French Terry vs Fleece for Custom Hoodies: A Buyer's Guide

Choose French Terry if you want a hoodie with an unbrushed loopback interior and a less fuzzy feel. Choose brushed sweatshirt fleece if a soft, raised inner surface is a priority. Neither is automatically better, even when both fabrics are labeled 350 GSM.

For a custom hoodie brand, that last point matters more than it might seem. Two fabric swatches can carry the same weight specification and still produce hoodies that feel and wear differently. The knit structure, fiber composition, finishing process and garment construction all influence the final result.

Before you approve a fabric for bulk production, compare the actual finished materials, check how they behave after washing and review them in the same hoodie design.

1. French Terry vs Fleece: What Is the Actual Difference?

The easiest place to start is the inside of the fabric.

French Terry typically has a relatively smooth knitted face with visible, unbrushed float loops on the reverse. Brushed sweatshirt fleece has a raised, fuzzy inner surface created through brushing or napping.

In textile manufacturing, these materials can be closely related. A loopback sweatshirt fabric can retain its original loops or be processed to create a softer fleece-like interior.

CottonWorks, the textile education resource from Cotton Incorporated, explains this difference through two-end French Terry and fleece knit constructions.

The material names do not tell you whether the fabric is 100% cotton, a cotton-polyester blend or another fiber combination.

One naming detail is worth checking: the word fleece can also refer to polar fleece, sherpa or other pile fabrics.

This guide specifically compares French Terry with brushed sweatshirt fleece, not every fabric sold under the broader fleece category.

2. Why Two 350 GSM Hoodie Fabrics Can Feel Completely Different

Imagine a brand developing an oversized hoodie.

The design brief calls for 350 GSM fabric. The supplier provides two swatches: one French Terry and one brushed fleece. Both have the same stated fiber composition and target weight.

Does that mean they will create the same finished hoodie?

No.

GSM stands for grams per square meter. It measures fabric mass per unit area. It does not directly measure softness, thickness, thermal insulation, drape or resistance to pilling.

In this hypothetical comparison, one square meter of each fabric would have a mass of 350 grams if both were exactly 350 GSM.

What Actually Changes the Feel?

Several factors can make fabrics with the same GSM feel different:

• Yarn construction: Yarn count, twist and fiber characteristics influence the surface and body of a fabric.
• Knit structure: The way yarns are knitted or laid in affects fabric bulk, stability and drape.
• Brushing: Napping raises surface fibers and changes the feel of the inner surface.
• Finishing: Washing, compacting, softening and other treatments may alter handfeel and dimensional stability.
• Fiber blend: Cotton-rich and polyester-rich constructions may behave differently, even at the same target GSM.

That is why a manufacturer should not replace one approved hoodie fabric with another merely because the GSM and fiber composition match.

3. Which Fabric Works Better for Your Hoodie Collection?

There is no single correct answer for every market or clothing brand.

The better question is: what should the customer experience when wearing this hoodie?

A hoodie designed for casual layering in a mild climate may have a different fabric brief from a hoodie intended for winter travel.

However, geography alone does not determine the correct fabric. For brands selling in the United States, Europe or Australia, consider the target season, local climate, customer preferences and the actual sales channel.

A premium oversized collection may also prioritize a substantial silhouette over maximum warmth.

For that reason, approve the fabric in the finished garment style, not only as a small swatch.

4. What Changes After Washing?

A fabric can feel excellent when the brand first touches the swatch. The more useful question is what happens after laundering.

For both French Terry and brushed fleece, brands should consider dimensional change, surface appearance, color performance and the finished garment's shape.

Fabric Shrinkage and Garment Fit

Shrinkage may affect sleeve length, body length, chest width, hood shape and the fit of matching joggers.

The risk depends on fiber composition, knitting, finishing and laundering conditions.

AATCC TM135-2025 provides a method for evaluating dimensional changes in home-launderable fabrics.

For a buyer, the key is to agree the washing and drying conditions before comparing materials.

