Ask three t-shirt buyers what fabric they want and most will say the same word: cotton. Cotton is the fibre, though, not the fabric. What decides how a t-shirt feels, stretches, prints and survives the wash is the knit structure underneath, and for t-shirts that structure is almost always one of three: single jersey, interlock or pique. They can all be knitted from the same cotton yarn and still behave like three different materials.
We knit and sew all three every week in our Bangladesh factory, and the choice between them shapes everything that follows: the GSM you need, the print method that works best, the price per piece and how the shirt feels after fifty washes. This guide explains each structure in plain terms, where each one earns its place, and how to spec the right one first time instead of discovering the difference when the bulk arrives.
Start With the Knit, Not the Fibre
Every knitted fabric is built from loops of yarn. The pattern those loops follow is the structure, and the structure controls four things a buyer cares about: how the surface looks, how much the fabric stretches, how thick and stable it feels, and how it takes ink or thread. Fibre content still matters, of course. A polyester jersey and a cotton jersey share a structure but not a hand feel. Think of it as two separate decisions: first the structure for the job, then the fibre for the feel and the price.
It also helps to know that structure and weight are linked. The same structure knitted heavier or lighter changes character, which is why a fabric spec should always name both, for example 160 GSM single jersey or 220 GSM pique. Our guide to choosing the right GSM for custom t-shirts covers the weight side of that decision in detail.
Single Jersey: The Default T-Shirt Fabric
Single jersey is the fabric most people picture when they think of a t-shirt. It is knitted on a single set of needles, which gives it a smooth face on the outside and a looped texture on the inside. Hold a basic tee up to the light and you are looking at single jersey roughly nine times out of ten.
Its character comes from that one-sided construction. It is light, soft and breathable, with natural stretch across the width, and it drapes against the body rather than standing away from it. The trade-offs are just as consistent: the edges curl when cut, the fabric can twist slightly after washing if it was not finished properly, and thin versions show every detail underneath. None of that makes it a poor choice. It makes it a choice that needs the right weight and decent finishing, including compacting to control shrinkage and spirality.
Single jersey is the natural home of retail and promotional t-shirts, fashion tees and most printed shirts. Our Classic Crew-Neck T-Shirt is built on it, as are the majority of the styles in our range. Typical weights run from 140 GSM for light promotional shirts up to 220 GSM for heavyweight retail tees, and the smooth face is exactly what screen printing and DTG both want to sit on.
Interlock: The Smooth, Stable, Two-Faced Knit
Interlock is knitted on two sets of needles, with two layers of loops locked into each other. The result looks the same on both sides: smooth face, smooth back, no curling edges. Run your fingers over an interlock t-shirt and it feels thicker, firmer and a little more formal than single jersey of the same weight, almost like two light fabrics bonded together.
That stability is interlock’s selling point. It holds its shape, resists twisting, and gives a clean, even surface that suits premium basics, baby and kids’ clothing, and any garment where a slightly dressed-up hand feel matters. The costs are real, though: interlock uses more yarn per square metre, knits more slowly, and stretches less, so it prices above single jersey and feels warmer because air moves through it less freely.
Buyers often meet interlock when a cheap single jersey shirt has disappointed them. If your complaint about a previous order was that the shirts felt thin, twisted after
washing or curled at the hem, interlock at 180 to 220 GSM usually answers it, provided your market accepts the higher price per piece.
Pique: The Textured Knit Behind Polo Shirts
Pique is the honeycomb-textured knit that defines the classic polo shirt. Its raised geometric surface is not decoration for its own sake: the texture lifts the fabric slightly off the skin, lets air circulate, and hides small imperfections that a flat knit would show. It is normally knitted as a double structure, which makes it stable, firm and noticeably more structured than single jersey.
Because it stands away from the body and holds a collar line well, pique owns the polo category and appears in uniform and sportswear programs where a shirt must look tidy at the end of a long shift. Our cotton t-shirt and knitwear program runs pique alongside jersey for exactly this reason, and our polo production uses it at 200 to 240 GSM.
The texture changes decoration, too. Pique’s uneven surface is unkind to fine print detail and large flat prints can crack along the texture lines if the ink film is wrong. Embroidery, which sits on top of the surface, is the natural partner for pique, while jersey takes print far better. If your design is print-led, that single fact may decide the fabric for you.
