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What are the best heavyweight blank t-shirts for custom printing?
The heavyweight blanks we recommend most for custom printing are the Comfort Colors 1717 (6.1 oz) for a garment-dyed vintage look, the Bella+Canvas 3010 (6 oz) for a cleaner retail heavyweight, and the Gildan 2000 (6 oz) or Hanes 5180 (6.1 oz) when the budget per piece matters. For a true super-heavy, boxy tee, the Shaka Wear Max Heavyweight (7.5 oz) and the Bella+Canvas 4610 (7.5 oz) are the two to compare. All six are 100% cotton in solid colors, which is what both screen printing and DTG want, and all six are in our live catalog, so the calculator prices them at today's cost.
Last updated October 17, 2026 · Printed in Santa Fe Springs, CA · (562) 407-3800
What makes a tee "heavyweight"
Fabric weight is quoted in ounces per square yard. A standard budget tee sits around 4 to 5 ounces, a heavyweight starts near 6, and the super-heavy streetwear blanks reach 7 ounces and more. Heavier fabric drapes straighter, holds its shape after washing, and reads as a better garment in the hand, which is why brands sell on it.
The other number on a spec sheet is singles, the thickness of the yarn: lower singles means a thicker, more textured yarn, higher means finer and smoother. Heavyweights tend to sit at 16 to 20 singles. Fine screen print detail and DTG both like a smoother face, so on a heavyweight keep very fine halftones a little bolder than you would on a thin retail tee.
Garment-dyed or not
The Comfort Colors 1717 is dyed after it is sewn, which produces the soft, lived-in color the brand is known for and makes it a strong canvas for discharge and water-based screen printing. The trade-off is that dye lots can vary slightly from one run to the next, so we test a shirt before running a full discharge job.
The Bella+Canvas 3010, Gildan 2000 and Hanes 5180 are conventionally dyed, so colors are consistent from run to run and plastisol prints sit bright on top. The Shaka Wear and Bella+Canvas 4610 are the heaviest and boxiest of the group, the oversized streetwear fit.
How the blank changes the price
The print price does not change with the blank: a 1-color front at a given quantity costs the same on a budget tee as on a super-heavyweight. What changes is the blank itself, billed at wholesale times 1.75, plus a size upcharge on 2XL and up. On a large run the blank is the biggest single line on the quote, so pick it on purpose.
Heavyweight blanks, live catalog
| Blank | Weight | Build | Blank from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort Colors 1717 | 6.1 oz | 100% ring-spun cotton, garment-dyed, relaxed fit | $11.34/pc |
| Bella+Canvas 3010 Heavyweight Tee | 6 oz | 100% combed ring-spun cotton (solids), relaxed fit, drop shoulder, tear-away label | $9.00/pc |
| Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton | 6 oz | 100% cotton (solids), the value pick of the group | $5.55/pc |
| Hanes 5180 Beefy-T | 6.1 oz | 100% ring-spun cotton (solids), US-grown cotton | $7.84/pc |
| Shaka Wear Max Heavyweight Tee | 7.5 oz | 100% USA cotton (solids), oversized relaxed fit, slight drop shoulder | $9.89/pc |
| Bella+Canvas 4610 Heavyweight Tee | 7.5 oz | 100% cotton, boxy relaxed fit, drop shoulder, tear-away label | $13.04/pc |
Weight and blank price read from the live wholesale catalog at our standard markup (wholesale times 1.75), smallest size, before printing. Heathers and some colors are cotton/poly blends. Prices move with the supplier catalog.
Frequently asked
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