What Is French Terry Fabric?

Sweatshirt fleece is French terry that has been brushed, so the difference comes down to one finishing step on the inside face. French terry keeps its loops exactly as knitted; fleece has those loops mechanically raised and cut into a soft nap that traps more air. Fleece is warmer, thicker and fluffier against the skin, but bulkier, and it is more prone to pilling because brushing loosens fibre ends, which shows fastest on a cheap base yarn. That is why a brushed garment deserves extra attention in wear tests. It also costs a little more per metre for the extra process at the mill. French terry stays breathable, drapes, holds its shape and keeps a more stable surface. For a brand the choice is mostly seasonal: a fleece-back hoodie sells hard from September and sits still in June, while French terry sells all year. If you are carrying your own stock, that is usually the stronger argument for terry.

Moderately warm, and that middle position is its advantage. The loops on the inside face hold a layer of air, so French terry is warmer than a single jersey t-shirt fabric but cooler than a brushed fleece. Because the loops are left open rather than raised into a nap, it also stays breathable and absorbs moisture. In practice that makes it the year-round option: a French terry hoodie is comfortable in spring and autumn and gets through a mild winter, where a fleece-back hoodie is too warm for half the year and really belongs to autumn and winter. If a winter drop needs more warmth, you do not have to change fabric family. Specify brushed French terry, where the same loops are raised into a soft nap that holds more air, and accept that it will be bulkier and more prone to pilling. For a first range, the longer selling season of plain terry usually counts for more than peak warmth.

Most French terry sits between 240 and 500 GSM, and the band you choose decides what the garment does. At 240 to 280 GSM it suits summer-weight sweatshirts and drapey dresses. At 280 to 350 GSM you are in the standard hoodie and sweatshirt range where most brands start. From 350 to 500 GSM it becomes heavyweight streetwear, the boxy hoodie structured enough to stand up on its own. Above roughly 400 GSM the fabric stops draping and starts holding a shape, dries more slowly and costs more to ship. Because French terry is bought and specified by weight, moving a hoodie from 280 to 400 GSM raises the fabric cost of every unit and the freight weight of every carton at once. Give the factory the weight as a number, not a word like heavyweight. Treat it as a product decision rather than a quality score: heavier is not better, only different.

Usually cotton. 100% cotton French terry is the classic construction and still the most common, and it gives the dry, natural handle most brands are asking for. Beyond that there are three variations worth knowing. Adding 2 to 5% elastane gives stretch French terry, which recovers better at cuffs and waistbands and suits fitted joggers. Polyester blends cost less and resist shrinking, but they give up that dry cotton feel. Organic cotton French terry is the same knit made from certified organic yarn. If you want to put an organic claim on the label, the certificate has to follow the fabric through every stage of production, which is what GOTS certification documents. Collective Studio is GOTS certified, RSC 9687, and the scope certificate is available on request. When you brief a factory, state the composition in full, including any elastane percentage, because the words French terry on their own name a fabric family rather than a specification.

Yes, cotton French terry shrinks, usually more in length than in width, and the finishing decides how much. The cloth is still under tension when it comes off the knitting machine, and it relaxes in the wash, so an untreated sweatshirt can come back shorter after its first cycle. Compacting, also called pre-shrinking, relaxes the cloth before cutting, not after your customer's first wash. Even then, a few percent of residual shrinkage is normal for a cotton knit, and nobody can honestly promise zero. Polyester blends resist shrinking better than 100% cotton, at the cost of the cotton handle. Ask for the mill's stated residual shrinkage, then check it yourself: wash-test your own sample, measure it before and after washing, and grade the size chart to the washed figures. A garment that misses its chart after one wash has a shrinkage problem, not a grading one.

It has natural give, mostly across the width, since it is knitted, not woven. That is enough for a relaxed hoodie, a sweatshirt or a straight jogger, and plain cotton terry recovers reasonably well. It is not enough for a fitted shape that has to hold at the cuff, knee and waistband through repeated wear. For that, specify stretch French terry with 2 to 5% elastane in the blend, so the cuff and waistband spring back instead of slackening. Construction matters too: the length of the loops, the fineness of the yarn and how tightly the ground fabric is knitted all change the stretch, so two fabrics correctly sold as French terry can behave quite differently. That is why a swatch or a reference garment is more useful than a label. If your sample bags at the knee or the cuff goes slack, check the elastane content first, before you change the weight or the pattern.

