12 Best t shirt Materials for Different Purposes
You must have a favorite t shirt as casual wear. Is natural fabric is 100% Nature? Do cotton t shirts contain 100% cotton? Do you know which kind of t shirt material is most friendly to sensitive skin? What makes the best material for t shirts that have moisture wicking ability?
Choosing a comfortable t shirts sounds easy, but that’s not always true. You need to take account of different occasions and seasons, especially for summer and winter. Different composition of t shirt fabrics account for different features, this t shirt fabric guide will help.
Today we’ll talk about 11 most common and popular t shirt materials.
Main Yarn
Here the main yarn refers to the major composition of t shirt material. The most common t shirt fabrics include cotton, bamboo, modal, rayon, viscose, polyester, cvc, organic cotton etc. Each material has different properties and a different proportion of each material makes different quality of t shirts. Now let’s go into details and you can choose your right t shirt material later.
1. Common Cotton
Most popular fabrics In our daily life, vast majority prefer to choose “pure cotton” 100% cotton shirts. Thinking it’s natural and best t shirt fabric for the skin, the fact is that the 100% cotton t shirts shrink heavily in water(usually around 5%), wrinkle easily, and not as durable fabrics as other materials. Cotton fabric does not have moisture-wicking quality, it absorbs sweat quickly and can become damp. After several times of wash, the t shirts color will looks very old, and easily winkle.
2. Cotton spandex ring spun cotton
Cotton spandex use on t shirts, usually 95% – 97% Cotton with 5% – 3% Spandex(Lycra), the textile structure is much better than cotton. People likely to buy cotton/spandex more than cotton.
It is a more sweat-absorbent. The cotton spandex fabric not only absorbs the advantages of pure cotton to absorb sweat, but also avoids the disadvantages of easy to stiffen after washing and uncomfortable wearing, the color and shape stay much longer.
Cotton spandex not only show good elasticity, but also have high strength, large elastic modulus, and good recovery properties. In recent years, they have become popular all over the world. The fabric is soft and elastic, which can significantly improve wearing comfort.
3. Combed Cotton
Combed cotton, literally is combed, leaving long, straight cotton fibers only by removing short fibers and impurities to make the fabric stronger and softer. It is highest quality cotton, making combed cotton very suitable for sensitive skin.
It also pill less than regular cotton and also more durable. It dries easily, soft, absorbent, and anti-odor. However it is also more expensive than conventional cotton and often used for high quality fabrics with high thread counts, for example yarn count 60 s comb cotton is very common use on t shirts.
4. Mercerized Cotton
Mercerized cotton is a natural fiber and biodegradable. It is shinier and stronger than regular cotton after the mercerizing process. It has a more beautiful, silk-like luster even than combed cotton.
Mercerization involves the use of chemicals to alter the cell structure of cotton fiber to give mercerized cotton a greater affinity for dyes, which allows the dye to better penetrate the fibers, increasing the luster while also strengthening the thread. It makes mercerized cotton material more expensive than unmercerized cotton.
Mercerized Cotton is not easy to print the graphic, because the surface is smooth and have much Silicone oils, the normal silk print will easily fall down, the color will not stay well on the fabric. They need a more stable special ink and go through high tempreture, this cost much expensive then normal print.
Mercerized cotton are often used for branded t shirts to fit with luxury and good quality t shirts. Those t shirts feature a smooth finish, solid or plain color, being soft, breathable and wrinkle-resistant. However, mercerized cotton does not have good elasticity, and will shrink a little in the water.
5. Bamboo
Bamboo fiber is getting more and more widely used. It is an eco-friendly fiber, made out of natural bamboo as the raw material. It is 40% more absorbent than cotton, able to wick away moisture from the skin much faster and keep skin dry and comfortable.
Bamboo material also offers anti-bacterial properties, and able to repel odors. T shirts made of bamboo feature great softness and lightweight, absorbing moisture, drying quickly and are breathable. All of those features make bamboo t shirts a top choice during hot summer time.
