GSM is the single number that decides how a hoodie feels in the hand, how it drapes on the body, and whether a customer thinks it is worth the price on the tag. It stands for grams per square metre, and for custom sweatshirts and hoodies it typically ranges from around 180 to over 400. Choosing badly is expensive: too light and the garment reads as cheap, too heavy and you have paid for weight your market did not want.<\/p>\n
This guide walks through how to pick the right weight for your product, your season and your market.<\/p>\n
GSM measures the weight of one square metre of fabric. It is a density figure, not a thickness figure, and that distinction matters. Two fabrics at the same GSM can feel completely different depending on knit structure, yarn count and finishing. A 300gsm French terry and a 300gsm brushed fleece will not behave the same way on the body.<\/p>\n
So treat GSM as the starting point of a fabric conversation, not the end of it.<\/p>\n
This band belongs to T-shirts and very light summer tops rather than true hoodies. If you are building a hooded layer at this weight, you are making a shirt-weight hoodie for hot climates or indoor layering. It drapes well and packs small, but it will not hold structure and it will show body lines.<\/p>\n
The most commercially flexible band for sweatshirts. Heavy enough to feel substantial, light enough to wear indoors and through three seasons. If you are launching a first hoodie and have no strong reason to go elsewhere, this is where most brands should start. It also keeps freight cost reasonable, which matters more than people expect on high-volume orders.<\/p>\n
This is where a hoodie starts to feel like a premium product. The garment holds its shape, the shoulder sits properly, and the fabric has enough body that seams and hardware read as intentional. Streetwear and premium basics live here. The trade-off is warmth — this is a genuinely warm garment — and cost per unit.<\/p>\n
Statement territory. Extremely structured, very warm, and expensive both to produce and to ship. It works for limited drops, cold-market outerwear-replacement pieces and brands whose whole positioning is weight. It does not work as a general range item, and it is unforgiving of poor pattern work: at this weight, a badly drafted armhole is obvious.<\/p>\n
Weight preference is strongly regional, and this is where brands selling into multiple markets get caught out.<\/p>\n
If you sell across several of these, the usual answer is not a compromise weight. It is two weights sharing one pattern and one set of trims, which keeps development cost down while giving each market the right product.<\/p>\n
Looped on the inside, smooth on the face. Breathable, good drape, works well from 240gsm up. The default choice for three-season sweatshirts and the safest starting structure for a new brand.<\/p>\n
The inside loops are brushed to raise a soft nap. Warmer and softer than terry at the same GSM, but the brushing process consumes some fabric weight, so a 320gsm brushed fleece can feel closer to a 280gsm terry in hand. Prone to pilling if the yarn quality is poor — this is where cheap fabric shows up after three washes.<\/p>\n
Denser and more stable, with the same appearance on both faces. Excellent for structured pieces and clean edges, less breathable, and typically more expensive per kilo.<\/p>\n
Specifying GSM without specifying yarn.<\/strong> A 300gsm fabric made from open-end yarn and one made from combed ring-spun cotton are different products at the same weight. The second costs more and lasts considerably longer.<\/p>\n Ignoring shrinkage.<\/strong> Knit fabric relaxes and shrinks. If the fabric is not pre-shrunk and relaxed before cutting, your 300gsm specification arrives as a garment two sizes off after the customer’s first wash. At Giborn Apparel<\/strong> fabric is relaxed and pre-shrunk as a standard step before cutting, and shrinkage is tested at fabric inspection rather than discovered at final QC.<\/p>\n Comparing quotes on GSM alone.<\/strong> If one supplier quotes noticeably cheaper at the same GSM, the difference is usually in yarn grade, finishing steps or inspection depth. Ask what is being left out.<\/p>\n That last step is worth the extra week. Weight is one of the few product decisions that is almost impossible to judge from a spec sheet and completely obvious the moment you hold the garment. Our OEM and ODM development service<\/a> covers fabric proposals and sampling in both directions so you can compare rather than guess, and our manufacturing process<\/a> page explains how fabric is inspected and prepared before it reaches the cutting table.<\/p>\nHow to Decide in Practice<\/h2>\n
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Start Your Project<\/h2>\n