Heavyweight blanks guide: tees and fleece 6 oz and up

Heavyweight blanks are the tees and fleece that run 6 oz per square yard or more, built for structure and body rather than a light drape. This guide compares heavyweight tees from 6 to 7.5 oz and fleece from 8 to 10.5 oz, and explains how fiber, face yarn and fit change what you can print on them.

The shortlist

These cover cotton tees from 6 to 7.5 oz, a long sleeve, and three fleece hoodies.

• Gildan 2000 Unisex Ultra Cotton T-Shirt: 6 oz, 100% U.S. cotton, 18 singles, classic fit, sizes S to 5XL. Best for a heavier tee at a core price.
• Hanes 5180 Unisex Beefy-T: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, relaxed fit, sizes S to 5XL. Best for team and event tees with more body.
• Comfort Colors 1717 Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, relaxed fit, garment-dyed. Best for vintage-look merch.
• Comfort Colors 6014 Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight Long Sleeve T-Shirt: the 1717's 6.1 oz garment-dyed cotton with rib cuffs. Best for the same look in long sleeve.
• Independent Trading Co. IND50TEE Unisex Lux Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.5 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, interlock double knit, standard fit. Best for a smooth print face at 6.5 oz.
• Next Level 7200 Unisex Heavyweight Tee: 6.8 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, oversized fit, dropped shoulder. Best for detailed DTG at almost 7 oz.
• Tultex 299 Unisex Heavyweight Street T-Shirt: 7.2 oz, 100% open-end cotton, pre-washed. Best for bold screen prints on a heavy cotton base.
• Shaka Wear SHMHSS Unisex Max Heavyweight Tee: 7.5 oz, 100% cotton, oversized fit with a slight drop shoulder, sizes S to 5XL, plus 7XL. Best for the heaviest tee in big sizes.
• Gildan 18500 Unisex Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt: 8 oz, 50/50 cotton/poly, classic fit, sizes XS to 5XL. Best for everyday team and school hoodies.
• 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 premium heavy hoodie.
• Gildan 19500 Unisex Hammer Maxweight Hooded Sweatshirt: 10.5 oz, 75/25 cotton/poly with a 100% cotton face, classic fit. Best for the heaviest fleece here.

What do the extra ounces get you?

More fabric in every yard means a shirt that holds its own shape instead of clinging. The Gildan 19500 at 10.5 oz carries about a third more fabric per square yard than the 8 oz Gildan 18500. In tees, going from a 6 oz Gildan 2000 to a 7.5 oz Shaka Wear SHMHSS is a 25% jump.

Heavy cloth also gives embroidery a firm base, since a dense knit has more to hold each stitch.

Cotton or a blend at this weight?

Pick the fiber for your print method, then pick the weight.

The heavyweight tees here are 100% cotton in their solid colors. That means screen print, DTF and discharge all have cotton to work with, and DTG ink soaks into the fiber. The Next Level 7200 and IND50TEE are combed ringspun, so their smooth face suits fine DTG detail. The ringspun vs open-end guide explains why.

Fleece is where the face yarn matters. The Gildan 18500 is a 50/50 blend with no cotton face. Screen print, DTF, vinyl and embroidery suit it, and DTG and discharge suit a cotton surface better. Gildan says its Heavy Blend face yarn is finer for a smoother print surface.

The Gildan 19500 and the IND4000 solids have a 100% cotton face. So the side you print on is cotton, and DTG goes down on it. A discharge test print on one sample is worth running too, since discharge acts on the cotton face. The discharge printing guide covers how to test.

Do the colors change the blend?

Yes, on several of these. On the Gildan 2000, Heather and Safety colors are 50/50, and Sport Grey and the Antique colors are 90/10. On the Hanes 5180, Charcoal Heather and Oxford Grey are 60/40 and Light Steel is 90/10. The Shaka Wear SHMHSS Heather Grey is 90/10 and its Charcoal Grey is 50/50. In fleece, the Gildan 18500 heathers such as Heather Dark Navy are 60/40 polyester/cotton, and IND4000 heathers are 52/48. IND4000 Safety colors have a 65/35 polyester/cotton face. The Gildan 19500 Sport Grey is 70/30 and Safety Orange is 50/50. For discharge or water-based DTG, choose a cotton solid.

Will a heavy shirt shrink?

Weight doesn't stop cotton from moving. Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash, so wash and dry one sample and measure it before you lock sizes. Tultex says the 299 is pre-washed to minimize shrinkage. Comfort Colors says garment dyeing gives the 1717 and 6014 minimal shrinkage. Wash a sample of those too.

Which fit do these come in?

Most run classic or relaxed. The Gildan 2000, Gildan 18500 and Gildan 19500 are classic fit. The Hanes 5180 and both Comfort Colors styles are relaxed. The Next Level 7200 and Shaka Wear SHMHSS are cut oversized, and the IND4000 has a generous fit. If the oversized look is the goal, the streetwear and oversized guide goes deeper on boxy cuts.

Which heavyweight should you pick?

For retail merch, the heavyweight tee we'd start with is the Comfort Colors 1717. It's 6.1 oz of ringspun cotton in a relaxed fit, with the widest color range of the tees here. Screen print, DTG, DTF and discharge all have cotton to work with, and it runs S to 4XL.

• Heavier tee at a core price: Gildan 2000
• Detailed DTG on a heavy tee: Next Level 7200
• Heaviest tee, big sizes: Shaka Wear SHMHSS
• Everyday hoodie: Gildan 18500
• Heaviest hoodie with a cotton face: Gildan 19500

For more fleece, see the pullover hoodie buyer's guide or browse sweatshirts and hoodies.