Wholesale polo shirts: buyer's guide

Buying polos for staff, a uniform program, a golf outing or an event? Fabric decides how they wear and which decoration works.

Most polo orders end with a logo on the left chest, and embroidery is the usual way to put it there. The polos in this guide still differ more than they look. Some are 100% cotton piqué. Some are all polyester, built to wick sweat. Others split the difference. That fiber choice sets which methods work beyond stitching and how the shirt handles a hot day. Cut comes next, because a staff order often needs men's, women's and youth sizes that match.

Which polos are in this guide?

Twelve styles, running from value to premium. The full range is on the polo shirts page.

• Gildan 8800 DryBlend Polo: 6 oz, 52% cotton / 48% polyester ring-spun knit, unisex, modern classic fit. Best for budget staff and event orders.
• Gildan 8800B Youth DryBlend Jersey Polo: the youth match for the 8800, in the same 6 oz blend.
• Gildan 64800 Softstyle Pique Polo: 5.2 oz, 100% ring-spun cotton double piqué, unisex. Best for stitching or printing on cotton.
• Gildan 64800L Women's Softstyle Pique Polo: the semi-fitted women's cut of the 64800.
• CORE365 88181 Origin Performance Piqué Polo: 4.1 oz, 100% polyester piqué, moisture-wicking and antimicrobial. Best for staff who work warm.
• CORE365 78181 Women's Origin Performance Piqué Polo: the women's cut of the 88181, same fabric.
• CORE365 88181P Origin Performance Piqué Polo with Pocket: the 88181 fabric with a chest pocket.
• AllPro 41800 Pro-Lock Performance Polo: 4 oz, 100% polyester, snag resistant, UPF 50. Best for outdoor crews and golf days.
• CORE365 CE106 Resolve CVC Performance Pique Polo: 5 oz, 60% cotton / 40% recycled polyester, UPF 40+. Best for a cotton-leaning shirt that still wicks.
• Harriton M265 Easy Blend Polo: 5.6 oz, 65% polyester / 35% cotton piqué, wrinkle-resistant. Best for uniforms that get washed hard.
• Devon & Jones DG20 CrownLux Performance Plaited Polo: 5 oz, a polyester face over a poly-cotton back. Best for dressier performance orders.
• Devon & Jones D100 Pima Piqué Polo: 6.8 oz, 100% Peruvian Pima cotton. Best for a premium stitched polo.

Cotton piqué, polyester or a blend?

Start with where the shirt will be worn. An all-polyester polo like the CORE365 88181 or the AllPro 41800 pulls sweat away from the skin. That suits a golf course, a sideline or a warm shop floor. A cotton piqué polo like the Gildan 64800 or the Devon & Jones D100 is the classic knit shirt, and it's the one to choose if the job calls for discharge or DTG.

The blends each lean a different way. The Gildan 8800 is close to half and half, and its DryBlend fabric is made to wick. The CORE365 CE106 leans cotton at 60%, and its 40% polyester is recycled. The Harriton M265 leans polyester at 65%. Per Harriton, it's made for reduced shrinkage and wrinkle resistance and is tested to 50 industrial washes. So it fits a uniform program that runs through a commercial laundry.

Heather colors can shift the blend. On the Gildan 8800, Sport Grey is 90/10 cotton/polyester and Graphite Heather is 62/38. Sport Grey on the 64800 and 64800L is 90/10 as well, and so is Grey Heather on the D100. If the design needs a cotton-only method, check the color first.

How do I decorate a polo?

Embroidery first. A left-chest logo is the standard polo decoration, and every style here takes it. Gildan calls the 64800's double piqué ideal for embroidery. The heavier shirts carry dense stitching best, led by the D100 at 6.8 oz and the 8800 at 6 oz. On the 4 oz polyester polos, keep the stitch count moderate and pick a backing made for a light knit. For more on matching fabric to stitching, see which blanks hold up to dense embroidery.

Beyond the stitched logo, match the method to the fiber.

• Cotton (64800, 64800L, D100): screen print, DTG, DTF and discharge all work, and vinyl does too. Discharge needs cotton, so these are the polos for it.
• Cotton-poly blends (8800, 8800B, CE106): screen print, DTF and vinyl work on all three, and the cotton-leaning CE106 also takes DTG. The polyester rules out discharge. The 8800 and 8800B are 48% polyester, so a white ink on a dark shirt can pick up some of the fabric's dye. A poly blocker underbase helps.
• Polyester (88181, 78181, 41800): heat transfer vinyl and DTF are the easy add-ons. Sublimation works too, on the white and pale colors, because it needs a light polyester surface to show. AllPro makes the 41800 from cationic polyester for a fade-resistant printing surface.

The DG20, M265 and 88181P suit embroidery and DTF, and the M265 and 88181P take vinyl as well.

Which cut do I need for women's and youth?

Order the matching pairs. The CORE365 88181 and 78181 share one fabric and the same color list, so a mixed staff order matches shirt for shirt. The Gildan 64800 and the semi-fitted 64800L work the same way. For kids, the Gildan 8800B is the youth version of the 8800, and it carries a CPSIA tracking label.

Fit varies across the rest. The 8800 has a modern classic fit and the 41800 a standard fit. The CE106 and DG20 are cut in an active fit. For bigger sizes, the 88181, CE106, DG20, D100 and M265 run up to 6XL. More women's cuts are in the women's-cut blanks guide.

Do I want a pocket?

Choose one when the polo is a work shirt more than a team shirt. The CORE365 88181P adds a chest pocket to the 88181's polyester piqué, along with side slits and a three-button placket. The pocket sits where a left-chest logo usually goes. So settle placement before you digitize the file: on the pocket, just above it, or on the opposite chest.

Which polo works for golf and outdoor events?

Look at sun protection and how the fabric handles heat. The AllPro 41800 is UPF 50 and resists snags, which helps on a course or a job site. The CORE365 CE106 is UPF 40+.

For a sponsor or tournament polo, the Devon & Jones DG20 is our pick. Its dual-sided mesh piqué puts wicking polyester on the outside and a soft blend against the skin.

Will it shrink?

The 100% cotton polos are the ones to sample: the 64800, the 64800L and the D100. Wash and dry one, then measure it before you lock sizes for the whole order. When sizes have to hold through hard washing, the Harriton M265 is built for reduced shrinkage.

Which polo fits which job?

• Budget staff or event polo → Gildan 8800, with the 8800B for kids
• Cotton polo to print or discharge → Gildan 64800 and 64800L
• Warm-weather staff in men's and women's cuts → CORE365 88181 and 78181
• Work uniform with a pocket → CORE365 88181P
• Golf outing or outdoor crew → AllPro 41800
• Cotton-leaning blend with recycled polyester → CORE365 CE106
• Uniform washed in a commercial laundry → Harriton M265
• Sponsor or tournament polo → Devon & Jones DG20
• Premium stitched polo for gifts or leadership → Devon & Jones D100

Which one would we start with?

Our pick is the CORE365 88181. Its 100% polyester piqué wicks sweat and fights odor, so it works for staff on their feet all day. It takes embroidery, DTF and vinyl, plus sublimation on the light colors. It runs from XS to 6XL, and the 78181 women's cut shares its colors. One order can dress a whole team.

Need tees for the same crew? The premium t-shirts guide has cotton and performance options.