Side by Side: How the Three Structures Compare
Put the three structures next to each other and the pattern is clear. Single jersey is the lightest and softest, with the best drape and the lowest cost, but the least stability. Interlock is the smoothest and most stable, with a premium hand feel and a price to match. Pique is the most textured and structured, built for polos and uniforms, breathable in a different way because it lifts off the skin.
Stretch runs in the same order. Single jersey stretches most and recovers least unless elastane is added. Interlock stretches least of the three, which is why it keeps a tidy silhouette. Print behaviour follows the surface: jersey first, interlock a close second, pique last. For embroidery the order reverses, with pique and interlock both giving a firm base that holds stitching flat.
None of this makes one structure “the best”. It makes each one right for a defined job, and wrong for others. A baby onesie in pique and a polo in 140 GSM single jersey are both specification errors, just in opposite directions.
Washing behaviour separates them further over a garment’s life. Single jersey is the most likely to twist or grow if it was knitted with unbalanced yarn tension and skipped compacting, which is why finishing matters as much as structure. Interlock’s two locked layers resist that movement best, one reason it is chosen for garments that must look neat after industrial or family washing. Pique sits between the two: stable across the body, though collars and plackets still decide whether a polo looks crisp after a year.
Elastane cuts across all three structures. A small percentage, usually 3 to 5 percent, added to single jersey gives recovery that keeps necklines and hems in shape, and it is common in women’s and fitted styles. In interlock it is rarely needed because the structure is already firm. In pique it appears in performance polos, where a little give helps movement without changing the classic surface. Wherever it is used, it belongs in the written specification, because it changes both cost and shrinkage behaviour.
Which Fabric Suits Which T-Shirt Program?
For promotional t-shirts bought in volume, single jersey at 150 to 180 GSM remains the sensible default: soft, printable and priced for distribution. For retail ranges where the shirt itself is the product, single jersey at 180 to 220 GSM or interlock at similar weights gives the substance customers feel in the hand. For staff uniforms, think about the working day first: jersey for indoor teams, pique where a collar and a structured look are part of the uniform, interlock for premium front-of-house pieces.
Sportswear shifts the fibre more than the structure. A training shirt is usually single jersey or a mesh built from polyester yarns, because the structure gives the stretch and the fibre handles the moisture. Our screen printing service sees the full range, and the advice we give buyers is consistent: choose the structure for how the shirt will be worn, then the fibre for climate and care, then the weight for budget and feel.
If you are building a wider range rather than a single style, our services overview shows how fabric development, sampling and decoration sit together in one program, so the jersey tee, the interlock premium basic and the pique polo all arrive in matching colours from the same dye lots.
Specifying Fabric So the Bulk Matches the Sample
Most fabric disappointments trace back to a loose specification. “Cotton t-shirt fabric” leaves the structure, the weight tolerance and the finishing to chance. A spec that protects you names five things: the structure (single jersey, interlock or pique), the fibre composition including any elastane percentage, the GSM with its tolerance, the finish (compacted, bio-washed, silicone softened), and the colour standard the dyeing is matched against.
Then approve the fabric before you approve the garment. We prepare lab dips for colour and a fabric swatch or strike-off for hand feel and print behaviour, and the pre-production sample is sewn in the actual bulk fabric, so what you sign off is what the cutting floor uses. The sampling stages and minimums behind this are set out on our MOQ and production page; our minimum is 1,200 pieces per style in up to two colours, which is enough to keep a fabric program consistent across a full size range.
One last habit separates experienced buyers: they keep a cutting of the approved fabric with the signed sample. When the bulk arrives, comparing hand feel and shade against that reference settles most questions in minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is interlock better than single jersey for t-shirts?
It is different, not simply better. Interlock is smoother on both sides, more stable and feels more premium, but it costs more, stretches less and feels warmer. For most retail and promotional t-shirts, good single jersey at the right weight is the better value.
Why is pique fabric used for polo shirts instead of t-shirts?
Pique’s raised texture lifts the fabric off the skin, breathes well and holds a structured, tidy appearance with a collar, which is what a polo needs. The same texture makes it heavier and less suited to soft, draped t-shirt styles and fine print work.
Which t-shirt fabric is best for screen printing?
Single jersey, because its smooth flat face gives the ink an even surface and holds detail well. Interlock prints almost as cleanly. Pique is the weakest for print because the textured surface breaks up the ink film, so embroidery is usually chosen instead.
Can the same design be made in two different knit structures?
Yes, and ranges often do exactly that: a core style in single jersey and a premium version in interlock, for example. Each structure needs its own sample and fit approval, because stretch and shrinkage differ, so allow development time for both versions.