t shirt fabric spec
A t-shirt spec sheet is short: weight, yarn, knit, finish, construction. Four of those five change the price, and one of them — yarn count — is quoted more often than it is understood. This is what each number actually does.
Send the weight, colour, fit and quantity. We return a unit price per quantity tier within 24 hours.
Grams per square metre is the mass of the fabric. It predicts how much cotton is in the shirt, which predicts cost and drape. It does not predict quality: a well-made 200gsm jersey beats a badly made 230gsm every time.
We hold 23 styles from 160 to 350gsm. That range exists because the same buyer needs different weights for a summer giveaway and a winter drop.
Carded keeps short fibres; combed removes them, which makes the yarn smoother and stronger at a cost of 8–15%. Ring-spun and open-end describe how the yarn is twisted — ring-spun is finer and smoother, open-end is faster and coarser.
These are two separate axes, which is why "combed cotton" on a label can mean several different garments.
Single jersey is the default t-shirt knit. Interlock is denser, smoother both sides and holds shape better. Pique is textured and is the classic polo knit.
Construction covers tubular versus side-seamed bodies, single versus double-needle hems, and whether the neck is taped. Taping costs cents and is the single most effective thing you can do for collar life.
Garment dyeing, enzyme washing, snow washing and bleach fading all change hand feel and shrinkage, and all add cost. They also make exact colour matching on reorder impossible — which is a feature of the look and a problem for uniforms.
The number buyers over-read is yarn count, usually quoted as "20s" or "30s". Finer counts feel smoother and cost more, but they do not by themselves indicate a better shirt. Weight, construction and finish matter more.
| Weights held | 160–350 gsm |
|---|---|
| Styles | 23 |
| Colourways in stock | 176 |
| Fabrics | Cotton jersey, cotton-linen, polyester (activewear) |
| Finishes | Plain, garment-dyed, washed, snow-washed, tie-dye, gradient, wax-dyed, bleach-faded |
| Price range | $3.00–$12.60 per piece |
Grams per square metre — the fabric mass. It predicts cost and drape, not quality.
It is finer and smoother and costs more, but weight, construction and finish matter more.
A tape sewn over the shoulder-to-neck seam to stop it stretching. Costs cents, extends collar life noticeably.
Each dye bath differs slightly, so a reorder will be close but not identical. That is inherent, not a defect.
A fabric swatch and a sewn sample come before the bulk run, and finished goods are photographed before packing.