleeve of their ASUs.