TYPES

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Crewneck: A t-shirt with a rounded neckline and no collar.

 

Heavyweight: Any t-shirt over 5.8-oz.

 

Henley: A shirt without a collar that features a button-up placket and a t-shirt-like neckline.

 

Lightweight: A t-shirt that weighs between 3.4 and 4.5 ounces.

 

V-neck: A t-shirt with a "V" shaped neckline.

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PARTS

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Arms: The portion of a t-shirt that extend from the main body outward and add coverage to the shoulders and generally the 

 

Shoulders: Like the arms of a T-shirt, the shoulder fit varies depending on the style. However, typically, the shoulder seams of the shirt should lineup with the wearer's real shoulder line.

 

Torso: The main body of a t-shirt.

 

1 X 1 Rib: A knit typically used for the neck and binding.

 

Shoulder taping: Fabric tape sewn over the seams of a shoulder, on the inside of a t-shirt, to reinforce the stitching, and protect the wearer from uneven stitches and scratchy edges.

 

Side seams: Seams used to join the front and back parts of a shirt, adding structure and a more tailored fit.

 

Double-needle: A double row of stitching to create a commonly found on sleeves and bottom hems for looks and durability.

 

FITS

 

Classic: A seamless t-shirt construction created to fit a general body type and size.

 

Missy: A fit that is tailored for women's bodies and feature slightly tapered side seams.

 

Unisex: A fit that is suitable for men and women usually offers a range of sizes to accommodate various  body types.

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FABRIC

 

50/50: Also known as poly/cotton, is a t-shirt that is made up of 50% polyester and 50% cotton.

 

Carded cotton: A type of cotton created with yarn that has been cleaned and formed into parallel strands to remove impurities.

 

Combed cotton: A cotton finish that offers a softer feel than carded cotton due to additional spinning, and the removal of impurities and short protruding threads.

 

CVC: Also known as Chief Value Cotton refers to bi-blends with more than 51% cotton content. “

 

French Terry:  A 100% cotton or blended and knitted terry fabric featuring loops and soft piles of yarn on the interior and the other side flat.

 

Heather: Most often a cotton/poly or cotton/rayon blend creating a multicolored, non-solid, blurred effect.

 

Jersey: A t-shirt knit with a flat, smooth surface and and some stretch. 

 

Modal: A fabric made up of synthetic fibers creating a soft hand and flounce, often used to create tri-blended t-shirts.

 

Rib knit: Knit fabric that is made up of rows of knitted loops giving it considerable stretch and shape retainment.

 

Ring-spun cotton: A fabric created by twisting and spinning fibers of yarn around a spindle to produce a fine, tight, long yarn.

 

Slub: A t-shirt made of slub yarn, that is twisted and spun to create lumps in the yarn and create an enhanced knitted fabric.

 

Tri-blend: A t-shirt made of three different materials.

 

Singles: A numerical value that displays the thickness/quality or diameter of the yarn, and is measured by the individual fibers in a twist.

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WASHES

 

Enzyme-Washed: A mechanical or chemical treatment that uses a solution to remove fine fibers from a fabric's surface. 

 

Garment-Washed: A special wash process applied to a finished garment to soften, preshrink, and/or change the look of the garment.

 

Mineral-Washed: A wash process which wears away at the dyes of a garment after it has been dyed and assembled.

 

TREATMENTS

 

Burnout: A sodium bisulfate treatment that burns away cotton to leave only the synthetic fabric. 

 

Garment-Dyed: A fully constructed garment that is left untreated, then dyed as a whole.

 

Pigment-dyed: A garment dye that is applied to a fully assembled T-shirt allowing the dye sit on top of the fabric, like a coating.

 

Yarn-dyed: A process where the yarns of the T-shirt are dyed ahead of the knitting process.

 

Preshrunk: A fabric treatment that is performed to the fabric of a garment before a t-shirt's assembly forcing the material to tighten up, and allow for shrinkage once washed. 

 

Dyed-to-match: Refers to details on a garment that matches the color of the garment to the fixtures such as buttons, thread, zippers, and linings.