Tees

Heavyweight Tee Manufacturer

Dense 240–300 gsm combed ring-spun cotton with a substantial hand, the weight class where a tee stops being a basic and starts being the product.

Fabric Combed ring-spun cotton

Weight 240–300gsm

Body Side-seamed, pre-shrunk

Collar Ribbed, taped

Sampling 7–10 days

Get a quote Request a sample

Send your target GSM or a tee you love. We send back a physical swatch to approve before any fabric is committed.

Swatch first

Feel the fabric before it’s committed

Combed ring-spun

The yarn for the most premium tees are built on

4 weights

240, 260, 280, and 300 gsm

7-10 days

To your first physical sample

The Heavyweight Factory-Floor Brief

Why gsm alone doesn’t tell you what you’re buying

A number on a spec sheet, 250gsm or 280gsm, is where most heavyweight sourcing conversations start and stop. But two 280gsm tees can feel completely different in the hand, depending on the yarn, the knit, and how the fabric was finished. Weight is the headline; construction is the story.

This brief is about the difference. It covers combed versus carded yarn, ring-spun versus open-end, why a dense knit matters more than a heavy-but-loose one, and how a heavyweight body changes the way prints and embroidery sit. This is the tee that anchors a premium line, so it’s worth speccing beyond the gsm.

Also inside: construction details that carry the weight class, decoration notes for dense fabric, volume pricing, QC, and the buyer questions that separate a real heavyweight from a marketing one.

Built for brands

Who we make heavyweight tees for

When the tee itself has to justify the price, not just the graphic, these brands move to heavyweight.

Brands trading up from stock blanks

Your prints are good, but the tee feels like everyone else’s. A heavyweight body on your own spec changes the product in the hand, and no competitor can copy it from a catalog.

Private label with Gibben

Premium basics labels

For a blank-look brand, the fabric is the whole product. Combed ring-spun on a dense knit is what makes a plain tee worth a premium price.

All T-shirt styles we make

Streetwear graphic brands

Dense fabric gives your artwork a flat, stable surface. Screen prints sit crisp, puff stands proud, and the tee holds its shape in every photo.

How low-MOQ production works

Technical Specification

The build sheet that earns the weight

Heavy fabric puts more load on every seam and hem. Under-built construction shows fastest here rolled hems, twisted side seams, and a collar that waves after one wash. The spec below is what keeps a heavy tee looking deliberate rather than just thick.

Fabric

Combed ring-spun cotton

Yarn

Ring-spun, combed

Collar

Ribbed, taped shoulder-to-shoulder

Weight

240–300gsm

Body

Side-seamed, pre-shrunk

Hems

Double-needle, reinforced

Yarn & Knit

What actually makes a tee feel premium

Combed cotton

Short fibers are combed out before spinning, leaving long, aligned fibers for a smoother, stronger, softer yarn that prints cleaner.

Ring-spun

Yarn is twisted continuously for a finer, denser, more durable thread than open-end, the hand-feel most premium tees are built on.

Dense knit

A tightly knit 250 gsm outperforms a loose 280 gsm: it holds shape, resists pilling, and gives print a flat, square surface.

Side by side

A real heavyweight vs. a marketing heavyweight

Both say “heavyweight” on the listing. One is heavy because it’s built well. The other is heavy because it’s loose and thick. Here is how to tell them apart.

Detail	Marketing heavyweight	Gibben heavyweight
Yarn	Carded cotton, with short fibers left in	Combed cotton, long aligned fibers only
Spinning	Open-end, coarser and weaker	Ring-spun, finer and denser
Knit	Loose, so the weight comes from bulk	Dense, so the weight comes from structure
Collar	Waves after one wash	Ribbed and taped shoulder-to-shoulder
Hems and seams	Hems roll and side seams twist	Double-needle hems and side-seamed body
Print surface	Uneven, so graphics break up	Flat and square, so prints sit crisp
How you approve it	A number on a spec sheet	A physical swatch in your hand

The one-season test

A loose, carded heavy tee feels great on day one. Then the wash cycle thins it out, the collar waves, and the hem rolls, often within a season. By then your customer has already paid a premium price, and she won’t pay it again. The tees that come back as reorders are the ones built dense from the start.

Fabric & Branding

Weights and finishing options

240gsm 260gsm 280gsm 300gsm Slub / textured Garment-dyed Woven label Custom packaging

Which weight fits your line?

All four are heavyweight. The difference is how the tee hangs, the season it suits, and where it sits in terms of price.

240 gsm

How it wears:
The entry is heavyweight. Substantial but still easy to wear year-round.

Best for:
Trading up from a standard tee without changing the feel too much.

260 gsm

How it wears:
A clear step up in hand, with a softer drape than the heaviest weights.

Best for:
Core premium tees and everyday graphic lines.

Premium sweet spot

280gsm

How it wears:
Structured and substantial. Holds its shape on the body.

Best for:
The tee that anchors a premium line.

300 gsm

How it wears:
The heaviest in our range. Stands off the body with a square drape.

Best for:
Boxy streetwear fits and cooler-season drops.

From our floor in Sialkot

What we see on the line that a spec sheet won’t tell you

We keep swatches of the same nominal weight knitted two ways, dense and loose, for exactly one reason: to show buyers that GSM is only half the answer. Put them side by side, and the denser, lighter swatch feels more substantial than the heavier loose one. Weight you can measure; hand you have to feel.

