Wholesale crewneck sweatshirts: value crews compared

Value crewneck sweatshirts carry most spirit wear, team orders and event runs, where the count runs into the hundreds. The crews here weigh 7.5 to 9 oz, and most are 50/50 cotton-poly fleece. What sets them apart is the face fabric, which decides how you can print, plus the size run and whether a youth match exists.

For heavier, oversized or garment-dyed crews, see the premium crewneck sweatshirt guide.

The shortlist

Seven are 50/50 fleece, and three have a cotton face for DTG.

• Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend Crewneck: 8 oz, 50/50 cotton-poly, classic fit. Best for embroidery and screen print at volume.
• Gildan 18000B Youth Heavy Blend Crewneck: the youth cut of the 18000, same 8 oz 50/50 fleece. Best for putting kids in the same crew as the adults.
• Hanes P160 EcoSmart Crewneck: 8 oz, 50/50, classic fit, on the PrintPro XP fleece Hanes makes for embellishment. Best for screen print and embroidery.
• Hanes P360 Youth EcoSmart Crewneck: the youth version of the P160 in the same 8 oz fleece. Best for the kids' half of a P160 order.
• Gildan 12000 DryBlend Crewneck: 9 oz, 50/50, classic fit. The heaviest crew here. Best for dense embroidery.
• M&O 7810 ACE Fleece Crewneck: 7.5 oz, 50/50 open-end cotton-poly, side seams. Its youth version is the M&O 7810Y. Best for an adult and youth pair in one look.
• Gildan SF000 Softstyle Midweight Crewneck: 8.4 oz, 80/20 ringspun cotton-poly with a 100% ringspun cotton face, dropped shoulder. Best for DTG on a value crew.
• Tultex 340 Fleece Crewneck: 7.5 oz, 80/20 ringspun blend, drop shoulder, side seams. The 80/20 colors have a 100% cotton face; Forest, Light Pink, Maroon, Military Green, Purple and the heathers are blends. Best for DTG on a side-seamed, drop-shoulder crew.
• Hanes RS160 Perfect Sweats Crewneck: 8 oz, 80/20 with a 100% ringspun cotton face. Best for a cotton-face crew from Hanes.
• Gildan 18810 Heavy Blend Quarter-Zip: 8 oz Heavy Blend fleece with a cadet collar and covered zipper. Best for an embroidered staff or coaching layer.

50/50 or a cotton face?

Decide this first, because it sets your print method. The seven 50/50 styles embroider well and take screen print, DTF and vinyl. DTG ink bonds to cotton, so on a 50/50 crew the print comes out muted. For full-color art, DTF holds the color better.

The Gildan SF000, Tultex 340 and Hanes RS160 work differently. Each is an 80/20 blend, but the outside face is 100% cotton. The polyester sits inside, so you print on cotton. That's why these three take DTG well, and why their cotton-face colors can take a discharge test print. The DTG printing guide covers pretreat and cure, and the discharge printing guide explains how to run that test.

Check the color before you plan the print. The manufacturers list some colors as other blends:

• Gildan SF000: Dark Heather is 50/50 and Sport Grey is 75/25.
• Tultex 340: Forest, Light Pink, Maroon, Military Green, Purple and the heathers are 50/50, except Heather Grey at 75/25.
• Hanes RS160: Charcoal Heather is 50/50 and Light Steel is 78/22.
• Gildan 18000: Heather Dark Green, Heather Dark Maroon, Heather Dark Navy, Heather Deep Royal and Heather Scarlet Red are 60/40 polyester/cotton.
• Gildan 18810: Heather Dark Navy and Heather Scarlet Red are 60/40 cotton/polyester.

For how each blend prints, see the cotton-poly blend guide.

How do 50/50 crews print on dark colors?

On dark and heather colors, dye in the polyester can bleed into light inks as the print cures. Printers handle it with a low-bleed ink over a blocker underbase. The guide to printing on dark garments walks through the setup.

Sublimation needs a high-polyester fabric in a light color, so it belongs on a different blank. The sublimation blanks guide lists those.

How heavy should a value crew be?

Most of these sit at 8 oz. The Gildan 12000 is the heaviest at 9 oz, and the M&O 7810 and Tultex 340 are the lightest at 7.5 oz. That's a 1.5 oz spread, so fabric decides your pick before weight does.

The M&O 7810 uses open-end yarn, and the three cotton-face crews use ringspun. The ringspun vs. open-end guide explains the difference.

Does the size run cover your whole group?

The Gildan 18000, Tultex 340 and M&O 7810 run XS to 5XL, and the Hanes P160 runs S to 5XL. The Gildan SF000 stops at 4XL. The Gildan 12000, Hanes RS160 and Gildan 18810 stop at 3XL.

For kids, three youth crews match an adult style: the Gildan 18000B, Hanes P360 and M&O 7810Y, each in youth XS to XL. To split a mixed group across adult and youth sizes, see how to size a group order.

Will it shrink?

Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash. Before you lock a size breakdown, wash and dry one sample the way the wearer will, then measure it.

Which value crew should you pick?

For most team, school and event runs, start with the Gildan 18000. It's 50/50 fleece for embroidery and screen print, it runs XS to 5XL, and the 18000B puts kids in the same crew. For a narrower job, match it here:

• DTG or full-color art: Gildan SF000, or the Tultex 340 in an 80/20 color such as Black, Navy, Royal or Red
• Discharge test print on a value crew: Tultex 340 in an 80/20 color, Gildan SF000 or Hanes RS160
• Dense embroidery: Gildan 12000, the heaviest at 9 oz (S to 3XL)
• Staff or coaching layer with a zip: Gildan 18810
• Hanes program with a youth match: Hanes P160 and P360
• Side-seamed adult and youth pair: M&O 7810 and 7810Y

Buying hoodies too? See the core hoodies guide. To compare every crew side by side, browse sweatshirts and hoodies.