Fabrics & GSM · Hoodie Encyclopedia
Tech Fleece for Hoodies
Tech fleece is a three-layer sandwich — a smooth poly face, a foam or knit core and a soft fleece back — laminated together with heat. The result is warm, weightless and stretchy. It's the modern athleisure hoodie fabric, and it behaves nothing like cotton fleece.
Blend ratios
Most tech fleece runs at 80% polyester / 20% cotton — enough cotton to absorb sweat and stop the fabric from feeling plasticky, enough polyester for weight, colour depth and stretch. Fully synthetic tech fleece (100% poly) exists but reads cheap and holds odour.
Bonding
The three layers are laminated on a hot-press roller line at 120–140°C. Adhesive is either a spray-applied PU film or heat-activated resin dots. Bond quality decides longevity — poor bond delaminates after 20 washes, showing as fabric bubbles.
- PU film bond — cleaner face, higher stretch recovery, more expensive.
- Resin dot bond — cheaper, slightly stiffer, occasional visible dots on light colours.
- Test spec: 50 machine washes at 40°C with no delamination.
Mechanical stretch
Tech fleece uses a warp-knit or a bi-elastic weave rather than elastane. That gives ~15% mechanical stretch in both directions without any spandex, which means the fabric doesn't lose elasticity after washing the way an elastane blend can. Great for zip-ups and slim-fit hoodies.
Construction differences vs cotton fleece
- Seam allowance — reduce to 6–8mm; heavier allowances add unwanted bulk on bonded fabric.
- Needle — ballpoint 75/11 or 80/12; standard needles cut poly filament and cause runs.
- Rib — bonded rib strips, not knit rib; classic 2x2 rib clashes visually with tech face.
- Decoration — DTF and heat transfer only; screen print scorches the bond, embroidery pierces the film.
- Neck tape — self-fabric taped; a woven twill tape rubs against the smooth face.
Where tech fleece wins
- Athleisure — slim fits with clean stretch and no bagging.
- Travel — lightweight warmth, packs to a quarter the volume of 400 GSM fleece.
- Zip-ups — the mechanical stretch handles zip tension without buckling.
- Premium tech drops — the smooth face reads modern and expensive.
Common pitfalls
- Trying to embroider — the needle punches the film and the bond peels around the stitch.
- Wrong pressing — a hot iron directly on tech face melts the core. Steam only, no direct contact.
- Over-styled rib — knitted rib looks glued-on. Use bonded strips or self-fabric hems instead.
- Cost expectations — bonded tech fleece is 2–3× the m² cost of 320 GSM cotton fleece.
Speccing a tech fleece hoodie?
We'll source bonded tech fleece and press a proto in 4 weeks.