lightweight blank t shirts
Light tees cost less, ship cheaper and sell in hot climates. They also go see-through in white, distort under a heavy print, and feel cheap in the hand if the knit is poor. The decision is not "light or heavy", it is which trade you can live with.
Send the weight, colour, fit and quantity. We return a unit price per quantity tier within 24 hours.
Hot and humid markets, summer campaigns, giveaways and promotional runs where the shirt is a carrier for a logo rather than a garment. A 160–180gsm tee at volume is the cheapest credible option.
It also ships better: lighter fabric means lower freight per piece, which matters more than the unit price on large runs.
White. Under 160gsm, white jersey is visibly sheer under studio light, and twice as sheer in daylight. If the shirt is white and light, buyers will notice before they notice the design.
Heavy ink. A thick plastisol deposit on a light jersey causes the fabric to corrugate around the print after a few washes. Light shirts want thin ink or DTG.
180–200gsm is the practical compromise: light enough to be cheap and cool, heavy enough not to be sheer and to hold a screen print. Most promotional tees live here.
This is also where tubular construction shows up, because a tubular body has no side seams — cheaper to make, and it removes two seams that could pucker.
We hold 6 styles at 200gsm or below, from $3.00 — including an 180gsm tubular crew that goes to 6XL, and polyester activewear at 160–170gsm.
| Light styles in stock | 6 |
|---|---|
| Price from | $3.00 |
| Weight range | 160–200 gsm |
| Construction | Tubular or side-seamed depending on style |
| Best for | Promotional runs, hot climates, low-cost giveaways |
For a giveaway, no. For white retail, yes — it will be see-through. 180gsm is the practical floor for a sellable tee.
A body knitted as a tube, so there are no side seams. Cheaper to make and it removes two seams that can pucker.
Yes, but use thin ink. A heavy plastisol deposit makes light jersey corrugate around the print.
Yes, and on large runs the freight saving can exceed the unit-price saving.
A fabric swatch and a sewn sample come before the bulk run, and finished goods are photographed before packing.