Comfort Colors 1717 vs Gildan 5000

At a glance

These two shirts come from the same parent company and land on a lot of the same quotes, but they answer different briefs. The Gildan 5000 is the volume midweight: dependable, inexpensive per piece, and available in a very long color list. The Comfort Colors 1717 is a heavier, garment-dyed shirt that sells on feel and a worn-in look.

What each shirt is

The 5000 sits in Gildan's Heavy Cotton family, which the maker describes as reworked for better printability. It is 5.3 oz/yd² cotton in a classic fit, with the solid colors in 100% cotton grown in the US and a set of blended colors: Ash, Sport Grey and the Antique shades add a little polyester, while the heathers and safety colors are 50/50.

The 1717 is 6.1 oz/yd² ring-spun cotton grown in the US and sewn with cotton thread. The difference that matters most is the order of work. Comfort Colors sews the shirt first and dyes it afterward, tumbling finished garments in dye. That garment-dye step pre-shrinks the cotton, breaks in the hand and gives the shirt its washed look. The garment-dyed blanks guide explains the process in more depth.

Weight and hand feel

At 6.1 against 5.3 oz/yd², the 1717 is the heavier fabric, and garment dyeing makes it feel softer and a little fuller than its weight suggests. The 5000 feels firmer and flatter. Gildan does not publish the yarn spin for the 5000, while Comfort Colors states ring-spun yarn, which usually means a smoother, less fuzzy surface. In the weight bands used across this library, the 5000 is a midweight and the 1717 sits just inside heavyweight.

Color: garment dye vs dyed fabric

This is the biggest practical difference. The 5000 is cut from fabric dyed before sewing, so a given color looks the same from one shirt to the next and from one order to the next, within normal tolerances. That makes it easy to reorder for a team or a company program.

The 1717's colors come in two kinds. Of 67 colors, 52 are pigment dyes, which sit on the surface of the fiber and give a soft, dusty, faded tone; 13 are direct or reactive dyes that look more even. Garment-dyed shirts vary a little from lot to lot, and the maker warns that pigment colors can shed loose dye in the first washes. For a vintage brand that variation is the appeal; for strict brand-color matching it is a risk to manage, as covered in colorways and stock risk.

Fit and sizing

The makers' charts show similar widths but different lengths. A Small 1717 is 18 1/4 inches across and 26 5/8 inches long; a Small 5000 is 18 by 28. The gap in length narrows as sizes go up (22 by 29 3/8 against 22 by 30 at Large), but the 1717 stays shorter for its width, which is why it reads relaxed and slightly boxy. The 5000 runs S to 5XL, and the 1717 stops at 4XL, a point that matters for staff and team orders with a wide size spread.

Printing and decoration

Both shirts screen print well on their cotton colors. On the 5000, the 50/50 heathers and safety colors bring polyester into play, so white and pale inks need low-bleed formulas to avoid dye migration. On the 1717, the challenge is the base color: approve ink matches on the actual shirts, because each dye lot shifts slightly, and expect pigment colors to soften high-contrast art.

Discharge ink is where the two part ways. Pigment dyes generally do not discharge, which rules out most 1717 colors, though some of the reactive colors may work. The 5000's cotton colors are worth a discharge test, but results vary by color and lot on any cotton tee. DTG works on the cotton colors of both shirts with standard pretreatment.

For embroidery, the heavier 1717 holds a chest logo more steadily than the 5000, though neither is a substitute for a hoodie or a polo when the design is large.

Cost and stock

Blank prices change too often to quote, but the drivers are clear. Heavier fabric and an extra garment-dye step add cost, so the 1717 typically quotes above the 5000. Both are widely distributed; the 5000's larger color list and extended sizes make it easier to fill a mixed order from one style.

Which to choose

• Choose the Gildan 5000 for large runs where cost per piece decides, for event, volunteer, school and staff shirts, for orders that need 5XL, and for programs that will be reordered and must match.
• Choose the Comfort Colors 1717 for retail merch that sells on feel, for vintage or washed aesthetics, for brewery, campus and boutique merch, and when a heavier, softer shirt justifies a higher blank cost.
• If you need discharge prints, avoid the 1717's pigment colors and test the specific color on whichever shirt you pick.
• If brand color must match exactly across reorders, lean toward the 5000 or keep sample shirts from every 1717 lot.

Useful for: clothing brands, schools and clubs, events, breweries.