How to Choose the Right T-Shirt: A Guide to Fabric, Fit & Construction

GSM & fabric weight

GSM stands for grams per square metre and is a measurement of fabric weight. Generally, the higher the GSM, the heavier and more substantial a T-shirt will feel.

Lighter fabrics tend to feel softer and drape more naturally around the body, while heavier fabrics hold their shape and create a more structured silhouette. Heavyweight tees have become particularly popular for streetwear and premium merchandise because of their substantial feel.

Higher GSM doesn't automatically mean higher quality, though. The type of cotton, construction and finishing of the garment are equally important. A well-made lightweight T-shirt can be considerably better than a poorly constructed heavyweight one.

Cotton Type & Fabric Composition

The type of cotton used affects the texture, softness and overall character of a T-shirt.

Combed cotton has been processed to remove shorter fibres and impurities, creating a smoother and more consistent fabric. Carded cotton generally has a slightly rougher and more textured finish, which can give a T-shirt a heavier or more vintage feel.

You'll also come across cotton/polyester blends and fully synthetic garments. These can offer advantages such as moisture management, stretch or reduced weight, but the fabric composition also affects how the garment can be decorated.

For custom printing, 100% cotton is often an excellent starting point, particularly for screen printing and digital printing. Polyester and blended fabrics can still be printed, but may require different inks, processes or additional consideration to achieve the best result.

Fit & Silhouette

Two T-shirts made from exactly the same fabric can look completely different depending on how they're patterned.

A regular fit generally follows a more traditional silhouette, while a relaxed fit adds additional room through the body. Oversized and boxy tees often introduce wider bodies, dropped shoulders, longer sleeves and changes to the overall garment length.

Simply buying a regular T-shirt two sizes larger doesn't necessarily create the same result as a purpose-designed oversized tee. The proportions of the entire garment change how it sits on the body.

When choosing a blank, think about the finished product rather than simply the size on the label.

The Details That Make the Difference

Beyond fabric and fit, there are a few smaller construction details worth paying attention to.

Collar & neck ribbing can dramatically change the character of a T-shirt. Wider, heavier ribbing tends to complement heavyweight and oversized silhouettes, while finer ribbing creates a more traditional look.

Side-seamed vs tubular construction refers to how the body of the T-shirt is made. Side-seamed tees use separate panels joined along the sides, while tubular garments are knitted as a continuous body without side seams. Neither is automatically better, they're simply different approaches to garment construction.

Shoulder taping reinforces the garment through the shoulders and neckline, helping it maintain its shape over time.

Stitching and hems are easy to overlook, but clean seams, consistent stitching and well-finished hems all contribute to how a garment wears and holds together.

Pre-shrinking and garment washing can also affect the final feel and fit. Cotton naturally reacts to washing and heat, so it's always worth considering how a T-shirt may change after repeated wear.

Four T-Shirts We Regularly Recommend

There are hundreds of blanks available, but these are four T-shirts we regularly work with at Bottega Made. Each offers a slightly different combination of fabric, fit, feel and price. We recommend AS Colour due to their stock numbers, reliability and quick shipping. If you're looking for alternative options we have a large number of suppliers, each with their own unique options.

AS Colour Box Tee - Modern, slightly cropped and substantial.

The Box Tee is one of our favourites for a contemporary silhouette. At 240 GSM, it has a substantial feel with a boxier, slightly cropped shape and dropped shoulders. The combed cotton also gives it a relatively smooth finish.

It's a nice balance between an oversized tee and a more fitted garment, relaxed and comfortable without feeling excessively large. It's particularly well suited to fashion-led merchandise and brands looking for something more considered than a traditional T-shirt silhouette.

AS Colour Classic Tee - The all-rounder.

The Classic Tee is a 220 GSM combed cotton T-shirt with a more traditional shape than the Box Tee. It also comes in a minus (cropped) and oversized option.

We consider this one of the most versatile options. It doesn't lean too heavily towards streetwear, fashion or promotional apparel, making it a good starting point for businesses, brands and general merchandise.

The fabric is slightly lighter and smoother than some of the heavyweight options, giving you a quality blank without pushing too far in any particular stylistic direction.

American Apparel 1301 - Affordable with an old-school feel.

The American Apparel 1301 has a more traditional fit and a slightly rougher hand feel than the smoother AS Colour options above.

It's a blank we regularly recommend for bands, artists and merchandise because that texture gives it more of an old-school, vintage T-shirt character. It's also a relatively budget-friendly option, making it useful when you're producing larger quantities or need to keep the overall unit price down.

AS Colour Heavy Tee - For a proper heavyweight oversized fit.

At 280 GSM, the Heavy Tee combines a relaxed fit, dropped shoulders, wide neck ribbing and heavyweight carded cotton.

This is the option we'd look towards when someone specifically wants a substantial oversized T-shirt. The heavier fabric holds its silhouette well, while the collar construction and overall proportions give it the premium, relaxed appearance associated with contemporary heavyweight tees.

Choosing a T-Shirt for Printing

The blank is part of the finished product not just something sitting underneath the artwork.

Fabric composition, surface texture, weight and garment colour can all influence how a print looks and feels. Better-quality cotton generally provides a strong foundation for printing, while polyester and blended fabrics can require different processes depending on the garment and artwork.

The design itself matters too. A large screen print across a heavyweight t-shirt creates a completely different finished product to a small chest print on a lightweight regular-fit shirt.

This is why we prefer to consider the artwork, printing method and garment together, rather than treating them as separate decisions.

There Isn't One 'Best' T-Shirt

The right T-shirt depends on what you're trying to make.

A band producing tour merchandise might prioritise something completely different to a business ordering staff apparel or a fashion brand developing a new collection. GSM, fabric, fit, construction, print method and budget all play a part.

The Box Tee, Classic Tee, American Apparel 1301 and Heavy Tee are four blanks we regularly use, but they're only a small selection of what's available. We can source everything from budget-friendly basics through to premium heavyweight garments depending on the project.

If you're still unsure which blank is right for your project, get in touch with our team and we can talk you through the options.