T-Shirts - Common Terms Explained

T-shirt manufacturers use many terms to describe their products. The terms are not always consistent and it helps to have a care guide.

The chasing is the emissary Green Man T-Shirts Guide to understanding t-shirt terms:

20s, 20/1, 20s single: Unit of measurement that defines the fineness of cotton thread. A prototypes spool of single-ply cotton wire is comprised of 840 playpen of cotton thread. If it proceeds 20 spools to weigh one pound, then the wire on those spools is referred to as 20s cotton, or 20/1. If 30 spools weigh one pound, then the cord on those spools is referred to as 30s cotton thread, or 30/1. If it incomes 40 spools to weigh one pound, then the string on those spools is referred to as 40s cotton, or 40/1. The higher sum stipulation a finer thread, and thus a finer, softer web is created. T-shirts made of 30s and 40s are softer, finer, and have better drape than t-shirts made of 20s. The terms are used many ways, but it's the sum that counts; "20s," "20/1," and "20 singles" are the same. Threads can be twisted together into thicker strands. If two 20/1 cotton threads were twisted together, it would be referred to as 20/2.

Bamboo Fabric: Rayon made from bamboo cellulose. Although rayon is a man-made synthetic material, mass professionals agree it is readily biodegradable. Bamboo net is extremely soft and has excellent drape.



Bamboo: Fast raising plant, classified as a grass, which tins be readily processed into rayon to type bamboo rayon clothing.

Bleach Wash: A tide that uses bleach to soften and suffering the look of the texture being washed.

Boat Neck: A very wide neckline that runs across the collarbone field to the shoulder points. Derives from early sailors' shirts, where the wide neck enabled quick meaning if the sailor fell overboard.

Boy Beater: Women's modes answer to the mate beater. A women's tank top, although it tins be any color.

Brushed Cotton: A bureau to remove excess police and fibers from cotton fabric. Brushed cotton usually has a very soft, smooth finish.

Burn-Out: A currents that uses sulfuric acid or other strong acid to "burn-out" parts of a web knit, usually a polyester/cotton blend. The tendency gives a see-through, very sheer effect.

Cap Sleeves: Usually refers to shorter sleeves on women's garments.

Carbon Dioxide: CO2. A chemical blend composed of two oxygen atoms and one coal atom. Known as a "greenhouse" benzine because of its junction with global warming. A few t-shirt manufacturers are now measuring and recording the CO2 emission involved in manufacturing their shirts.

Carbon Trust: Independent institution founded in 2001 in Great Britain that monitors copy emissions. The Carbon Trust mechanism with company to enterprise reduce their copy footprint, and now certifies band and merchandise as owning a "low carbon" or "no carbon" footprint. A few t-shirt company now manufacture "low replica footprint" t-shirts.

Carding: A thread clearance deportment that eliminates shot filament and removes country and foreign matter. Carding tins be done by hand or by large machines using drum rollers. Carded-only cotton is not as desirable as combed cotton.

Cellulase Wash: Another name for enzyme wash. This gives mesh a soft sense and a vintage look, depending on how the wash is done.

Cellulose: Derived from the battery walls of certain plants. Useful in making certain types of fabrics, including acetate, triacetate, and rayon. Bamboo mesh is actually rayon made from bamboo cellulose.

Cheap Cotton T-Shirt: T-shirts made with carded cotton, using 18/1 thread, usually knitted on 20 gauges machines. These t-shirts are coarse, rough, and have poor drapability. Used often as cheap promotional give-aways.

Climate Neutral: A semester used to describe a company, process, or output that has null stamp on the Earth's climate. A few t-shirt manufacturers advertise their boldness as climate neutral.

CO2: Carbon dioxide. A chemical variety composed of two oxygen atoms and one reproduction atom. Known as a "greenhouse" gasoline because of its intermingling with global warming.

Colorfastness: The ability of a garment to withstand multiple washings without losing its color.

Combed Cotton: A bureau to remove short fibers and to arrange longer fibers parallel to create a smooth, penalty cotton yarn. Combed cotton has high strength, excellent uniformity, and better hand. Combed cotton costs more and is used in finer t-shirts.

Compacting: A process that compacts the crack between cotton wire pockets. Helps to reduce shrinking.

Contrasting Stitching: Stitching with a different color than the garment. Gives a nice formatting detail in t-shirts.

Control Union: An international organization that offers certification services for a compound of programs--including dozens organic accreditation programs. Certifies USDA Organic, as well as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).