Illustrative Shrinkage Calculation

Suppose a marked fabric distance measures 50.0 cm before washing and 48.5 cm after the agreed washing and conditioning procedure.

The calculation is straightforward, but the result is not meaningful without knowing the test procedure, fabric condition and buyer-approved acceptance limit.

It is also not a test result for a Call The STYLE fabric.

What About Pilling and Surface Changes?

Brushing raises surface fibers. That can create the desired soft feel, but buyers should also examine how the raised surface behaves under friction and laundering.

French Terry can pill too. Unbrushed loops do not make a fabric automatically resistant to surface wear.

The exact yarn, knit structure, fiber blend and finishing still matter.

5. How Should Brands Test French Terry and Brushed Fleece?

The best comparison uses actual production-intent fabrics under clearly defined conditions.

If possible, begin with two materials that have the same target finished GSM and similar fiber composition.

That reduces some variables, although the materials may still differ in yarn, knitting and finishing.

Proposed 350 GSM Fabric Comparison

This is a proposed comparison plan, not completed laboratory testing. No results or pass rates are implied.

Relevant Fabric Test Methods

The standards identify methods of evaluation. They do not automatically set a universal pass or fail value for every hoodie.

The brand and manufacturer should agree the actual test conditions, acceptance requirements and responsible testing party.

Don't Skip the Finished Hoodie Sample

A swatch cannot tell you everything about sleeve drape, hood weight, shoulder balance, rib compatibility or print appearance.

Make both sample fabrics into the intended hoodie design where a direct comparison is commercially justified.

Then evaluate the garments under the same relevant wear and laundering conditions.

This gives the buying team more useful information than selecting fabric based only on a supplier's handfeel description.

6. Fabric Choice Also Affects Hoodie Fit and Custom Branding

Changing the body fabric can affect more than comfort.

A hoodie pattern approved in one material should not automatically be treated as approved in another.

Even if two fabrics have the same GSM, they may differ in stretch, recovery, thickness, drape or shrinkage.

That can change how the garment hangs at the shoulders, how the hood sits and how the cuffs and hem behave.

What About Printing and Embroidery?

For private label hoodies, the outside fabric surface also matters.

Screen printing, puff printing, embroidery and heat-transfer applications interact differently with fabric structure and finishing.

A decoration that performs well on one fabric should be checked again if the material changes.

Before production, confirm:

• Approved decoration method
• Artwork dimensions and placement
• Compatibility with fabric surface and stretch
• Wash and appearance requirements
• Approved physical print or embroidery sample

This is particularly important when developing oversized streetwear hoodies with large artwork or heavy embroidery.

7. What Should Be Included in a Custom Hoodie Fabric Specification?

A supplier request that says "350 GSM premium fleece" leaves too much open to interpretation.

A better specification identifies the actual finished material and the expectations that matter to the brand.

Not every detail must be finalized before requesting an initial quotation. But unresolved choices should be identified before the final material and production approvals.

For example, you could tell the manufacturer:

8. Common Hoodie Fabric Sourcing Mistakes

Many avoidable development problems begin with a specification that is too vague.

9. What Should Brands Approve Before Bulk Hoodie Production?

Before the first production order, make sure the material decision has been translated into an approved manufacturing standard.

For custom hoodie manufacturing, the goal is not simply to find a swatch that feels good.

It is to approve a material that works in the intended garment and can be identified and checked again during bulk production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Buyer Guides

Final Recommendation

The right hoodie fabric is not the one with the most impressive GSM number. It is the one that delivers the intended product experience and meets the brand's approved requirements.

Start with the inside surface: unbrushed loopback or brushed fleece. Then compare finished fabric weight, composition, handfeel, wash performance and the appearance of the actual hoodie.

If two fabrics are both 350 GSM, that is a useful starting condition, not a reason to expect identical garments.

Approve the material in the finished sample and keep the technical reference for bulk production and future repeat orders.

Technical Sources and Method Notes