The Best Fabrics for Custom T-Shirts (And Why It Matters)
Published by: Siobhan Ingram
Date: 04-04-2025
Not all t-shirts are created equal. If you’ve ever bought a shirt that felt amazing and lasted forever—or one that shrank, pilled, or just felt off—you know how much fabric choice matters. When designing custom t-shirts, picking the right material isn’t just about comfort; it affects print quality, durability, and overall wearability.
So, what is the perfect material for your own branded tees? Let's break it down.
Cotton: The Classic Favorite
Cotton is the standard T-shirt material, and it's easy to see why—it's soft, breathable, and accepts ink well. But not all cotton is created equal.
100% Cotton: Soft, natural, and ideal for screen printing. Ideal for casual wear, but will shrink if pre-shrunk.
Combed & Ringspun Cotton: Quality plus one—superior quality, longer lasting, and softer than basic cotton.
Organic Cotton: Seeded without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so it's kind to the planet and very soft.
Ideal for: Casual T-shirts, promotions, and budgeting.
Cotton-Polyester Blends: The Best of Both Worlds
If you want something softer and more long-wearing than simple cotton, a cotton-poly blend is the way to go. Polyester gives you stretch and shrink resistance, while cotton adds breathability.
50/50 Cotton-Poly: Good mix of softness and durability with more resistance to shrinkage than 100% cotton.
Tri-Blend (Polyester, Polyester, Rayon): Super-soft, feather-light, with a hint of retro texture–perfect for trendy fashion tees.
Ideal for: Retail-grade tees, fashion-oriented products, and comfort-driven designs.
Performance Fabrics: Performance Built In
For occupational or sports casual t-shirts, moisture-wicking materials (e.g., 100% polyester) are most suitable. They are made to deflect sweat off the body and thus are appropriate for sports clubs, outdoor workers, or business active wear firms.
Polyester: Light in weight, porous, sweat-deflecting, and shrink- and fade-resistant.
Bamboo Blends: Softer, greener than polyester, and possessing antibacterial properties from nature.
Recommended for: Business wear, sports teams, outdoor activities, and work wear.
Why Fabric Matters
The material you work with affects not just comfort, but also the look of your design, how long the shirt lasts, and whether or not people are going to wear it.
Printing & Embroidery: Some materials are friendlier with ink and thread than others—cotton is nice to print on, but poly blends are great for embroidery.
Durability: Higher-quality materials cause your shirts to stick around longer, with your brand still out there.
Comfort & Fit: People want to wear great fabric, and that means more brand recognition.
Make the Right Choice
The right t-shirt material depends on who wears it, where it will be applied, and what mood you desire. If it is classic cotton, trendy tri-blend, or athletic polyester you need, choosing the right material will make or break your custom t-shirt fortune.