# Teach me he different fabrics put into shirts: t-shirt terminology



## ontheCoMeUP

the different fabrics put into shirts, what is higher quality what it means to the shirt in terms of washing breathing and other facts. All the different type of stitchings in shirts, what weight of it means. everything that I would need to know that would help me determine its quality. thanks for the help in advance.


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## T-BOT

*Re: Teach me*



ontheCoMeUP said:


> the different fabrics put into shirts, what is higher quality what it means to the shirt in terms of washing breathing and other facts. All the different type of stitchings in shirts, what weight of it means. everything that I would need to know that would help me determine its quality. thanks for the help in advance.


the basic t-shirts are made of 100% cotton or cotton/polyester blend. 
cotton breaths well and keeps you cool.
top stitching makes shoulder seams more durable and neck lines more sporty looking...i think.

you need to go into different t-shirt stores at the mall, try them out, look at the tag to see who makes them and the fabric content. If you happen to find one you like, bring a pen and paper and write down the RN # to help you track down the manufacturer...in case you want to buy the same t-shirts for your line.


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## ontheCoMeUP

like people that know about shirts and their quality how do they learn that stuff is their one of those "for dummies" books, i want to learn what everything means with shirts, all types of stitching, weights, materials, CAN ANYONE HELP OUT A BROTHER?


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## Rodney

> like people that know about shirts and their quality how do they learn that stuff is their one of those "for dummies" books, i want to learn what everything means with shirts, all types of stitching, weights, materials


There is no "for dummies" book like that that I know of. A lot of people learn just by experience by researching on their own and by asking questions when they can't find an answer.

A piece of information here, a piece of information there.

I've learned about a LOT of t-shirt terminology by just reading these forums, and I already considered myself pretty knowledgeable before these forums existed.

When I didn't know *anything* about t-shirts, I just did research. I heard one term like "Hanes Beefy Tee" and asked someone what it was. Then I heard about 6 oz and searched and found what that meant. I never read a book that laid it all out for me. Maybe someone will write one soon 

Even now, if someone posts about a term I don't know, I just ask what it means or I look it up in Google or wikipedia.com

I know what you're saying though. It would be nice if there was a reference point where you could find all the answers. These forums are great for that if you have the time and patience to follow along with the discussions and search through past topics and ask questions.

Some people prefer to learn in a "book" format or an "encyclopedia" type format with reference points and a glossary. We're working on that type of t-shirt information source as well, but it will take some time to gather the information and get people contributing their knowledge


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## Ross B

Yeah, I can well understand where onthecomeup's - erm - coming from. I have learnt a lot from this forum, but I still don't really KNOW the difference between ringspun, jersey knit, ribbed etc etc. 

AND...how the hell do companies like Gildan do that seamless body (say, on the Ultracotton 2000 Ts)? Most of the common big name Ts are made like that... but HOW?

And what's the correct terminology for what I'm referring to - "tubed" maybe?


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## jdr8271

Ring spun means that it is extra soft cotton. Ribbed means that the fabric has little ridges, kind of like a corrugated box, except in fabric. 

5.6oz is the typical light weight t-shirt weight. 5.6 oz refers to the weight of one yard of fabric. 

6.1 oz is the average weight of a heavy weight t-shirt.

weigt varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. AA uses about 4.5oz I believe.


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## VariantArt

There are many things to consider when choosing a “quality” t-shirt. When a shirt says it’s 100% Cotton, that really doesn’t give you too much information about the fabric. Nor does it tell you if it’s a good quality shirt or a cheap shirt. Have you ever noticed some shirts are softer than other shirts, yet the label still indicates that it’s 100% cotton? Even the softer shirts are 100% cotton. You really can’t tell unless you ask the manufacturer or a knowledgeable distributor about what type of fabric they used in the production process. Perhaps this information may be of some help. 

Cotton is a natural fiber that breathes well, whereas man-made fibers such as polyester do not provide the same ventilations. When the cotton is processed, there’s two main methods use to select the fibers. 

Combed Cotton
Combing is a process used to separate the longer, thinner, cotton fiber from the shorter, more coarse fibers. Fibers selected using the combing process is often stronger and more even. Longer strands of fiber makes better yarn, which makes better t-shirts. Once the fibers are separated, the yarning process begins. Combed cotton are often ring-spun to produced yarns. Ring-Spun Cotton uses thinner, stronger fibers twisted together to make a yarn. These yarns are finer and smoother to feel. Often times, these are the more expensive t-shirts everyone covets because they are softer and has minimal shrinkage. These t-shirts can run anywhere up from $7.


