Hanes vs. Gildan Hoodie Compared: All You Need to Know

The ultimate blend of comfort and style, a great hoodie is timeless and versatile. It provides warmth and coziness while still looking effortlessly cool. 

Whether running errands, lounging at home, or hitting the gym, hoodies offer that perfect mix of functionality and fashion that’s always in style.  

Hanes and Gildan are two of the top brands in the hoodie game, known for their quality and affordable prices. Both are excellent choices.

Since they differ on certain key characteristics, we’ve created a Hanes vs. Gildan hoodie comparison to help you pick the best option for your needs. 

We’ll cover everything you need to know about Hanes and Gildan hoodies, including:

• Info on the brand 

• Available sizes and colors

• Fabric composition and weight

• And more

Whether you’re looking to add hoodies to your catalog or want to order a custom hoodie for yourself, you’re in the right place.

Let’s dive in.hoodie 

Hanes

Hanes is an American brand that launched in 1900. It makes clothing and underwear for men, women, and children.

The brand has set targets to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut back on energy and water use by 25%, move to 100% renewable electricity, and take landfill waste to zero. Plus, Hanes aims to eliminate single-use plastic in its apparel by 2025.

To learn more about their sustainability goals and efforts, visit the Hanes website.

Printful gets the Hanes blank products we print or embroider from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

Hanes P170 Unisex Fleece Hoodie 

Elevate your wardrobe with the Hanes Unisex Fleece Hoodie—the perfect combo of comfort, sustainability, and style. 

Crafted from recycled polyester and soft cotton, this classic hoodie is great-looking yet relaxed and comfy. The patented low-pill, high-stitch density PrintPro® XP fleece ensures that this Hanes hoodie maintains its shape, color, and softness, wash after wash. 

With cover-stitched armholes, a ribbed waistband and cuffs, plus a front pouch pocket, this hoodie has everything you need for maximum comfort and functionality. 

Gildan

Gildan’s roots go back to 1946. Initially a children’s apparel manufacturing company, it grew into Gildan Textiles Inc. by 1984.

The brand is known for its Genuine Responsibility® program, which focuses on circular fashion, material quality, safe and ethical working conditions, empowering communities, and producing garments using renewable energy and less water than the industry average. 

Much of the cotton the brand uses to make its shirts comes from the US, but manufacturing occurs in Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Gildan 18500 Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie

Snuggle into the sleek Gildan Heavy Cotton Blend Hoodie. Made with a combination of pre-shrunk cotton and polyester, this hoodie has a soft feel and a tight weave for reduced pilling—durability to the max.

Another plus? It looks really flattering on the body. There’s no creasing down the middle, and the double-needle stitching on the collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem gives this hoodie a structured look. The athletic rib-knit cuffs and waistband are also made with spandex to create a tailored fit for anybody.

Gildan vs. Hanes hoodie comparison

Now that you know a bit about each, let’s explore the similarities and differences between Gildan and Hanes hoodies by taking a closer look at:

• Style

• Fabric composition and weight

• Colors

• Sizes

• Embroidery and print placements

• Price

By the end of this comparison, you’ll be able to make an informed decision and choose the best hoodie for yourself or your store.

1. Style

Both hoodies are unisex, which is excellent from a seller’s perspective. By adding unisex hoodies to your product catalog, you appeal to a broader customer base. 

Plus, you can promote inclusivity and diversity in your brand messaging, which could help attract a larger audience and improve current customer loyalty.

Both brands offer hoodies in the same style: a unisex classic fit hoodie with a front pocket pouch and a double-lined hood with a color-matched drawstring.

2. Fabric composition and weight

Overall, the Hanes hoodie is considered a lightweight hoodie by our customers. The Gildan Heavy Blend hoodie’s a bit heavier.

Hanes Unisex Fleece Hoodie:

• 50% cotton, 50% polyester (up to 5% recycled polyester, made from plastic bottles)

• Fabric weight: 7.8 oz/y² (264.5 g/m²)

• Patented low-pill, high-stitch density PrintPro® XP fleece

Gildan Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie:

• 50% pre-shrunk cotton, 50% polyester

• Fabric weight: 8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)

• Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling

Gildan uses pre-shrunk fabric, which means garments shrink less after washing and have a more consistent sizing and fit.

Follow our care instructions to ensure:

• You won’t damage, shrink, or stretch your hoodie

• They maintain their quality and appearance over time

• The print doesn’t fade, and embroidery doesn’t pinch or become misshapen

3. Colors

You’ll get a broader range of colors with Gildan: 

• Gildan Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie comes in twelve colors. Check them out on our product page.

4. Sizes

To accurately order a fitted hoodie, measure a hoodie you already own and compare it to the sizing tables we’ve included below.

To accurately measure your hoodies, here are our garment measurement guidelines:

Source: Printful

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of each hoodie’s sizing.

The Hanes Unisex Fleece Hoodie is available in sizes S–3XL. Some of our clients have said that it’s best to order this hoodie a size bigger to get a more comfortable fit. 

Hanes size chart in inches. Source: Printful

Gildan has a slightly more extensive offering: the Gildan Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie is available in sizes S–5XL.

Gildan size chart in inches. Source: Printful

Gildan hoodies have a looser fit and are more suitable for people with long torsos and those who prefer longer sleeves.

5. Embroidery and print placements

Printful only offers Gildan, and here are the customization options you can get:

Gildan hoodie customization options. Source: Printful

Remember to also read our guidelines for creating the perfect print file. You’ll learn:

• What’s the best format to save your files

• How to ensure excellent print quality

• What are common mistakes you can avoid

And check out our guidelines for creating the perfect embroidery file to discover:

• How to set your design up for success

• How to avoid common issues with embroidery files

• Everything you need to know about file digitization

Check out the Gildan Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie’s print and embroidery design placement options below.

Here are the Gildan hoodie print placement guidelines:

* Each size has a different front print area due to the pocket. We will scale graphics proportionately.

Here are the Gildan hoodie embroidery placement guidelines:

Get inspired: 37 Hoodie Design Ideas

6. Price

With Printful, you can design and sell only the Gildan hoodie:

• The full price is $21.75

• If you buy 200 items, you’ll get 15% off, but the maximum bulk discount is 19% for 500 items

7. Other features 

Both brands are committed to sustainable manufacturing. To paint a better picture of what we mean, further details are shared below.

Hanes brand:

• Sources 70% of the cotton they use from the US and Australia

• Takes cotton fiber that would have been thrown away and re-spins it into yarn 

• Is working towards eliminating single-use plastic in its packaging by 2025

Gildan brand:

• Is a member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol (USCTP)

• Recycles 100% of textile clippings from the cutting and sewing operation

• Gets 39% of its energy from renewable sources

What hoodie should you choose?

Both brands have been around for a long time, have a good reputation, and are loved by customers because of the excellent quality they deliver consistently—and don’t forget the affordable price point. 

Which hoodie is best for you depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re after a super soft, lighter-weight hoodie, Hanes should be your choice. If you want a bit thicker material and more sizes and colors, Gildan’s your go-to.

Let us know what you choose in the comments!

Start a clothing brand with Printful

You can turn your passion for fashion or art into a profitable business. Sign up with Printful and start a clothing brand with no monthly fees or upfront costs. Since we’re an on-demand company, you’ll only be charged when your customer places an order.

With Printful, you can design and sell 374 premium products, including custom hoodies, tees, and other clothes. 

You can also set up automated order fulfillment, and we’ll automatically receive, fulfill, and ship orders to your customers. In the meantime, you can focus on the fun part—building your brand.

Read next: 6 Best Quality Hoodies for Printing