Best blanks for streetwear and oversized fits

A streetwear line starts with the blank, because the boxy, wide shape comes from the cut and the fabric weight before any print goes on. This guide compares oversized, boxy and relaxed heavyweight tees plus one heavy hoodie, and covers how they fit, how they're dyed and how they print.

The shortlist

Every tee here is 100% cotton in its solid colors and at least 6.1 oz.

• Shaka Wear SHMHSS Unisex Max Heavyweight Tee: 7.5 oz, 100% cotton, oversized and relaxed with a slight drop shoulder, sizes S to 5XL, plus 7XL. Best for heavy streetwear in the widest size run.
• Shaka Wear SHGD Unisex Max Heavyweight Garment-Dyed Tee: 7.5 oz, 100% cotton, garment-dyed, slightly oversized, sizes S to 5XL. Best for a heavy tee with a retro washed color.
• Shaka Wear SHGDD Unisex Max Heavyweight Garment-Dyed Drop Shoulder Tee: 7.5 oz, 100% cotton, garment-dyed, oversized and boxy, sizes S to 2XL. Best for a true boxy drop-shoulder cut.
• Lane Seven LS16005 Unisex Urban Heavyweight Tee: 7.6 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, oversized and boxy, side seams, sizes XS to 3XL. Best for the heaviest boxy tee, in solid or pigment-dyed colors.
• Next Level 7200 Unisex Heavyweight Tee: 6.8 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, oversized fit, dropped shoulder, sizes XS to 3XL. Best for oversized tees with detailed DTG art.
• Next Level 7610 Women's Heavyweight Boxy Tee: 6.8 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, relaxed fit, straight hem. Best for a women's boxy cut that pairs with the 7200.
• Comfort Colors 1717 Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, relaxed fit, garment-dyed. Best for a washed vintage drop.
• Comfort Colors 6030 Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight Pocket T-Shirt: the 1717's fabric and relaxed fit with a left chest pocket. Best for a pocket-front tee.
• Independent Trading Co. IND4000 Unisex Heavyweight Hooded Sweatshirt: 10 oz, 70/30 ringspun cotton/poly with a 100% cotton face in solid colors, generous fit. Best for a heavy hoodie to match the tees.

How heavy should a streetwear tee be?

Weight gives an oversized tee its shape. Heavier cotton holds a wide, boxy line instead of folding against the body. The picks here run from 6.1 to 7.6 oz.

The top group is the three Shaka Wear tees at 7.5 oz and the Lane Seven LS16005 at 7.6 oz. Shaka Wear calls the SHGDD fabric non-stretchy and the SHGD densely knit. The Next Level pair at 6.8 oz and the Comfort Colors pair at 6.1 oz are lighter but still heavyweight. The heavyweight blanks guide covers the full 6 oz and up range, fleece included.

Which ones are cut oversized?

The cut is what makes a tee oversized, so check the fit line before the weight. Five of these are cut big on purpose: the three Shaka Wear tees, the Lane Seven LS16005 and the Next Level 7200. The SHMHSS, SHGDD and 7200 also have a dropped shoulder, so the sleeve seam sits down the arm.

The rest are relaxed. The Comfort Colors 1717 and 6030 have a relaxed fit, roomier than a fitted tee without the boxy drop. The Next Level 7610 is a relaxed women's cut sold as a boxy tee, which makes it the match for the unisex 7200 in a mixed line.

These run oversized by design, so check the fit line before you size a run.

Garment-dyed or solid?

Garment dyeing colors the shirt after it's sewn, which gives washed color with a lived-in look. Four styles here are garment-dyed: the Comfort Colors 1717 and 6030 and the Shaka Wear SHGD and SHGDD. The Lane Seven LS16005 comes both ways. Its colors that start with "Pigment" are pigment-dyed after sewing, for the same washed look, and its other colors are standard solids.

Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash. That matters when the fit is the design, so wash and dry one sample and measure it before you lock sizes. Comfort Colors says its garment dyeing gives the 1717 and 6030 minimal shrinkage. Wash a sample of those anyway.

How do they print?

The tees are 100% cotton in their solid colors, so screen print, discharge and DTF all work, and embroidery has a heavy base. The Lane Seven LS16005 and Next Level 7200 and 7610 are combed ringspun, and that smooth face suits DTG. The Shaka Wear tees are 100% cotton at 16 singles, so screen print and embroidery go down cleanly, and DTG works too. For water-based and discharge inks, read the color line. The Shaka Wear SHMHSS Heather Grey is 90/10 cotton/poly and its Charcoal Grey is 50/50. The Next Level 7610 Heather Grey is 90/10.

Discharge suits a vintage drop, since it pulls the dye out of reactive-dyed cotton. On the LS16005 Pigment colors, plan on plastisol, water-based or DTG instead. For discharge on that style, use its standard colors (Black, Navy, Forest Green, Sandshell). The discharge printing guide explains it. On the IND4000 solids, the face is 100% cotton, so DTG works and a discharge test print on one sample is worth running. Its heathers are 52/48, most camos are 75/25, and its Safety colors have a 65/35 polyester/cotton face.

Which one should you pick?

For a heavy, boxy streetwear tee, our pick is the Lane Seven LS16005. At 7.6 oz it's the heaviest tee here, it's cut oversized and boxy, and its combed ringspun cotton gives DTG and screen print a smooth face. Its Pigment colors add a pigment-dyed option in the same style.

• Widest size run: Shaka Wear SHMHSS, S to 5XL plus 7XL
• Boxy drop shoulder, garment-dyed: Shaka Wear SHGDD
• Washed vintage tee: Comfort Colors 1717
• Pocket-front tee: Comfort Colors 6030
• Women's boxy cut: Next Level 7610
• Matching heavy hoodie: Independent Trading Co. IND4000

For more fleece, the pullover hoodie buyer's guide is the next stop. For lighter premium tees, browse premium t-shirts.