Ringspun vs open-end cotton blanks

Two cotton tees can carry the same "100% cotton" line and still print and wear differently, because their yarn was spun two different ways. This guide explains ringspun, combed and open-end yarn, what the singles number on a spec means, and which blanks fit which job.

The shortlist

• Tultex 299 Unisex Heavyweight Street T-Shirt: 7.2 oz, 100% open-end cotton, 18 singles. Heather Grey is 90/10 ringspun cotton/poly. Best for bold screen prints on heavy cotton.
• Tultex 290 Unisex Heavyweight Jersey T-Shirt: 5.5 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, 24 singles. Heathers and Safety colors are blends. Best for an everyday ringspun tee.
• Tultex 202 Unisex Fine Jersey T-Shirt: 4.5 oz, pre-shrunk 100% ringspun cotton, 30 singles. Best for a pre-shrunk light tee.
• Tultex 602 Combed Cotton T-Shirt: 4.2 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, 36 singles, retail fit. Best for fine-line art.
• Next Level 3600 Unisex Cotton Tee: 4.3 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, 32 singles, regular fit, sizes XS to 6XL. Best for retail merch with a wide size run.
• Lane Seven LS15001 Unisex Heavyweight Tee: 5.6 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, 20 singles, regular fit. Heathers are blends. Best for a combed tee with more body.
• Hanes 5180 Unisex Beefy-T: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, 20 singles, relaxed fit. Best for heavier ringspun tees.
• Comfort Colors 1717 Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.1 oz, 100% ringspun cotton, 20 singles, relaxed fit, garment-dyed. Best for a washed, lived-in look.
• Next Level 7200 Unisex Heavyweight Tee: 6.8 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, 16 singles, oversized fit with a dropped shoulder. Best for a heavy combed tee.
• Independent Trading Co. IND50TEE Unisex Lux Heavyweight T-Shirt: 6.5 oz, 100% combed ringspun cotton, 50 singles, interlock double-knit jersey. Best for fine yarn in a heavy shirt.

What's the difference between ringspun and open-end?

Both start as the same loose cotton fiber. Open-end spinning twists fiber in a fast rotor. It's quick and cheap to run, and the yarn comes out coarser and less even. Ringspun yarn is drawn thin and twisted on a spinning ring. That lines the fibers up and wraps the loose ends in, so the yarn is finer and smoother.

Combed cotton is brushed before spinning to pull out the short fibers, so only the long ones go into the yarn. "Combed ringspun" is the smoothest cotton yarn you'll see on a spec.

What does "singles" mean on a spec?

Singles is the yarn count. The higher the number, the finer the yarn.

Compare two combed ringspun tees from Next Level. The 3600 uses 32 singles at 4.3 oz, a fine yarn in a light shirt. The 7200 uses 16 singles at 6.8 oz, a thicker yarn that builds a heavier fabric. The Independent Trading Co. IND50TEE goes the other way: 50 singles at 6.5 oz. It's an interlock double knit, so two layers of fine yarn add up to a heavy shirt.

Counts near 18 to 20 are classic, sturdy tee yarn. Counts of 30 and up are the fine yarn of light retail tees.

Does ringspun print better?

For fine detail, the yarn helps. A smooth, even yarn knits into a flatter face, so fine lines and DTG ink sit cleaner. The DTG printing guide covers pretreat and cure for cotton.

Open-end cotton still prints well. The Tultex 299 is 100% cotton in its solid colors, so screen print, discharge and DTF all work on it. For a bold one- or two-color logo, the yarn matters less than the ink and press setup.

When is ringspun worth paying for?

If someone is buying it at a merch table, ringspun earns its cost. The Tultex 602 and Next Level 3600 are light combed tees built for that job.

If the shirt is a giveaway for a 5K or a staff picnic, price per piece leads, and the lighter Tultex 202 and 290 cost less. When you want a heavy shirt under a bold print, the Tultex 299 is the open-end pick: 7.2 oz at 18 singles.

For ringspun with more weight, the Hanes 5180 and Comfort Colors 1717 are both 6.1 oz at 20 singles. The heavyweight blanks guide covers the 6 oz and up range.

How do you spot it on a spec?

Read the yarn words, not the fiber percentage. "100% cotton" tells you the fiber. "Ring-spun," "combed" and "open-end" tell you the yarn, and the singles number tells you how fine it is.

Check the color, too. A tee sold as 100% cotton often has blended heathers:

• Tultex 202: Heather Grey is 90/10 cotton/poly. Other heathers are 50/50.
• Tultex 290: Heather Grey is 90/10. Other heathers and the Safety colors are 50/50, and Ash is 99/1.
• Lane Seven LS15001: Heather Grey is 90/10. Other heather colors are 60/40.
• Next Level 3600: Heather Grey is 90/10 and Oatmeal is 99/1.

For water-based or discharge prints, stick to the solid colors. If the fiber question is still open, start with cotton vs polyester blanks.

Will these shrink?

Cotton that isn't pre-shrunk can move in the first wash. Wash and dry one sample and measure it before you lock sizes. The Tultex 202 is pre-shrunk, so it's the pick here when sizing is tight. Tultex says the 290 and 299 are pre-washed to minimize shrinkage. Comfort Colors says its garment dyeing gives the 1717 minimal shrinkage. Wash a sample anyway.

Which one should you buy?

For most retail merch, start with the Next Level 3600. It's combed ringspun at 32 singles, the kind of fine, smooth yarn that suits detailed DTG and screen prints. It runs XS to 6XL, so one style covers a whole order.

• Light and pre-shrunk: Tultex 202
• Fine yarn in a heavy shirt: Independent Trading Co. IND50TEE
• Washed look: Comfort Colors 1717
• Bold prints on open-end cotton: Tultex 299