How to Make a Captain America Costume

Co-authored by Kyle Hall

Last Updated: February 5, 2023 References

There are a number of methods you can use to create your own Captain America costume, and you don't need to be a crafting genius or have a lot of money to recreate the look. Whether you're going for Captain America's contemporary get up or you want to model his old-fashioned costume, you'll need to put together a jumpsuit, a helmet, and some accessories. With a few basic supplies and some time to devote to crafting, you can put together a great Captain America costume.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a Jumpsuit

1
Find a long-sleeve white t-shirt to create the base of the costume. Look for something simple that doesn't have any graphics or wording on it. The simpler the better. You want the shirt to be comfortably snug but not too tight.
2
Spray paint a football chest pad blue to create the armor for the top of the costume. Order a chest pad online or buy one at your local sporting goods store. Lay the chest pad on a tarp outside and spray paint one side of it blue. After it dries, flip it over and spray paint the other side. Let it dry completely before you bring it inside or wear it.
- Use a royal blue spray paint approved for use with fabrics.
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3
Cut out red stripes for the torso region of the jumpsuit. Put on the blue football chest pad and measure the distance from where the chest pad ends at your stomach to the end of your white long-sleeve t-shirt. Cut out several strips of red duct tape, making the strips the length you just measured.
- For example, if the distance between the football pad and the bottom of your white shirt is 6 inches (15 cm), each strip of red duct tape you cut should also be 6 inches (15 cm) long.
- Cut between 4-6 red duct tape strips, depending on how wide across your torso is.
4
Adhere the red duct tape strips to the front of the white shirt. Start at the side of your torso and work your way across your stomach and to the opposite side of your body. When adhering the duct tape, one end of the strip should be lined up with the bottom hem of your white shirt, and the other end should be lined up with the bottom edge of the blue chest pad, creating a vertical stripe. Space each red duct tape stripe about 4 inches (10 cm) apart.^{[1]
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5
Create a star using metallic poster board. Use white cardboard instead if you can't find any poster board. Using scissors or a knife, cut out a five-point star from the poster board. Make the star is about 6 inches (15 cm) tall by 6 inches wide.
- Glue the star to the front of the blue chest pad. Center it over your sternum so that none of the points of the star are hanging over the edge of the padding. Using a hot glue gun, apply a liberal amount of glue to the back of the star and then press it onto the padding. Apply pressure until the glue dries.
6
Get blue pants for the bottom of the jumpsuit. Find pants that are the same shade of blue as the chest padding to help blend the top and bottom portions of the jumpsuit. Look for blue sweatpants, leggings, or spandex pants.
- If you can't find pants that match, buy a white pair and dye them blue using a fabric dye.
7
Buy a brown utility belt. Look for a belt made out of leather. If a new belt isn't in your budget, use a regular brown belt that you already own. Wrap the belt around your waist and fasten it into place, covering the elastic band or upper seam of your pants.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making a Shield

1
Choose a material for the shield. Use something lightweight that will be easy to carry around with you. Keep in mind that certain materials might need to be cut to the right shape. Some good options are:
- A round saucer sled. A saucer sled will already be the right shape and size, and most come with handles attached. Use a red, white, or blue sled.^{[2]
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- A round garbage can lid. A lid will already be round and it will have a handle in the center you can use to hold the shield.
- Cardboard. Cut out a large circle from a thick piece of cardboard. You'll need to create a handle using cardboard or a strap that you glue to the back of the shield.^{[3]
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2
Decorate the shield using duct tape. Get blue, white, and red tape. Start by using the red duct tape to create a red ring around the outer edge of the shield. Make it about 3 inches thick (7.6 cm) depending on the size of your shield. Next use the white duct tape to create another ring inside of the red one, making them the same width. Repeat again with the red duct tape, until you have an empty circle in the center of your shield. Fill the circle with blue duct tape, or use blue spray paint to fill it in.^{[4]
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3
Use white duct tape to create a star in the center of the shield. Cut the white duct tape into pointed strips using scissors or a knife. Piece together the pointed strips to create the star. The star should be adhered directly over the blue circle at the center of the shield, with each point of the star touching the edge of the circle.^{[5]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding the Final Touches

1
Get a helmet and spray paint it blue. Aim for a simple, old-fashioned military helmet, but if you can't find one or it's out of your budget you can use a skateboard helmet. Using the same spray paint you used to paint your football chest pad, spray paint the helmet blue.^{[6]
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2
Create an eye mask out of blue felt. Buy blue felt at your local craft store. Using scissors, cut the blue felt into an eye-mask shape, making sure to leave a groove on the bottom for your nose. Hold the piece of felt up to your face where it will be positioned where you're wearing it and mark where both of your eyes line up with the felt. Using a knife, cut out an eye hole in each spot you marked.^{[7]
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3
Create a letter "A" out of white duct tape for the helmet. Use scissors to cut strips of duct tape for the “A.” Adhere the duct tape to the front of the helmet. Make the “A” large and visible, about 4 inches tall by 4 inches wide (10 cm X 10 cm).^{[8]
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4
Buy gloves to wear on your hands. Look for red or brown gloves, and aim for gloves that are made out of leather. Get gloves that extend above the wrist and over your arm.
- If leather gloves are too pricey, use red or brown kitchen gloves instead.
5
Finish your costume with a pair of boots. Wear tall boots that cover your ankles and lower legs. Match your boot color to the color of your gloves.

Community Q&A

Question

Does Cap use any other weapons like a tasers or boomerangs?

Garrett

Top Answerer

Captain America is traditionally portrayed only using his shield as an offensive weapon, but he has been depicted as carrying guns in the past.
Question

What kind of fabric would be suitable to make a mens' Captain America costume?

Community Answer

The real one is made of leather, but spandex will be suitable.
Question

Where do I buy a football chest pad?

Community Answer

You can buy those from any sporting goods store, like Academy Sports and Outdoors, Dick's Sporting Goods, etc.