On the floor, the heavyweight tees that come back for reorders are almost always combed ring-spun on a tight knit. They print flatter because the surface is even; they hold the collar because the rib is dense; and they survive the wash cycle that thins a cheaper heavy tee out in a season.

So when a brand sends a target GSM, we send back a physical swatch to approve because the number alone has burned more than one sourcing decision, and a swatch settles it before fabric is committed.

Decoration On Heavy Fabric

How print and stitch behave at weight

Dense fabric is a gift for decoration a flat, stable surface that holds registration and takes embroidery without puckering. Screen print sits crisp, puff stands proud, and embroidery has a firm base to bite into. We prove the method on your actual weight before bulk.

Screen print Puff Embroidery DTF Heavy-gauge stitching

“This one feels expensive”

That’s what customers say the first time they pick up a real heavyweight tee, and it’s what they write in reviews. Weight is the one quality people notice without being told. It turns a graphic tee into something they recommend to friends and a first order into a reorder.

MOQ & Pricing Tiers

Where the volume math turns in your favour

Unit price steps down as quantity rises same fabric, same QC, better economics. Split runs and reorders keep your earned tier.

Quantity / style	Indicative unit price
100–198	Base
200–598	−1%
600–998	−2%
1,000–1,998	−3%
2,000+	−4%

Planning your order

The heavyweight tee is your reorder style

Graphic tees come and go with each drop. A great heavyweight in your core colors sells again and again, and every reorder keeps the tier you’ve earned.

Lock the spec

Approve your swatch, weight, and fit once. Every reorder runs to the same spec.

Core colors

Black, white, and one or two signature shades. Split them into one run, and it still counts toward one tier.

Restock

Reorder the colors that sell out. Your earned tier comes with you.

Lead Times & Compliance

Timeline, QC, and the standards behind them

Sampling 7-10 days Bulk 18-30 days FOB / DDP Sea / air freight

From target GSM to stock in hand

A heavyweight run starts one step earlier than most: with a swatch. Here’s the full path, assuming one sampling round.

Stage	By air	By sea
Swatch approval	Before fabric is committed	Before fabric is committed
Sample in your weight	7-10 days	7-10 days
Bulk production	18-30 days	18-30 days
Shipping	5-12 days	25-40 days
After swatch approval	About 5-8 weeks	About 8-12 weeks

Size & Fit

Regular fit (cm)

Size	Chest	Length	Sleeve
S	51	71	21
M	54	73	22
L	57	75	23
XL	60	77	24

Also available as a boxy or oversized grade same fabric, different block. Customizable to your tech pack.

Proof

What this looks like on a real run

Heavyweight · 280gsm garment-dyed

Trading up from a stock blank to an owned spec

A brand was buying blank 180gsm tees and printing them, and the pieces felt like everyone else’s. They wanted the product itself to justify the price, not just the graphic.

We moved them to a combed ring-spun 280 gsm on a dense knit, garment-dyed for a lived-in color, with a reinforced collar. Same graphic, completely different object in the hand and a spec no competitor could copy from a catalog.

280

gsm, combed ring-spun

1000

Reorder units

0

QC rejects

FAQ Heavtweight

Buyer questions, answered straight

Is a higher gsm always better?

No. A tightly knit 250 gsm can feel more substantial than a loose 280 gsm, and it holds its shape and resists pilling better. Yarn and knit density matter as much as the number, which is why we send a physical swatch for you to approve.

What’s the heaviest cotton you offer?

300 gsm is the heaviest in our standard range, with 240, 260, and 280 gsm below it. All are combed ring-spun cotton.

Combed ring-spun vs regular cotton does it matter?

Yes. Combing removes short fabrics, and ring-spinning twists the yarn finer and denser. The result is a smoother, stronger, softer tee that prints cleaner. The heavyweight tees that come back for reorders are almost always combed ring-spun.

Can I get this block oversized or boxy?

Yes. The heavyweight tee is also available as a boxy or oversized grade: same fabric, different block. It is fully customizable to your tech pack.

Do heavyweight tees shrink more?

Not ours. Everybody is pre-shrunk, so the measurements in the size chart hold after washing. Washing cold and drying low keeps the fit and hands at their best.

Which decoration suits heavyweight best?

Dense fabric suits almost everything. Screen print sits crisp, puff stands proud, and embroidery has a firm base to bite into. DTF works well too. We prove the method on your actual weight before bulk.

Why do you send a swatch before sampling?

Because the GSM number alone doesn’t tell you how a tee feels. A physical swatch lets you feel the yarn, the knit density, and the hand before any fabric is committed to your order.

Can I get a heavyweight tee garment-dyed?

Yes. Garment dye gives a heavyweight tee a soft, lived-in color. It’s available across our heavyweight weights, and we sample it before bulk.

Do you offer slub or textured heavyweight fabric?

Yes. Slub and textured finishes are available for brands that want a vintage-leaning surface on a heavyweight tee.

Is a heavyweight tee too warm for summer?

Not at the lighter end. 240 gsm is substantial but still easy to wear year-round. 280 and 300 gsm are better for cooler seasons and boxy streetwear fits.