Carded Cottons
Carded cotton fibers are often the shorter, thicker, and less desirable fibers. T-shirts using such cotton fibers are rougher, heavier, and tends to shrink more. Carded cotton are blowned together and wrapped by other fibers using air jets to produced Open-Ended cotton. Open Ended Cotton uses fewer, and coarser fibers bound loosely together. These t-shirts are also the cheaper t-shirts that are sold under $5.00.

It’s no surprise that many people are unfamiliar with how t-shirts are made because they simply purchase them from the cheapest source. Often times we ask as our customers what type of fabric are they interested in prior to having their custom shirts made, and their answers are usually, “I want some quality t-shirts that are soft and won’t shrink”. They don’t understand that such t-shirts are usually more expensive because of the material and process involved.

This is one of the reasons why we don’t accept other manufacturer's apparel for printing, embroidering, or embellishing because we can not ensure their quality and craftsmanship. 

I understand a lot of people on this forum do this as a side job and may not have all the knowledge of what’s involved in producing a shirt. I hope this information will shed some light for many people here.


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## Rodney

Thanks for sharing that info, VariantArt 



> I understand a lot of people on this forum do this as a side job and may not have all the knowledge of what’s involved in producing a shirt


Even some of us that do "t-shirts" as a full time job may not have known how to explain the differences with the various cotton makes/terms 

AmericanApparel and alternativeapparel have also published some good info on the different "quality" types of fabric they use on their t-shirts:

http://www.americanapparel.net/wholesaleresources/fabrics.asp

http://www.alternativeapparel.com/default.aspx?id=35


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## Ross B

Excellent information, guys - thanks! 

But what about that seamless trick - HOW?


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## alexbuttonstein

A great resource and cool way to learn about fabrics....fabric stores. If you live in a city with a garment/fabric/fashion district, I totally recommend checking out the fabric stores. It can be intimidating if you're unfamiliar, but the stores are pretty straightforward and you'll soon learn that the salespeople are generally very helpful and friendly. They're also extremely knowledgebable about their merchandise and can offer lots of helpful information regarding the fabrics they carry. I've learned tons about cotton jersey by visiting stores that carry them. The variety of cotton jerseys is amazing - by getting your hands on the fabric, and if the store has a nice selection, you can really appreciate the differences in elasticity, weight, knit, texture of all the different jerseys. Most of what I know about fabric I learned in those stores.


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## Jensen

Hi everyone.

I am newbie, and yes in fact i have a lot to learn. However, i still failed to get info about parts of a t-shirt. e.g sleeves type (long, short, shorter than normal?), cuff type (ringer, vintage, double sleeves?), collar type, stitch type etc.


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## llisamclaren

You may want to check Fashion Incubator

This is a great resource for the actual garment creation.

You may find some info here.

Lisa


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## jimmi

Hi Varianart,
When the label say "100% Cotton" it is true that the shirt made purely cotton? I spoken to a printer and he told me that "don't trust the label". Then it trigger me on how do I know the actual content of the t shirt fabric..? huh...


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## moksha

I guess that would depend on where you are located. In Malaysia the garments could possibly be labeled wrong, maybe the garment was even manufactured there and just given a random label. In the US though a company would most likely not mis-label their products because of customs issues. Imported textiles into the USA are sometimes given lab tests to determine the exact fabric content and companies would not want to risk the repercussions of labeling their product incorrectly.


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## LevasCR

Hey, 

What about the Preshrunk Cotton? I have about 10 hours reading this forum. I've seen preshrunk, Ringspun and I have seen more that I can't remember. 

Soon, I'm starting my own screenprint T's company but now I'm very unsure about the fabric I want to use. I have an American Apparel T that I like very much the fabric and only says 100% Combed Cotton. 

I have been looking out for wholesale prices and the ones I like are starting at $6 but I have to keep on mind that this shirts are going to be imported to Costa Rica so I have to add taxes+shipping to the T cost. 

What kind of T would you recommend? 

Thanks a lot.


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## lennyzhu

Hi Varianart,how are you?
thank you for your explaination.i learned a lots.


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