Search for:
t-shirt weight

How Much Does a T-shirt Weigh?

The weight of a t-shirt ranges from 4oz to 7oz. The exact weight of a shirt will depend on the type of material used to design it, the size, thickness of fabric, and even humidity (the wetness and dryness of a shirt).

Knowing how much an average T-shirt weighs will help you determine the right amount to charge when your shipping shirts.

How Much do T-shirts Weigh?

To establish the weight range of various t-shirts, we took the most popular brands and put them on a weighing machine.

We ended up with figures ranging from as little as 4oz to as high as 6.4oz, enabling us to come with the 4 to 7 oz weight range.

Here’s the table of our results:

Small

Medium

Large

XL

2XL

Fruit of the Loom (budget t-shirts) 4.51oz 4.83oz 5.07oz 5.64oz 6.10oz
Gildan softstyle (mens) 4.26oz 4.86oz 5.39oz 5.67oz 6.45oz
Gildan softstyle (womens) 3.81oz 4.05oz 4.51oz 4.97oz 5.50oz
American apparel 4.16oz 4.58oz 4.97oz 5.50oz 5.78oz

Why does T-shirt Weight Matter?

T-shirt weight matters because you’ll need to know for the quality of the shirt and shipping prices when buying or selling.

As we’ve just stated above, the standard weight for t-shirts is around 4 to 7 oz. If you get anything below this, it might mean that the fabric is lightweight and not as durable as you might expect.

This is not to say lightweight t-shirts aren’t good because they might be ideal for applications like one-time event use or for summer wear.

If you’re looking for t-shirts for use in rough conditions where they’re likely to get wear and tear—say uniforms—you’d want to go for heavier/thicker ones of around 6-7oz.

T-shirts meant for most uses usually weigh around 5.5oz.

As for the t-shirts intended to be imprinted on for promotional purposes, they should come with just the right amount of weight/thickness to withstand the imprinting process.

It’s important to note that the heavier a t-shirt is, the thicker and greater quality fabric it comes with. And this means it’ll cost you more.

The heavier t-shirts also tend to come with pricier shipping costs too. The heavier the shirts are, the heavier the packages will be.

FAQs

What’s the Average T-shirt Weight?

The average T-shirt weight is 5.5oz.

How Much Does a Gildan T-shirt Weigh?

A Gildan T-shirt weighs between 3.81oz and 6.45oz depending on the size.

How Much Does a Cotton T-shirt Weigh?

A cotton T-shirt weighs between 3.62oz and 5.3oz depending on the size.

James M. Rai has been screen printing T-shirts and other textiles professionally and as a hobby for more than 15 years. During that time, he owned and operated a small screen printing shop in northern California for more than 7 years. More recently, James has gotten involved with Cricut and other cutting machines.