French terry is used mainly for sweatshirts, hoodies and joggers; it is the sweatshirt knit, with a smooth face outside and soft loops inside. The flat outer face looks clean, while the looped back gives substance and softness against the skin. Weight steers the job: lighter French terry for dresses and summer sweats, heavier for boxy streetwear. Beyond those, it is a common choice for sweat shorts and for year-round loungewear sets, where it is lighter and more breathable than fleece and drapes rather than holds a shape. Brands also choose it for year-round hoodies, the piece that can stay on sale in every season. For winter hoodies and heavy loungewear, the brushed version, fleece, is the usual pick. We make French terry hoodies, sweatshirts and joggers in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, from 150 pieces per style and colour.

Reverse French terry is French terry knitted so the loops sit on the outside of the garment, putting the smooth face against the skin and the looped texture on show. It is a deliberate aesthetic choice rather than a performance upgrade, and it is common in premium streetwear, where the visible texture is the point of the piece. Otherwise it behaves like standard French terry. The main trade-off is the surface. Exposed loops are more vulnerable to snagging in wear, so think carefully before putting it into a range that will be thrown in a gym bag or worn hard. Do not confuse it with brushed French terry, the same thing as fleece-back, where the loops stay on the inside and are raised into a nap for warmth. If you want the look, send a reference garment so the texture can be matched rather than guessed.

Yes, for the most part. French terry is usually described as a medium-weight knit because it sits between T-shirt jersey and brushed fleece: heavier and more substantial than an everyday jersey tee, lighter and less insulating than a fleece-back sweatshirt. The phrase is a description, not a specification, and suppliers use it loosely. When a pattern, a buyer or a mill asks for medium-weight French terry, it usually means roughly 280 to 350 GSM, the range where most hoodies and sweatshirts start. Below that the cloth is often sold as lightweight or summer terry, and above about 350 GSM as heavyweight, the boxy streetwear weight that holds its own shape. Two fabrics described the same way can still sit 70 GSM apart, so never order on the description alone. Confirm the exact number in writing, together with the composition and whether the back is looped or brushed, and approve a swatch before bulk.

Both are cotton knits, but French terry adds a looped back to the jersey idea, and that changes the weight, the warmth and the job. Jersey is a single knit with a smooth face and a back of small, tight loops, typically 110 to 220 GSM. It is the T-shirt cloth: light, drapey, stretchy across the width and inclined to curl at a cut edge. French terry is knitted with an extra yarn drawn into loops that stand proud of the back face, which makes it thicker, softer inside and warmer, usually 240 to 500 GSM. Those loops hold air and absorb moisture, so French terry suits sweatshirts, hoodies, joggers and sweat shorts, while jersey suits tees, vests and summer dresses. Heavy jersey above about 240 GSM tends to feel dense rather than substantial, so when a top needs more body than a premium tee, French terry is usually a better route than simply ordering a thicker jersey.

Yes, lighter French terry is one of the few sweatshirt fabrics that works in warm weather, which is why it sells in more months than fleece. The loops on the inside are left open rather than brushed into a nap, so air moves through the cloth and the loops absorb moisture instead of trapping heat against the skin. Weight decides how far that goes. At 240 to 280 GSM it suits summer sweatshirts, sweat shorts, drapey dresses and lighter joggers. The standard 280 to 350 GSM hoodie range is comfortable on cool summer evenings and through spring and autumn. Heavyweight French terry from 350 GSM upwards, and anything brushed into fleece, are cold-weather fabrics. Fibre matters too: 100% cotton breathes better than a polyester blend. If a summer drop is the plan, specify a lighter cotton French terry, ask for a swatch before bulk, and consider shorts and short sleeves, where the same cloth stays comfortable for longer.