Three fabrics, and why the name matters more than the weight
A 320gsm fleece and a 320gsm loopback weigh the same and are not the same garment. Fleece has a brushed inner face: warmer, softer, bulkier, and it pills where the brush is uneven. Loopback leaves the inner face as visible loops: flatter, cooler, and it holds a boxy shape better because there is less bulk in the seam.
French terry sits between them, with a smooth outer face and a low loop inner. It is the one that drapes, and the one most often sold as "loopback" when the mill has run short.
So the first question on a hoodie quote is not the weight. It is which structure, from which mill, and whether a substitute is allowed. A quote that only says "320gsm cotton" has told you almost nothing.
The bands that matter in practice
Below 280gsm a hoodie reads thin in the hand and the hood collapses. 280–320gsm is the retail sweet spot: warm enough to sell in autumn, light enough to ship cheaply. 350–400gsm is streetwear territory and starts to cost real money in freight. Above 400gsm you are making a statement piece, and volumetric weight becomes the largest line on the invoice.
For a first order, 300–340gsm fleece is the safest single choice: heavy enough to feel like a hoodie, light enough that the parcel does not double in cost.
- 280–320gsm: retail hoodie, cheapest to ship.
- 340–380gsm: streetwear fit, holds a boxy pattern.
- 400gsm and up: statement piece, freight dominates.
The four parts that decide whether it survives wear
Pocket: single-needle bar-tack at the corners versus a straight stitch. The straight stitched pocket is the first thing to tear, and it tears in the wash, not in the shop.
Hood: a two-panel hood with a lining holds shape; a single-layer hood flops and shows the seam at the crown. Ask which one, because the price difference is small and the perceived quality difference is not.
Rib: 2x2 rib at cuff and hem with elastane recovers; 1x1 without elastane stretches and stays stretched. This is the most common "it looked better in the sample" complaint.
Seams and coverstitch: overlocked inside seams are normal; flatlock is smoother against skin and costs more. Neither is wrong, but the quote should say which.
What we produce and what we hold
Hoodies and crewneck sweatshirts are produced to order from 100 pieces per style and colour, in fleece, loopback and French terry, 280 to 450gsm. A small number of workwear-grade and piqué polo styles are held as stock — those are listed individually rather than described as a category we keep on the shelf, because we do not.
If you need stock on a deadline, say so first: the honest answer on hoodies is that most are made, not pulled from a shelf, and a made order has a production window that a stock order does not.
Where a hoodie order usually goes wrong
Shrinkage on the first wash, because a heavier loopback has more yarn to relax than a jersey. Wash the sample before you approve the size chart — not after the bulk run.
Dye-lot drift between the sample and the bulk, which is most visible on heather and garment-dyed styles. Ask for the lot to be held from one dye bath, and expect a minimum for it.
Hood colour mismatch on a two-tone style, when the hood lining is cut from a different roll. If the design has a contrast hood, specify it as a separate colourway in writing.
Why buyers move from t-shirts to hoodies
The reason is usually margin, not demand. A blank tee at four dollars retails at thirty; a hoodie at eleven retails at seventy and costs more to ship but less per dollar of revenue. The trade is real, and it comes with a different set of failure modes — a tee that is slightly off is a cheap mistake, a hoodie that is slightly off is a pallet you cannot sell.
The pages below take the three decisions that actually differ from t-shirts: how heavy, how boxy, and what the price is made of.