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Fabric library
Choose fabric weight, structure and handfeel for hoodies, tees and denim.
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Start with your garment and fit: a tee, hoodie or denim piece needs different fabric decisions. Compare GSM first, then structure and handfeel; weight alone does not define the finished result.
- 01
Fabric Weight (GSM) Guide for Streetwear: 180-500 GSM →
GSM measures finished fabric mass per area—not thickness, quality or finished garment weight. Compare candidate fabrics fairly, estimate component mass, and approve the actual garment sample.
- 02
French Terry vs Brushed Fleece: Why Equal GSM Feels Different →
French terry and brushed fleece can share a GSM number yet differ in loops, nap, loft, hand and garment behavior. Compare identified materials and approval states instead of treating weight as a quality grade.
- 03
What Is French Terry Fabric? Loop-Back Structure, Snag Risk and Approval →
French terry is commonly identified by an un-napped technical back with visible float loops and a jersey face. A usable approval goes beyond the name: lock the exact article, face and back, finish state, mass, defect language and physical reference.
Explore more questions
Does 100% Cotton Matter? Fiber Content Decisions for Streetwear →
When 100% cotton is a technical requirement, when a blend serves the design better, and why fiber content is not a quality grade on its own.
Ring-Spun vs Open-End Cotton: The Yarn Decision Hiding Inside Every T-Shirt →
Ring-spun, open-end, combed and carded describe different decisions. Learn how to separate the terms, compare actual jersey and write a quote-ready yarn specification.
Knit vs Woven Fabric: Fit, Construction and Sampling →
Knit and woven fabrics are built differently, so they stretch, drape, cut and recover differently. Compare the two structures and learn what a brand should specify before sampling.
Single Jersey vs Interlock Fabric: Buyer Approval Guide →
Single jersey and interlock are different knit structures, not quality grades. Compare their surfaces, garment behavior and approval evidence before choosing either for a clothing program.
Pique vs Jersey Fabric: Choosing Knit for Polos and T-Shirts →
Pique and jersey are knit structures, not quality grades. Compare their surface, drape, decoration behavior, and approval tests before assigning either fabric to a polo or T-shirt program.
Denim Weight Explained: Oz, GSM and Choosing the Right Cloth for Your Jeans →
Denim ounces measure mass per unit area. They do not by themselves prove thickness, stiffness, hand, drape, stretch, wash response or durability; learn what evidence belongs beside the number.
Types of Denim Fabric: A Factory Guide to Reading the Cloth →
Every denim is one cloth with five decisions layered on it: raw or washed, sanforized or unsanforized, selvedge or wide-loom, rigid or stretch, and the dye route. A factory guide to the types of denim fabric and what each choice changes on the cutting table.
Right-Hand, Left-Hand and Broken Twill Denim: A Brand Selection Guide →
Denim twill direction changes the visible diagonal, surface reference and approval record. Learn how buyers should compare right-hand, left-hand and broken twill before sampling.
Rigid vs Stretch Denim: What Brands Should Specify →
Rigid and stretch denim differ in yarn construction and measured behavior—not just fiber percentages. Compare stretch direction, growth, recovery, fit and wash approval before sampling jeans.
Duck Canvas vs Denim for Workwear Programs →
Compare identified duck canvas and denim candidates by garment zone, hand, finish, construction, test context and approval evidence—not a universal durability ranking.
Twill vs Canvas Fabric for Pants and Jackets →
Twill and canvas differ first in construction, but the name alone cannot predict strength or wear. Compare structure, hand, garment consequences and the evidence a brand should approve.
Oxford vs Poplin Shirt Fabric: How Buyers Compare Specs →
Oxford and poplin are construction starting points, not fixed weight or quality grades. Compare yarn count, warp and weft density, finished GSM, thickness and same-state garment evidence before approval.
Nylon vs Polyester Jacket Fabric: What Changes in an Outerwear Sample →
A nylon or polyester label does not settle a jacket-shell decision. Compare identified fabrics by construction, finish, garment zones, decoration and sample evidence before bulk.
Fill Power, Fill Weight, and What “Down” Legally Means →
A jacket’s warmth depends on both fill power and fill weight, yet briefs often specify only the better-known number. This guide explains how to pair those variables with labeling, material, and construction requirements for a reliable insulated-jacket specification.
Fabric Handfeel Specification: Turning "Soft" Into an Approvable Brief →
Turn vague fabric-hand words into a controlled brief with tactile axes, an identified physical comparator, a defined material state and revision evidence.
Fabric Drape for Apparel: How to Specify, Compare and Approve It →
Specify fabric drape with a garment use, identified material state, oriented comparison and bounded evidence instead of relying on words such as fluid or structured.
Air Permeability vs Breathability: What Fabric Tests Actually Show →
Air permeability measures airflow through a specified textile under stated test conditions. Breathability can refer to airflow, water-vapor transfer, or a wear impression, so buyers need a named method, comparable reports, and garment-level approval evidence.
Fabric Wrinkle Recovery: How Buyers Compare Test Evidence →
Compare induced-wrinkle appearance and crease-recovery-angle evidence without confusing wrinkle recovery with stretch recovery, drape, shrinkage or laundering appearance.
Water-Resistant vs Waterproof Fabric: A Buyer Evidence Guide →
Water-resistant and waterproof are not interchangeable sourcing shortcuts. Learn how to separate surface wetting, fabric penetration and finished-garment ingress before approving an outerwear program.
Greige vs Finished Fabric: What Buyers Must Approve →
Greige and finished fabric are different material states, not quality grades. Learn which observations can transfer, which values must be rechecked, and how to write a production-ready approval record.
Stock Fabric vs Custom Fabric for Clothing Production →
Compare supplier-available fabric with custom color, finish and construction routes by control, evidence, approval scope and continuity—not by a generic promise of speed or cost.
Yarn-Dyed vs Piece-Dyed Fabric: What Changes Before Garment Production →
Yarn-dyed and piece-dyed describe when color enters textile production. Compare design effects, approval evidence, sourcing decisions and claims to avoid.
Industrial Circular Knitting Machine: 400 Years of Loops →
Inside a mill-scale circular knitting machine, cams drive latch needles through the same five movements again and again. That small mechanical cycle is what turns yarn into tubular T-shirt jersey.