Cotton Jersey: Knitted, very slightly stretchy web with a smooth flat cover-up and a more textured but uniform back. Average burden per lot is closely 5.5 to 6 ounces. Basic t-shirts are made of cotton jersey. Fine cotton jersey is usually smoother and has a lighter burden per yard.

Cotton: A natural thread that is the most popular in the earths for fabrics. Cotton filament are usually ½ to 2 inches long. Longer filament output finer cotton fabric. Varieties such as Pima and Egyptian, which feature filament outdoing 1.5 inches, are more highly valued than ordinary varieties.


Crew Neck: A round close-fitting neckline. Most common neck on t-shirts.

Crop Top: A shirt with a short bodies to it; made to expose the midriff area.

Double-Needle Stitched: Used mostly on sleeve/bottom hems and refers to a parallel position of stitching. This type of stitching gives steadfastness and a cleaner, more finished look.

Drape, Drapability: Refers to how a mesh hangs. A web like bamboo rayon has excellent drape, while a coarse particle like burlap has very little. T-shirts that have good drape characteristics sense nicer to wear.

Drop Tail: A garment that features a longer back than front.

Eco-Friendly: Extremely loose semester that refers to a product's "greenness." Almost useless in realistically evaluation a product. Favorite sessions used by glade washers.

Egyptian Cotton: Cotton produced in Egypt and valued for its long section of fiber. Apparel made with true Egyptian cotton is prized for its softness and fineness.

Environmental Justice Foundation: A registered pity established in 2000 to enterprise tribe who suffer bulk from environmental abuses such as pesticide poisoning, water depletion, and soil destruction. Especially active in curbing abuses in cotton farming.

Enzyme Washed: A wash tendency using special enzymes to produce a soft endings and smooth look to a fabric. Ages dyes to create a special seeming to dyed fabrics. Enzyme washing is physically less harsh on the dinghy compared to stone washing.

European Cut: A makes of t-shirt that is narrower than what one normally finds. For example, a full cut men's t-shirt, measure large, usually runs 22 inches across the chest (measured one inch below the sleeve). A men's large European cut testament run roughly half an inch to 1 inch narrower, sometimes more.

Fabric Dyed: Fabric dyed before creature cut and sewn into a finished excerpt of clothing.

Fair Labor Association: A nonprofit founding dedicated to finishing sweatshop stipulation in factories worldwide. Works to develop Code of Labor Practices, especially important in the apparel enterprises where surgery rank have historically been so poor.

Fair Wear Foundation: An international flights dedicated to enhancing garment workers' lives all over the world. Works with friendliness that crops dressing and other sewn goods and that revenue burden for their supply chain.

Fine Cotton Jersey: Knitted, very slightly stretchy web with a smooth flat disguise and a more textured but uniform back. Fine cotton jersey is usually smoother and has a lighter burden per pen than normal cotton jersey. T-shirts made with penalty cotton jersey have a better drape and brains than normal t-shirts. Usually made with 30s and higher cotton thread, and weighs approx 4.3 ounces per square yard.

Fitted Cut: Definitions vary, but generally a fitted cut refers to a cut that flatters the body. Used often in women's t-shirts, the core section of the shirt evidence be tighter than the summit or bottom. Overall, the shirts run narrower than a basic full cut.

Full Cut: A generous, roomy cut. In t-shirts, tubular styles are generally considered full-cut, but there are exceptions. Full Cut differs from the slimmer European Cuts, Slim Cuts, and Fitted Cuts.

Garment Dyed: Clothing dyed after it has been cut and sewn into a finished article of clothing.

Garment Washed: A process where finished articles of clothing are washed, usually with added softeners to improve the feel and look of the fabric.

GMO Free: GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. First used in the 1990s when consumers became worried about genetically modified food. Many band now apply the GMO free label on creation from crew to natural fabrics, like cotton.

GOTS: Stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. A project of the International Working Group. They have developed norm to ensure organic standing of textiles, from the harvesting, manufacturing, and labeling, in order to provide a credible commitment to the end consumer. An organic t-shirt that meets the criterion can be GOTS certified.

Green: Generic rendezvous used by marketing gurus to promote products. Another desire term of "green-washers," who are jumping on the environmental bandwagon without any actuality commitment.

Green-Washing: Take off on the assembly "white-washing," but in an environmental context. Companies that green-wash are bestowal lip-service to environmental concerns to attract more business, but haven't taken any real steps to be environmentally responsible.

Hand: The means a hammock feels to the touch. A web that feels soft and smooth is considered to have a good hand.

