# How can I tell if my T-shirt is heavyweight?



## Hotwheels494 (Mar 25, 2020)

Hello all, 

Please forgive me if this is not the right place to post my question, but I could not find a forum more obvious. I have tried searching many different words and have not come upon a post that answers my question (here or via Google).

I am trying to make face masks for healthcare workers (to donate) as a last resort, should they run out of supplies. This requires heavyweight t shirts. I have a bunch of old t-shirts I can use (hubs is laid off due to Covid19, so I can't buy any at this moment). Most of them are kids' sizes, and I am having a very hard time trying to identify which might be heavyweight. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Is it possible there is some symbol or shorthand on the tags that I am unaware of?

Thank you for any help you can offer!! Stay well, everyone.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Some tags will indicate 'heavyweight'. Otherwise you can usually tell by the feel. Take a shirt you know is not heavyweight and compare it to your others. A scale helps too using your non-heavyweight shirt as a baseline.


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## JazzBlueRT (Feb 22, 2021)

Hotwheels494 said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Please forgive me if this is not the right place to post my question, but I could not find a forum more obvious. I have tried searching many different words and have not come upon a post that answers my question (here or via Google).
> 
> ...


Not 100% sure about tshirts, but the general weight of a fabric is literally it's weight per square yard. 4oz and lower is lightweight, 4-8 oz is mid weight and over 8oz is considered heavy weight. Actual number may vary slightly depending upon source.

A mens large shirt uses slightly more than 1 yard of fabric. Weigh it and see if it is over 8 oz.


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