Placement · Scouts BSA
Where each badge sits on the Scouts BSA field uniform shirt, taken from the two publications that govern it rather than from another website. Every position below is quoted, and the date it was checked is on the page.
Sources and date. Checked on 5 September 2026 against the Guide to Awards and Insignia (publication No. 33066, July 2024 revision) and the Field Uniform Checklist, Scouts BSA (publication No. 510-784, June 2024). Where those two use different wording for the same position, both are given below. Check the publication before you sew. These documents are revised, and this page is a reading of them, not a substitute for them.
A note on the names
The organisation is now Scouting America. The name changed from Boy Scouts of America on 8 February 2025, announced the previous May. The programme names did not change: it is still Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts and Exploring.
For uniforms this matters very little. New shirts carry “Scouting America” lettering over the right pocket; everything else is the same, existing uniforms stay valid, and no insignia moved. If you are searching for “Boy Scout patch placement”, this is the page you want — the positions are unchanged.
The positions
Left means the wearer’s left throughout. On the drawing above, the wearer’s left sleeve is on the right-hand side. This is the single most common source of error in patch placement, and it is why the drawing says so on its face.
Sleeves
Both sleeves are numbered from the shoulder seam downwards. Position 1 sits directly below the seam on each side.
| Mark | Item | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | U.S. flag emblem | “right sleeve, position 1, just below shoulder seam” (33066). The checklist gives it as “U.S. flag emblem centered directly below shoulder seam” |
| R2 | Patrol emblem | Right sleeve, below the flag. See the note on numbering below |
| R3 | Journey to Excellence award | Right sleeve, position 3. The adult leader checklist places this one “4 inches below the shoulder seam” |
| R4 | Merit badges | “right sleeve (long-sleeve shirt only), position 4, limited to six” (33066) |
| L1 | Council shoulder emblem | “left sleeve, position 1, just below shoulder seam” (33066) |
| L2 | Unit numeral | “left sleeve, position 2, touching council shoulder emblem if veteran unit bar is not worn” (33066). The checklist: emblem, numeral and veteran bar “are worn as shown snug up and touching each other” |
| L3 | Badge of office | “left sleeve, position 3” (33066). The adult leader checklist gives the same position as “centered and touching the unit numeral, or centered 4 inches below the shoulder seam” |
Where the sources I could read did not agree. The Guide numbers the patrol emblem’s position on the right sleeve, but the text I was able to read did not state the number unambiguously, and one reading put both the patrol emblem and the Journey to Excellence award at position 3. They cannot both be right. The numbering implies the patrol emblem is position 2, directly below the flag, with position 3 being the four-inch mark used on both sleeves — but that is an inference, not a citation. Confirm this one against the Guide. I would rather tell you the gap than fill it.
Pockets and the chest
| Mark | Item | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| A | Jamboree insignia | “National or world jamboree insignia (only one) worn above the BSA program or corporate strip” (510-784) |
| B | Program strip, interpreter strips, nameplate | The strip goes “above right pocket” (33066). “Nameplate, if worn, is centered above the program or corporate strip” (510-784) |
| C | Order of the Arrow lodge insignia | “worn on pocket flap” (510-784). The Guide adds that it “fits the exact size and shape of right pocket flap and may not extend beyond this size and shape in any way” |
| D | Temporary insignia | “worn centered on the pocket or hung from the button” (510-784) |
| E | World Crest emblem | “centered horizontally over left pocket and vertically between left shoulder seam and top of pocket” (33066) |
| F | Service stars, square knots, medals | Service stars “centered above the pocket, ¾ inch from top point to top point and ⅜ inch from either the pocket”. Square knots “centered above the pocket in rows of three”. “Not more than five medals may be worn, pinned centered immediately above the pocket” (510-784) |
| G | Badge of rank | “Badges of rank are worn centered on the pocket above the Arrow of Light Award” (510-784). The Guide gives it simply as “left pocket” |
| H | Arrow of Light Award | “below left pocket” (33066) |
The merit badge sash is not shown on the drawing because it is not on the shirt. The Guide places it “over right shoulder”, and it “may be worn under or over epaulet”. The den chief cord goes the other way — “over the left shoulder, under epaulet”.
What this page does not cover
- Cub Scouting, Venturing and Sea Scouts. Different programmes, different sheets, different positions. Do not read across from this page.
- Adult leader uniforms. Several positions differ, and there is a separate inspection sheet for them.
- Which insignia you are entitled to wear, how many, and in what combination. That is the substance of the Guide and it is not something a placement drawing can answer.
- Older uniform styles. The Guide covers the Centennial uniform separately, and the badge of office moves.
How to check this yourself
- Open the Guide to Awards and Insignia and find the section for your programme. It is the governing document; everything else, including this page, is a reading of it.
- Download the Field Uniform Checklist, Scouts BSA. It is one page, it is the most precise source for measurements, and it is what an inspection is actually scored against.
- Check the revision date on whatever you download. Both documents are revised, and a figure from an old edition looks exactly like a figure from the current one.
- Ask your unit leader or council advancement chair about anything that is still unclear. Local practice on temporary insignia and unit-specific items varies more than the paperwork suggests.
This page is a reference written by a patch site, not by Scouting America, and it is not endorsed by them. Where it disagrees with the Guide, the Guide is right. Scouting America, Scouts BSA, the Order of the Arrow and the emblems described here belong to their respective organisations; nothing here is permission to reproduce or wear them.
Related: how placement is measured covers the reference points and conventions used across every guide on this site, and how to apply a patch covers sewing badges onto a uniform shirt without puckering it.
The military guides on this site follow the same rule: Air Force OCP placement and Army OCP placement.