The best heavyweight blank tees for streetwear run 6.1 to 9 oz per square yard, and the right one depends on the cut you want. At French Press Custom in Santa Fe Springs, a one-color front print on a black 7.5 oz Shaka Wear Max Heavyweight is $13.45 per shirt at 100 pieces, and on a boxy 8.2 oz AS Colour Heavy Tee it is $22.09.
Every price on this page comes from the same engine as our instant quote calculator, using live supplier blank prices. Prices are per shirt, before tax, sizes S to XL, with screen setup already included.
What counts as a heavyweight tee?
A standard promo tee like the Gildan 5000 is 5.3 oz per square yard. Brands use the word heavyweight loosely: Comfort Colors calls its 6.1 oz 1717 heavyweight, while the streetwear blanks below run up to 9 oz. Weight is only half the story. Two other specs change how a shirt looks on a body:
- Yarn. A lower singles number means a thicker yarn. A 16 singles or 12 singles tee feels dense and stands away from the body; a 30 singles tee drapes.
- Cut. "Oversized" or "boxy" usually means a wider body, dropped shoulders and a shorter length. That silhouette is what makes a heavyweight tee read as streetwear rather than workwear.
Live price
What will my order cost?
Method
Quantity
Ink colors
Garment
The heavyweight blanks in our catalog, side by side
Specs below are from each brand's product description in our supplier catalog, except the AS Colour 5080 (AS Colour product API) and the Stanley/Stella Sparker 2.0 (Stanley/Stella product API). The gram figures in brackets are converted from ounces where the brand did not list them.
| Tee | Weight | Fabric | Fit, as the brand lists it | Sizes | Colors in our catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaka Wear SHMHSS Max Heavyweight | 7.5 oz (about 254 g/m²) | 100% USA cotton, 16 singles | Oversized/relaxed, slight drop shoulder, 1 in collar | S to 7XL | 22 |
| Shaka Wear SHGD Max Heavyweight Garment-Dyed | 7.5 oz (about 254 g/m²) | 100% USA cotton, 16 singles, garment dyed | Slightly oversized | XS to 5XL | 18 |
| Comfort Colors 1717 | 6.1 oz (about 207 g/m²) | 100% ring-spun cotton, 20 singles, garment dyed | Relaxed fit | S to 4XL | 68 |
| AS Colour 5080 Heavy Tee | 8.2 oz (280 GSM) | 100% carded cotton, 26 doubles | Relaxed, boxy, dropped shoulders, wide neck rib | S to 5XL | 7 |
| Stanley/Stella Sparker 2.0 | 6.3 oz (214 g/m²) | 100% organic carded cotton, 16 singles, loose knit | Relaxed fit, pre-shrunk | XXS to 3XL | 22 |
| Gildan 75000 Hammer Maxweight | 7 oz (about 237 g/m²) | 100% ring-spun cotton, 14 singles | Oversized, rolled forward drop shoulder | S to 3XL | 14 |
| Next Level 7200 Heavyweight | 6.8 oz (about 231 g/m²) | 100% combed ring-spun cotton, 16 singles | Oversized, dropped shoulder | XS to 3XL | 23 |
| BELLA+CANVAS 4610 | 7.5 oz (about 254 g/m²) | 100% cotton, 16 singles | Boxier, relaxed, drop shoulders | XS to 4XL | 10 |
| American Apparel 9001 Super Heavyweight | 9 oz (about 305 g/m²) | 80/20 ring-spun cotton/poly, 12 singles | Oversized, 2 in rib collar, forward drop shoulder | S to 3XL | 11 |
| Lane Seven LS16005 Urban Heavyweight | 7.6 oz (about 258 g/m²) | 100% ring-spun combed cotton, 26 doubles, pigment-dyed options | Oversized, boxy | XS to 3XL | 18 |
| Tultex 299 Heavyweight Street | 7.2 oz (about 244 g/m²) | 100% open-end cotton, 18 singles, pre-washed | Not stated beyond a Lycra rib collar | S to 4XL | 9 |
A note on Los Angeles Apparel: its heavyweight tees are popular with LA brands, but the Los Angeles Apparel styles in our current supplier catalog are its fine jersey, 50/50 and triblend tees, not the heavyweight line, so we have not priced them here.
Which heavyweight blank fits which look?
The boxy, cropped streetwear cut
Pick the AS Colour 5080, Lane Seven LS16005, BELLA+CANVAS 4610 or Next Level 7200. All four are listed as boxy or oversized with dropped shoulders. The 5080 is the heaviest of that group at 8.2 oz, and the LS16005 adds pigment-dyed colors for a faded look. If you want the heaviest tee in this comparison, the American Apparel 9001 is 9 oz with a 2 in collar, though it is an 80/20 blend rather than all cotton.
The vintage, broken-in look
Garment-dyed tees are dyed after they are sewn, which gives the slightly uneven, washed color people associate with vintage merch. The Comfort Colors 1717 is the best known, with 68 colors in our catalog, and the Shaka Wear SHGD is the heavier option at 7.5 oz. Our Comfort Colors guide goes deeper on the 1717.
The best value heavyweight
The Gildan 75000 Hammer Maxweight, Shaka Wear SHMHSS and Tultex 299 are the lowest printed prices in the table. The SHMHSS also has the widest size run, S to 7XL, which matters if your audience needs big sizes.
