How to Choose a Blank Hoodie

Fleece or French terry

Most blank hoodies are knit from one of two fabrics, and both start the same way: a smooth jersey face with extra yarn looped across the back.

• Fleece has those back loops brushed, which raises a soft nap that traps air. It is warmer and loftier, and it is what most people picture when they say hoodie.
• French terry leaves the loops intact. It is flatter, less insulating and more breathable, so it suits spring drops, warm climates and layering.

Both print and embroider on the smooth face. Many fleeces are "3-end": knit from three yarns, one forming the face, one tying the structure together and one making the loops on the back. French terry vs fleece compares the two in depth, and the fabric guide covers how knits are built.

Hoodie weights

Hoodie fabric is quoted the same way as tee fabric, in ounces per square yard or GSM, but the numbers run higher.

The Champion Reverse Weave hoodie is another heavyweight reference point. GSM and fabric weight has the full conversion table.

Cotton, polyester and the cotton face

Fiber content changes how a hoodie feels, wears and takes decoration.

Many blend hoodies use a cotton face: the yarn that forms the smooth outside is cotton, and the polyester sits mostly in the brushed back. You get a cotton surface to print on with the shape retention and lower shrink of a blend. Spec sheets say so directly. Cotton Heritage lists a cotton face on blends from 65/35 to 60/40 across its pullovers, Lane Seven pairs a cotton face with an 80/20 body on the LS14001 and calls it ideal for DTG, and Made Blanks knits a cotton face over 60/40 fleece on its Everyday Relaxed Hoodie.

A cotton face does not remove the polyester from the equation. Dyed polyester in the fleece can still bleed into ink during curing, which is dye migration. Made Blanks tells printers to use a poly-blocking underbase on its cotton-face blend for exactly that reason. Polyester also pills, because its strong fibers hold onto the little balls of fuzz instead of letting them break away, so higher-polyester hoodies show it first on the cuffs and sides where arms rub.

Construction details worth checking

• Hood. A lined or double-layer hood holds its shape and sits better than a single layer. Three-panel hoods, with a strip down the middle, follow the head more closely than two-panel hoods. Lane Seven's LS14001 uses a three-panel, fleece-lined hood; Cotton Heritage's Box Hoodie uses a double-layered hood in self fabric.
• Drawcords. Flat or round, ideally with metal eyelets or grommets and tipped ends. Many streetwear blanks skip the cord for a cleaner look, including the Made Blanks Relaxed hoodies, the Lane Seven Element, the Cotton Heritage Box Hoodie and Shaka Wear's Max Heavy Fleece.
• Kids' sizes. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission treats hood and neck drawstrings on children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12 as a strangulation hazard. Youth blanks in that range come without them; never add cords when decorating kids' hoodies.
• Cuffs and waistband. Look for firm 1x1 or 2x2 rib that recovers after stretching. The depth of the waistband rib also limits how low a back print can sit.
• Seams and shoulders. Set-in sleeves give a classic shape, raglan sleeves run up to the collar, and dropped shoulders give the relaxed streetwear look. Double-needle or cover stitching and taped neck seams signal a sturdier build.
• Side seams. Side-seamed bodies tend to hang straighter and twist less after washing than tubular ones; the spec sheet will say which you are getting.

The pocket, the zipper and where the print goes

The kangaroo pocket is the biggest constraint on a hoodie front. Standard front prints sit between the collar and the top of the pocket, which limits how tall the art can be, especially on small sizes. Printing across the pocket is possible, but its edges and seams make the surface uneven, so treat it as a specialty placement and expect a test.

On zip hoodies, the zipper splits the front. Use a left-chest logo, or a split design that lines up across the teeth when zipped. Some makers help here: Made Blanks adds a zipper cover to its Cross Country Zip Hoodie to give a smoother printing surface. The back is the large, flat canvas, the hood can take a print or embroidery on its side panels, and sleeves take long vertical prints. See printing on sleeves, hoods, pockets and zippers and the print placement guide.

Fit

Hoodies come in the same fit families as tees: classic, relaxed, boxy or cropped, and oversized with dropped shoulders. Champion describes its Reverse Weave hoodie as a loose fit with drop shoulders. Lane Seven's Element is cut oversized with dropped shoulders, while its LS14001 is a regular fit. Blanks by Thirteen cuts its Perfect Hoodie slightly oversized with a dropped shoulder and suggests sizing down for a truer fit.

Check body width, body length from the high point of the shoulder, sleeve length and how firmly the waistband grips. A hoodie that is the right width but too short rides up when arms are raised. Fleece can shrink, mostly in length; preshrunk, garment-dyed and cross-grain-cut fleeces resist it, and Champion cuts Reverse Weave on the cross-grain for that purpose. How to read a size chart and boxy and oversized fits apply to hoodies too.

How hoodies take decoration

• Screen printing: prints well on cotton and cotton-face fleece. Fleece faces can be fuzzier than jersey, so printers often lay down an underbase and flash it to mat the fibers, and heavy fleece may need more dryer time for the ink to cure fully. Cotton Heritage describes its cotton-face fleece as good for discharge. See screen printing.
• Embroidery: fleece supports dense stitching, which is why left-chest and sleeve logos look sharp on hoodies. 3D puff works on chest and hood placements with good backing; see puff on hats vs garments.
• DTG: works best on 100% cotton or cotton-face fleece; blends print more muted. See DTG printing.
• Garment-dyed fleece: Shaka Wear, Los Angeles Apparel and Made Blanks all sell garment-dyed hoodies, with the washed look and lot-to-lot shade shifts covered in garment-dyed blanks.

A quick hoodie checklist

1. Fleece or French terry for your climate and season?
2. Which weight band, and does it match the price you plan to charge?
3. What is the fiber content of every color you want, heathers included?
4. Is there a cotton face if you plan DTG or soft-hand prints?
5. How is the hood built, how are the drawcords finished, and are youth sizes cord-free?
6. How big is the pocket, and how does it limit the front print?
7. Have you checked body length and sleeve length on the actual chart, not just the size name?
8. Is the style deep in stock in your colors, and what is the backup? See blank colors and stock risk, and the Shaka Wear and Lane Seven brand pages for more fleece styles.

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