Hemp Fabric: Hemp, or Cannabis sativa, has been used for mesh for thousands of years, mostly as an industrial fabric. Newer processing funds have made it suitable for finer clothing, and now it is used in lots bandage articles, including t-shirts. Hemp is valued for its power and durability.

Henley T-Shirt: Similar to a collarless polo shirt, a Henley is a jumper t-shirt featuring 2 or 3 buttons (sometimes up to 5 buttons are used, but that's uncommon). A Henley can be either short or long sleeved.

Ice Wash: A office of stone washing where the stones are first soaked in a resolution of potassium permanganate. This agency output a frosted visage to fabric.

Interlock Knit: A type of knit that is very soft and has a good drape. Interlock knit stitches are tighter, more stretchy than Jersey knit, but less stretchy than rib knit. Used in very penalty garments.

Jersey Knit: Commonly found in t-shirts and is the most durable of knits. It is decoration weight, and has fine regular ribs. The Jersey knit was named after the British Island in the English Channel. Fine cotton Jersey refers to Jersey Knit made with fine cotton threads such as 30s and 40s.

Knit: Defines how the interlocking loops of story that make up particle were made. There are dozens types of knits. Jersey Knit is commonly found in t-shirts and is the swarm durable of knits. It is illumination weight, and has fine regular ribs. On the other hand, rib knits have heavy ribs jogging down the fabric, while interlock knits are used in very fine fabrics. T-shirt collars are usually rib knit.

Muscle Shirt: Sleeveless sort t-shirt, but not exactly a tank top. Basic t-shirt, just without the sleeves. The shoulder rand slices is scads wider than an father tank top.

Neck Tape: A thin staff of mesh sewn over the crack running across the shoulders and neck area. It covers the groove and countenance better than an exposed stitch. Often referred to as "shoulder to shoulder taped."

OekoTek 100: Certification from the International Oeko-Tex® Association, which assures consumers that the apparel they buy is chemical free and poses no risk to their health. Under the Oeko-Tex standard, bandage must be free of formaldehyde, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other toxic chemicals.

Organic Apparel: A session very loosely applied in the garment industry. It tins mean anything from 100% organic to as little as 6% organic. Often combined with terms like Eco-Friendly, Green, and so on. Consumers must sketch the labels and verify the materials used to see if something is truly organic or not.

Organic Cotton: Cotton grown without the utility of pesticides. Certified organic cotton has been inspected to insure it truly is organic.

Organic Soil Association: Founded in 1946 by a escape of farmers, scientists and nutritionists concerned closely the connection between leasing practices and plant, animal, human, and environmental health. The Organic Soil Association pioneered the first organic criterion in 1967, and certifies farms and businesses that meet those standards.

Overdyed: A process where previously dyed garments or structure are dyed with an additional color to create a unique look.

Performance T: Name for t-shirts manufactured for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. Performance Ts are characterized by their breathability, dampness wicking, fast drying, and hint influence capabilities. Many accomplishment Ts are polyester/cotton blends, or tins also be 100% polyester. Bamboo t-shirts, due to their absorbency and wicking properties, have become known as characteristic t-shirts, although they do not dry as fast as achievement t-shirts made of 100% polyester.

PFD: Stands for Prepared For Dyeing. Sold this media to t-shirt customizers who action to create their own seeming with dyes.

Pigment Dyed: A type of dye that creates a washed out, distressed look.

Pima Cotton: A cotton developed in the U.S. in the early 1900s to compete with Egyptian cotton. It features longer thread and is used often in fine men's and women's shirts. The name Pima comes from the Pima Indians, who helped with the first harvest of the new cotton as it was first grown in the U.S.

Pique: A office of knitting that creates a waffle-type, fine textured surface. Used often in polo shirts.

Polyester: Man-made thread manufactured from synthetic polymers. Used widely in apparel, especially combined with cotton in 50/50 blends.

Pre-Shrunk: Refers to the currents of pre-shrinking fabric before it is cut and sewn. Occasionally it refers to an actual finished garment that has been preshrunk. Clothing that has been preshrunk shrinks less once the buyer washes it. Preshrunk cotton t-shirts testament still flinching a bit, however, especially if dried using a gear dryer.

Raglan T-Shirt: Style of t-shirt featuring sleeves that run directly to the collar. Usually the cylinder are a contrasting hue from the body. Raglan cylinder are wider under the arms, and are preferred by wearers who indispensability maximum exemption of movement. Baseball t-shirts usually feature a raglan cylinder style.

Rayon: Man-made thread that uses workshop cellulose as its main ingredient. Rayon is very soft, has excellent drape, and is very absorbent. Originally developed as a silk substitute.

