Most tee labels list words that sound technical and are rarely explained. Each one describes a real choice in how the cloth was made. Here is what they mean, and what to ask for.
gsm
Grams per square metre: how much one square metre of the fabric weighs. A higher number means more cotton in the cloth, which usually means more body and a longer life. Ask whether it was measured on the finished garment after washing or on the raw roll, because washing changes it.
Combed cotton
Before spinning, the cotton is combed to pull out the short fibres. The long fibres that remain make a smoother, stronger yarn that sheds less.
Ring-spun and compact
Ring spinning twists the fibres tightly into a fine yarn. Compact spinning goes further and presses the loose fibre ends into the yarn as it forms. Fewer loose ends means less fuzz on the surface and less pilling over time.
Yarn count, such as 30s
The count describes how fine the yarn is. In the Indian and British system, a higher number means a finer yarn. 30s is a common count for a soft, even jersey.
Single jersey
The knit most tees are made from: smooth on the outside, with small loops on the inside. It is what gives a tee its stretch.
Bio-washed
An enzyme wash that clears loose fibres from the surface. The cloth feels softer from the first wear and stays cleaner looking.
Compacted
The fabric is shrunk under control before it is cut, so the tee shrinks less in your wash. This is the step behind a claim like "under 3% shrinkage".
Neck tape and coverstitched hems
A strip of tape along the back neck, from shoulder to shoulder, stops the collar seam stretching. A coverstitch, two or three parallel rows of stitching at the hem, keeps the edge flat. Both are small costs that decide whether a tee still looks right after a year.
What to ask any brand
- What is the gsm, and was it measured after washing?
- Is the cotton combed and compact spun?
- What is the shrinkage after washing, as a number?
- Is the neck taped, and how wide is the collar rib?
If a brand cannot answer, that is an answer too. For our own tee, every one of these is on the product page.
Standards referred to
- BS EN 12127: textiles, mass per unit area of fabric
- ISO 5077: textiles, dimensional change in washing and drying
- ISO 12945: textiles, surface pilling