What GSM is a good hoodie?

Standard retail hoodies sit at 300–340 GSM. 'Premium' streetwear hoodies typically use 380–420 GSM. Anything under 280 GSM feels thin and drapey; anything above 480 GSM is genuine heavyweight streetwear territory and takes serious industrial machines to sew.

What is the difference between French terry and fleece?

French terry has loops on the inside face — soft, breathable, mid-weight, 240–320 GSM. Brushed fleece takes those loops and mechanically brushes them into fuzzy nap for warmth — heavier hand, warmer, 280–500+ GSM. Sherpa fleece is a longer-loop pile brushed both sides. Same base knit, three different back-face treatments.

Is cotton fleece or polyester fleece better?

Cotton fleece feels softer against the skin, absorbs moisture, and pills less over time — right for lifestyle hoodies and joggers. Polyester fleece dries faster, wicks sweat and prints via sublimation — right for performance mid-layers. Cotton/poly blends (usually 65/35 or 80/20) split the difference and are the retail workhorse.

How much does GSM affect cost?

Fabric cost scales almost linearly with GSM — moving from 300 to 400 GSM adds roughly 30% to the fabric bill. It also increases dye and finishing cost, freight weight, sewing time (heavier fabric feeds slower) and packaging volume. Doubling GSM does not double the perceived warmth — there's a diminishing return above 400 GSM for most climates.

Can heavy fleece be sublimated?

Only if it is white polyester fleece. Sublimation dye bonds only to polyester and only on light backgrounds. Cotton and cotton-blend fleece must be decorated with screen print, DTF, DTG or embroidery. 100% white polyester fleece at 320+ GSM sublimates beautifully on the face — the brushed reverse never sees dye.

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Fleece GSM Guide

Every GSM step in fleece unlocks a different product. 260 GSM is a warm-up top. 320 GSM is a mid-market hoodie. 420 GSM feels premium. 500+ GSM is streetwear heavyweight territory. Here is the full ladder with real costs and use cases.

GSM range

240 → 550

Practical span

Constructions

Terry · Brushed · Sherpa

Same base knit

Warmth peak

~420 GSM

Then diminishing

Retail sweet

300–340

Standard hoodie

The full fleece GSM ladder

GSM	Best for	Feel	Notes
240–260	Warm-up crew, kids' fleece	Light, drapey	French terry — no brushing
280–300	Track jacket lining, thin hoodie	Soft, casual	Enters brushed territory
320–340	Standard retail hoodie, joggers	Mid-weight, versatile	Retail sweet spot
360–400	Premium hoodies, cold-weather crews	Substantial, structured	Better shape retention
420–460	Heavyweight streetwear, luxury cotton hoodies	Boxy, premium hand	Needs industrial sewing kit
480–550	Ultra-heavy streetwear, blank canvas hoodies	Very stiff, dense	Long dry time, freight-heavy

Terry, brushed and sherpa — what actually differs

French terry — knit with a plain face and loop back. Breathable, mid-weight, cool-weather comfort. GSM 240–320 typically.
Brushed fleece — the terry loops on the back are mechanically raised and cut into fuzzy nap. Traps air, warmer, softer against skin. GSM 280–500+.
Sherpa / high-pile fleece — longer loops brushed on both sides, giving a plush shag texture. Warmest at a given weight, bulky, harder to sublimate. GSM 320–420.
Double-face fleece — two layers laminated together, often with a windproof or waterproof membrane between. Technical outerwear only.

Cotton, poly and blends — pick by end use

Fibre	Feel	Print	Best for
100% cotton	Softest, absorbs sweat	Screen / DTF / DTG	Lifestyle hoodies, premium streetwear
65/35 cotton-poly	Balanced, holds shape	Screen / DTF	Retail workhorse hoodie
80/20 cotton-poly	Cottony, some poly stability	Screen / DTG	Athletic team hoodies
100% polyester	Fast-drying, slick	Sublimation, screen	Performance mid-layers, all-over print

Spec sheet — fleece on a tech pack

Fabric: 80% cotton / 20% polyester brushed fleece
Yarn: 20/1 ring-spun face, 10/1 loop back
Weight: 340 GSM ±10
Construction: 2-thread brushed back
Shrinkage: ≤ 5% length, ≤ 4% width (after 3 wash cycles)
Colour-fastness: ISO 105-C06, grade 4 minimum
Finish: Bio-washed, silicone softener, anti-pilling grade 4

Common fleece pitfalls

Underestimating shrinkage — cotton fleece shrinks 4–6% length-wise. Always spec pre-washed fabric or grade patterns oversized.
Choosing GSM by number, not by hand — feel three swatches before you commit. 320 GSM cotton feels heavier than 380 GSM polyester.
Sublimating cotton fleece — dye doesn't bond. Only 100% white polyester fleece sublimates.
Skipping the softener step — raw brushed fleece feels harsh and pills fast. Silicone or enzyme softener is worth the extra cost.
Buying by roll weight instead of GSM — a heavier roll can just mean a wider fabric, not denser fleece.

Get a fleece swatch ladder

We ship a five-step fleece ladder — 280, 320, 380, 420 and 480 GSM — across cotton, cotton-poly and 100% poly, so your product team can decide by hand-feel before writing a tech pack.

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