6. Modal
Modal is a high-moisture regenerated cellulose fiber. It is made from wood pulp, during the entire production process of this fiber No pollution.
Modal has very good softness and excellent hygroscopicity. It has the characteristics of high-strength fiber uniformity. It can be processed and dyed by traditional methods. Modal fabric has the characteristics of good water absorption(its good moisture absorption capacity is 50% higher than cotton, and its moisture absorption speed is extremely fast) , breathability, soft and smooth, comfortable and flat, silky feel, low shrinkage rate.
Modal fiber dyeing characteristics, its absorption of pigment faster than combed cotton and cotton, and high absorption rate, bright color after dyeing; In order to improve the shortcoming of pure Modal products, it can be blended with other fibers to enhance its stiffness.
Disadvantages: pile phenomenon, poor fabric stiffness, and expensive textiles.
7. Viscose Rayon
Viscose fiber is a cellulose fiber produced from cotton or other natural fibers. Its most in line with the physiological requirements of human skin, and it is smooth and cool, breathable, antistatic, and colorful Characteristics, the disadvantages are: poor fastness, high shrinkage rate and easy deformation, Worse elasticity and abrasion resistance.
Viscose fiber has good hygroscopicity and significantly swells after absorbing moisture, the fabric feels hard and has a large shrinkage after being into the water. However it loses strength when wet, while cotton remains strong.
8. TC/poly cotton
Cotton/Polyester fabric blends, TC means polyester is more than cotton, usually over 50% polyester. Cheaper, not easy wrinkle, but not breathable. Difficult to clean.
9. CVC
CVC is also cotton/polyester blended fabrics, cotton is usually 60% -65%, polyester is less.
CVC has good abrasion resistance, not easy wrinkle, but it is easy to generate static electricity when wearing, easy to absorb dust, difficult to clean, and easy to stain with oil.
10. Polyester
Polyester t shirts are popular in last 80s and 90s, now people are not use 100% polyester and other synthetic fabric much on t shirts, it’s really hot while wearing in hot summer, because it’s Poor breathability, not absorb moisture, you will get all wet in hot summer.
11. Tencel (Lyocell)
Tencel is a branded Lyocell fiber, which is a cellulose fiber made from wood pulp of trees such as eucalyptus, oak and Birch, which is dissolved in a non-toxic solvent. It is a biodegradable fiber and its production process is eco-friendly.
It has the “comfort” of cotton, the “strength” of polyester, the “luxury beauty” of woolen fabric, the “unique touch” of silk, and “soft drape”. It is extremely tough in both dry and wet conditions. In a wet state, it is the first type of cellulose fiber whose wet strength is far better than cotton. Therefore, Tencel fabric is more practical for summer and autumn rainy seasons, because Tencel fiber can quickly absorb moisture and release it to the outside. Experiments show that in In an environment where the air humidity reaches 65%, Tencel can still transfer the moisture generated by the human body to the outside.
But Tencel fiber has a uniform cross section, but the fibrils are weakly bonded and have no elasticity. If the fiber is mechanically rubbed, the outer layer of the fiber will break, forming a hair with a length of about 1 to 4 microns, especially in wet conditions.
12. Organic cotton
Nowadays, people are paying more attention to the environmental impact, searching for organic fabrics and recycle fabrics. This kind of fabric do not have stock in the market yet, need custom order.
If you aim to establish a unique and exceptional t-shirt business, customization is the key. The use of printed designs and embroidered logos is a great way to create a distinctive identity for your brand in the market. The weight of the fabric used to manufacture t-shirts is also crucial in determining the final product’s quality. While lighter fabrics may be preferred by some, it is important to note that a weight of 80 grams/square meter is not suitable for women’s t-shirts, as they are prone to becoming see through.
In conclusion, to make your mark in the t-shirt industry, focus on creating unique designs and high-quality products that cater to the diverse needs of customers. And if you find yourself in need of inspiration or guidance, don’t hesitate to seek out the assistance of experts in the field.
Let us know by leaving comments below, or feel free to contact us if you have any problem.
