what gsm is a good t shirt
There is no single good gsm. There is a good gsm for a purpose, and the fastest way to a bad first order is to buy the heaviest shirt you can afford because heavy sounds better.
Send the weight, colour, fit and quantity. We return a unit price per quantity tier within 24 hours.
160–170gsm: promotional and giveaway. Cheap, cool, ships light. White at this weight is visibly sheer.
180–200gsm: the promotional sweet spot. Holds a screen print, still cheap, still cool.
200–230gsm: retail standard. Heavy enough to feel like a garment, light enough to wear in summer.
240–280gsm: premium and streetwear. Holds a boxy shape, prints opaquely, warmer.
300–350gsm: statement pieces and winter drops. Close to a light sweatshirt in hand.
Price rises roughly with weight, because fabric is half the cost. Shrinkage rises too — heavier knits relax more, typically 4–6% in length on the first wash.
Hand feel thickens, drape reduces, and drying time lengthens. Above 300gsm a shirt starts to feel wrong in a hot climate, which is a market constraint before it is an aesthetic one.
Weight matters most in white. Below 160gsm white jersey shows what is behind it under daylight; at 180gsm it is acceptable but not opaque; from 200gsm upward it reads as a proper shirt.
This is why a "cheap white tee" is such a difficult brief: the cheapest credible white shirt is heavier than the cheapest credible black one.
Ask what the shirt is for. Giveaway or summer event: 180gsm. Retail basics: 200–230gsm. Streetwear or premium: 240–300gsm. Winter drop or statement piece: 300gsm+.
Then wash a sample and measure again. Weight predicts the first impression; shrinkage and cure decide whether the shirt is still good in month three.
| 160gsm | Giveaway, sheer in white |
|---|---|
| 180–200gsm | Promotional sweet spot |
| 200–230gsm | Retail standard |
| 240–280gsm | Premium / streetwear |
| 300–350gsm | Statement pieces |
| Shrinkage | 4–6% length at 230gsm+, normal |
For a giveaway no; for white retail yes. 200gsm is the practical floor for opaque white.
Around 180–200gsm in promotional, 200–230gsm in retail.
For most markets yes. It sells as a statement or winter piece.
Typically 4–6% in length on the first wash. Wash the sample before approving the chart.
230gsm and above holds a thick ink deposit without corrugating.
A fabric swatch and a sewn sample come before the bulk run, and finished goods are photographed before packing.