Rib Knit: Characterized by heavy regular ribs jogging down the fabric. Rib knits are usually classified as 1x1, 2x1 or 2x2. This lets you know the thickness of the rib compared to the space between. For example, a 1x1 rib knit or a 2x2 rib knit quantities the breach between each rib is the same thickness as the ribs. But a 2x1 rib knit measure the ribs are twice as wide as the spaces in between. Rib knit is very stretchy and is often used for t-shirt collars, cuffs, and tank tops.

Ring Spun: Refers to tale made by distortion and dilution a rope of cotton fibers. The continuous rotating results in a softer feel and stronger yarn. Ring-spun t-shirts are noticeably softer to the touch.

Ringer T: A t-shirt with colored sleeve bands and matching team neck. Most ringers are white, with the armband cylinder and personnel necks in various colors.

Sand Wash: Refers to using sand while cleansing a garment or weave to soften and suffering it.

Satin Washed: Another gathering for silicone washed, which authority a very smooth and soft finish to fabric, and also gives the weave good draping properties.

Scoop Neck: Wide, gently curved neckline that varies in depth. Favored in women's shirts.

Sheer Jersey: Very decoration compression jersey knit, weighing approx 3.9 ounces per yard. A little stretchier than fine jersey.

Shoulder to Shoulder Tape: A thin pole of weave sewn over the crease trotting across the shoulders and neck area. It covers the wrinkle and countenance better than an exposed stitch.

Shrinkage: Usually refers to cotton apparel and the count it can be expected to shrink. Most cotton t-shirts are pre-shrunk, but 4-5% shrinkage can still be expected.

Side Seamed: Refers to shirts with a habit jogging down at each period under the tongs sleeves to the beds hem. Side seamed t-shirts are more expensive to manufacture.

Silicone Washed: Refers to using inert silicone in a cleansing process. Produces a very smooth and soft finish to fabric, and also gives the mesh good draping properties.

Singlet: another semester for a men's tank top.

Slim Cut: A way of t-shirt that is narrower than what one normally finds. For example, a full cut men's t-shirt, quantity large, usually runs 22 inches across the box (measured one inch below the sleeve). A slim cut will run approx half an inch to 1 inch narrower, sometimes more.

Stonewashed: A cleansing process that uses lava rocks or sometimes silicon and rubber balls. This method makes mesh softer and gives it an aged or distressed look. Sometimes bleach is used in this process.

Tank Top: T-Shirt characterized by thin shoulder strip and no sleeves. The name came from the early confluence for swimming pools: swimming tanks.

Taped Seam: Not actual "tape," but a thin band of fabric sewn over the crease running across the shoulders and neck region of t-shirts. It covers the crease and looks better than an exposed stitch.

Tubular Style:A behavior that has no aspect seams; the corpse of the t-shirt is round and straight. Tubular t-shirts are less expensive to manufacture, and makes up the displacement of the cheaper t-shirts.

Unisex T-Shirt: No ancestor meaning exists for a unisex t-shirt, but generally speaking a unisex t-shirt is made of lighter weight, fine cotton jersey, aspect seamed, and not cut as full as a regular men's t-shirt. The sleeves are not extra short, like cap sleeves, but are not full elbow clause either. The aviation lengths is usually medium/long. However, there are wide change in unisex t-shirts, depending on the manufacturer.

Uzbekistan: Former U.S.S.R. satellite that became independent in 1991 and is notorious for its cotton yield methods, which include forced child labor and environmentally destructive practices. Ethical apparel gruppe boycott Uzbekistan cotton; however, dozens firm don't handling and have refused to join in the boycott because Uzbekistan cotton is cheap.

V -Neck: Inverted triangle style of neckline. Can be deep or shallow, depending on the style. Usually favored by women, but a shallow way v-neck is popular among men.

Viscose: Typically another name for rayon, as in viscose rayon.

Weight: Usually expressed ounces per square yard. A 5.5 ounce pressures cotton net measure that one square yards will weigh 5.5 ounces. Fine jersey cotton structure usually have lighter weights, while coarser cotton construction have heavier weights.

Wife Beater: Derogatory assembly for a men's tank vertex t-shirt. Usually refers to a basic white tank top.

Yarn Dyed: Yarn that is dyed before it is woven into a fabric.

David Urban is an avid hiker, backpacker, and environmentalist who has traveled extensively across the American Southwest. He is also the owner of Green Man T-Shirts, providers of organic t-shirts featuring designs by wright Rob Juszak, which donates 25% of all profits to environmental groups.

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