Organic and premium
The Stanley/Stella Sparker 2.0 is 100% organic cotton in a relaxed fit. We are an official Stanley/Stella dealer, and our best premium blank tee guide compares it with other retail-grade blanks.
What does a printed heavyweight tee cost?
Black shirt, one-color screen print, size L pricing (S to XL are the same price). Screen print minimum is 36 pieces per design.
| Tee | 1-color front, 50 pcs | 1-color front, 100 pcs | 1-color front + 1-color back, 100 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan 75000 (Pitch Black) | $14.37 | $12.31 | $16.16 |
| Tultex 299 | $15.37 | $13.31 | $17.16 |
| Shaka Wear SHMHSS | $15.51 | $13.45 | $17.30 |
| Next Level 7200 | $16.85 | $14.79 | $18.64 |
| Comfort Colors 1717 | $17.38 | $15.32 | $19.17 |
| Shaka Wear SHGD | $18.49 | $16.43 | $20.28 |
| BELLA+CANVAS 4610 | $18.65 | $16.59 | $20.44 |
| Stanley/Stella Sparker 2.0 | $19.91 | $17.85 | $21.70 |
| Lane Seven LS16005 | $22.36 | $20.30 | $24.15 |
| American Apparel 9001 | $23.87 | $21.81 | $25.66 |
| AS Colour 5080 | $24.15 | $22.09 | $25.94 |
Sizes 2XL and up carry a supplier upcharge on most of these. For example, at 50 pieces a 2XL Shaka Wear SHMHSS is $18.63 against $15.51 in L, and a 2XL Sparker 2.0 is $23.11 against $19.91. The AS Colour 5080 is the exception through 3XL: its 2XL prices the same as an L, and the upcharge starts at 4XL. The calculator prices each size for you.
How heavyweight fabric changes the print
- Dense, all-cotton jersey gives a smooth print surface. Low-singles cotton like the 16 singles Shaka Wear and Next Level tees holds a crisp edge on bold streetwear graphics.
- Dark shirts need an underbase. On any shirt that is not clearly light, we print a white underbase under your ink so the color stays bright. That is an extra screen, and our quote includes it automatically.
- Soft-hand prints need the right fiber. Discharge printing needs 100% cotton with dischargeable dye, and it is at its best on garment-dyed blanks like the 1717. Blends such as the 80/20 American Apparel 9001 do not discharge. See water-based and discharge printing.
- Puff and high-density inks stand up well on a heavy tee. See specialty inks for puff, foil and high-density options.
- Full-color art and small runs. If your design is a photo or gradient, or you need fewer than 36 shirts, DTG or DTF is the better fit. Our screen printing vs DTG page explains the trade-off.
Our take
For a first drop, we usually point new brands to the Shaka Wear SHMHSS or Next Level 7200 for a heavy, oversized feel at a price that leaves room for margin, and to the AS Colour 5080 or Lane Seven LS16005 when the boxy cut is the product. If you plan a discharge print on a dark tee, choose an all-cotton blank, and expect us to test a shirt from your run before we print the whole order, because some dye lots release more evenly than others. Our guide to starting a clothing brand covers samples, size runs and reorders.
Ordering from Los Angeles or Orange County
- Where we are. 14130 Rosecrans Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, serving Los Angeles and Orange County.
- Minimums. DTG none, DTF 12, embroidery 24, screen printing 36 pieces per design.
- Timing. About 2-3 weeks after art approval. Rush available depending on the schedule. Tell us your date.
- Contact. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm PT, (562) 407-3800, sales@frenchpresscustom.com.
Price your heavyweight tees now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the heaviest blank t-shirt for streetwear?
Of the 11 tees compared here, the American Apparel 9001 Super Heavyweight is the heaviest at 9 oz per square yard, an 80/20 cotton/poly blend with a 2 in collar. The heaviest all-cotton option is the AS Colour 5080 at 8.2 oz (280 GSM).
What is the best boxy heavyweight tee?
The AS Colour 5080, Lane Seven LS16005, BELLA+CANVAS 4610 and Next Level 7200 are all listed as boxy or oversized with dropped shoulders. At 100 pieces with a one-color front on black, they run $14.79 to $22.09 per shirt at French Press Custom.
How much does it cost to print 100 heavyweight t-shirts?
At French Press Custom, 100 black heavyweight tees with a one-color front print cost $12.31 to $22.09 per shirt before tax, depending on the blank. Adding a one-color back print brings the range to $16.16 to $25.94.
Is Comfort Colors 1717 a heavyweight tee?
Comfort Colors calls it heavyweight, and at 6.1 oz it is heavier than a 5.3 oz Gildan 5000, but it is lighter than the 7 to 9 oz streetwear blanks. Its draw is the garment-dyed color and a relaxed fit, with 68 colors in our catalog.
Are heavyweight tees good for screen printing?
Yes. Dense all-cotton jersey gives a smooth surface for bold graphics, puff and high-density inks. For a soft discharge print, pick 100% cotton; blends do not discharge.
What is the minimum order for printed heavyweight tees?
Screen printing starts at 36 pieces per design, and sizes of one design count together toward it. DTG has no minimum and DTF starts at 12 if you want a smaller first run.
