Cotton/poly blend blanks: 50/50, CVC and poly-rich explained

A cotton/poly blend tee or sweatshirt can lean cotton, split even, or lean polyester, and that ratio changes which decoration methods work and what each color is made of. This guide explains 50/50, CVC and poly-rich blends and the jobs each suits.

The shortlist

• Gildan 8000 Unisex DryBlend T-Shirt: 5.5 oz, 50/50 cotton/polyester, classic fit, sizes S to 5XL. Best for screen-printed team and event tees.
• Hanes 5170 Unisex EcoSmart T-Shirt: 5.2 oz, 50/50 US-grown cotton/polyester, classic fit, sizes S to 5XL. Best for an everyday 50/50 tee.
• Gildan 64000CVC Unisex Softstyle CVC T-Shirt: 4.6 oz, 60/40 ringspun cotton/polyester, modern classic fit. Best for a heathered CVC look in nearly every color.
• Next Level 6210 Unisex CVC Tee: 4.3 oz, 60/40 combed ringspun cotton/polyester, regular fit, sizes XS to 6XL. Best for a retail CVC tee with a wide size range.
• Tultex 602CVC Unisex Combed CVC T-Shirt: 4.2 oz, 52/48 combed ringspun cotton/polyester, retail fit, heat-set fabric. Best for a light CVC tee in heathers.
• Live & Tell by LAT 6902 Unisex Vintage Wash Tee: 5.7 oz, 55/45 ringspun cotton/polyester, vintage washed jersey. Best for a vintage washed look.
• Tultex 241 Unisex Poly-Rich T-Shirt: 3.6 oz, 65/35 polyester/combed ringspun cotton, heat-set to minimize shrinkage. Best for a light, poly-leaning tee.
• Gildan 18000 Unisex Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt: 8 oz, 50/50, classic fit, sizes XS to 5XL. Best for team and school crewnecks.
• Gildan 18500 Unisex Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt: 8 oz, 50/50, classic fit, double-lined hood. Best for everyday logo hoodies.
• Hanes P160 Unisex EcoSmart Crewneck Sweatshirt: 8 oz, 50/50 US-grown cotton/polyester, low-pill PrintPro XP fabric. Best for a 50/50 crew built for printing.
• Comfort Colors 1566 Unisex Garment-Dyed Crewneck Sweatshirt: 9.5 oz, 80/20 ringspun cotton/polyester with a 100% cotton face, garment-dyed, relaxed fit. Best for a heavy, cotton-led crew.

What do 50/50, CVC and poly-rich mean?

The numbers follow the fibers named on the label, so read the names, not just the numbers: 65/35 polyester/cotton is poly-rich. A 50/50 splits the fiber evenly. CVC stands for chief value cotton, which means cotton is the larger share. The CVC tees here run from 52/48 on the Tultex 602CVC to 60/40 on the Next Level 6210 and Gildan 64000CVC. A poly-rich blend flips it, like the Tultex 241 at 65% polyester.

More cotton gives ink more natural fiber to soak into. More polyester means more dye in the fabric that can move under heat. Still choosing between all-cotton and all-polyester? Start with cotton vs polyester blanks.

Which decoration methods fit each blend?

Screen printing works across all of these. Under heat, dye in the polyester can bleed into light inks on dark and heather colors, so printers use a low-bleed ink over a blocker underbase and cure lower. The more polyester, the more that matters. The screen printing guide covers ink choice.

DTG needs cotton to bond to. Among the tees, the 60/40 CVCs give it the most to hold. On fleece, the cotton-faced Comfort Colors 1566 does. On a 50/50 or a poly-rich tee, DTF is the easier route for full-color art, since the film sits on top of the fabric. See the DTG guide and DTF guide.

Full-color sublimation needs a mostly or all polyester shirt in a light color. None of these blends get there, so for sublimation use the picks in the sublimation guide.

Discharge needs cotton, so blends are mostly out. The Comfort Colors 1566 is the exception worth a test print. Its overall blend is 80/20, but Comfort Colors says the face is 100% ring-spun cotton, and the face is where the print sits. The discharge guide covers cotton-face fleece and test prints.

Embroidery and vinyl work on all of them. The fleece, 8 to 9.5 oz, gives stitches the most to grip.

Why does the color change the blend?

On the Gildan 18000 and 18500, Heather Dark Green, Heather Dark Maroon, Heather Dark Navy, Heather Deep Royal and Heather Scarlet Red are 60/40 polyester/cotton, not 50/50. On the Gildan 8000, Heather Dark Navy, Heather Deep Royal and Heather Scarlet Red are 65/35 polyester/cotton. On the Tultex 602CVC, Heather Black and Heather Grey jump to 90/10 cotton/polyester. And Gildan says the 64000CVC shows a subtle heather texture in every color except Pitch Black and White.

This matters when you mix colors in one order. A 60/40 polyester/cotton Heather Dark Navy and a 50/50 Navy can need different ink and cure settings, so plan the press setup by color, not by style.

What makes fleece blends print well?

On fleece, look at the yarn on the outside too, since that's the surface you print. Gildan says the Heavy Blend fleece uses a finer face yarn for a smoother printing surface. Hanes describes the P160's PrintPro XP fabric as low-pill and high stitch density. Comfort Colors puts a 100% cotton face on the 1566. For more on crewnecks, see the crewneck sweatshirts guide.

Will a blend shrink?

Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash, and every blend here still carries cotton. Wash and dry one sample and measure it before you lock sizes for the run. Comfort Colors says garment dyeing gives the 1566 minimal shrinkage, and a sample wash is still worth doing.

Which blend should you buy?

For a printed tee that most people will wear, our pick is the Next Level 6210. At 60/40 it leans cotton, so DTG and screen print both work. Sizes XS to 6XL cover a wide group in one style. More options sit in the Next Level line.

For other jobs:

• Screen-printed team tees: Gildan 8000
• Heathered look in nearly every color: Gildan 64000CVC
• Vintage washed look: LAT 6902
• Light, poly-leaning tee: Tultex 241
• Team crewnecks and hoodies: Gildan 18000 and 18500
• Heavy crew with a cotton face: Comfort Colors 1566