T-Shirts – Common Terms Explained

T-blouse producers use many phrases to explain their merchandise. The phrases aren’t usually steady and it enables to have a reference guide.

The following is the reliable Green Man T-Shirt Guide to knowledge t-blouse phrases:

20s, 20/1, 20s single: Unit of dimension that defines the fineness of cotton thread. A general spool of single-ply cotton thread is constituted of 840 yards of cotton thread. If it takes 20 spools to weigh one pound, then the thread on the ones spools is known as 20s cotton, or 20/1. If 30 spools weigh one pound, then the thread on the ones spools is known as 30s cotton thread, or 30/1. If it takes forty spools to weigh one pound, then the thread on the ones spools is known as 40s cotton, or forty/1. The better quantity approach a finer thread, and accordingly a finer, softer cloth is created. T-shirts manufactured from 30s and 40s are softer, finer, and feature higher drape than t-shirts manufactured from 20s. The phrases are used many ways, however it is the quantity that counts; “20s,” “20/1,” and “20 singles” are the same. Threads may be twisted collectively into thicker strands. If 20/1 cotton threads had been twisted collectively, it might be known as 20/2.

Bamboo Fabric: Rayon crafted from bamboo cellulose. Although rayon is a synthetic artificial material, maximum professionals agree it’s far simply biodegradable. Bamboo cloth is extraordinarily smooth and has exquisite drape.

Bamboo: Fast developing plant, categorised as a grass, which may be simply processed into rayon to make bamboo rayon apparel.

Bleach Wash: A system that makes use of bleach to melt and misery the appearance of the cloth being washed.

Boat Neck: A very huge neckline that runs throughout the collarbone place to the shoulder points. Derives from early sailors’ shirts, in which the huge neck enabled brief elimination if the sailor fell overboard.

Boy Beater: Women’s style solution to the spouse beater. A women’s tank pinnacle, despite the fact that it could be any colour.

Brushed Cotton: A technique to take away extra lint and fibers from cotton cloth. Brushed cotton generally has a completely smooth, easy end.

Burn-Out: A system that makes use of sulfuric acid or different robust acid to “burn-out” components of a material knit, generally a polyester/cotton blend. The system offers a see-through, very sheer effect.

Cap Sleeves: Usually refers to shorter sleeves on women’s clothes.

Carbon Dioxide: CO2. A chemical compound composed of oxygen atoms and one carbon atom. Known as a “greenhouse” fueloline due to its dating with worldwide warming. A few t-blouse producers at the moment are measuring and recording the CO2 emissions concerned in production their shirts.

Carbon Trust: Independent corporation based in 2001 in Great Britain that video display units carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust works with corporations to assist lessen their carbon footprint, and now certifies corporations and merchandise as having a “low carbon” or “no carbon” footprint. A few t-blouse corporations now manufacture “low carbon footprint” t-shirts.

Carding: A fiber cleansing system that gets rid of quick fibers and gets rid of dust and overseas matter. Carding may be finished through hand or through big machines the usage of drum rollers. Carded-handiest cotton isn’t as suited as combed cotton.

Cellulase Wash: Another call for enzyme wash. This offers cloth a smooth experience and a antique appearance, relying on how the wash is finished.

Cellulose: Derived from the mobileular partitions of positive plants. Useful in making positive kinds of fabric, along with acetate, triacetate, and rayon. Bamboo cloth is without a doubt rayon crafted from bamboo cellulose.

Cheap Cotton T-Shirt: T-shirts made with carded cotton, the usage of 18/1 thread, generally knitted on 20 gauge machines. These t-shirts are coarse, rough, and feature bad drapability. Used frequently as reasonably-priced promotional give-aways.

Climate Neutral: A time period used to explain a agency, system, or product that has 0 effect at the Earth’s weather. A few t-blouse producers put it on the market their agency as weather neutral.

CO2: Carbon dioxide. A chemical compound composed of oxygen atoms and one carbon atom. Known as a “greenhouse” fueloline due to its dating with worldwide warming.

Colorfastness: The cappotential of a garment to resist a couple of washings with out dropping its colour.

Combed Cotton: A technique to take away quick fibers and to set up longer fibers parallel to create a easy, exceptional cotton yarn. Combed cotton has excessive energy, exquisite uniformity, and higher hand. Combed cotton expenses extra and is utilized in finer t-shirts.

Compacting: A system that compacts the distance among cotton fiber pockets. Helps to lessen shrinking.

Contrasting Stitching: Stitching with a specific colour than the garment. Gives a pleasant layout element in t-shirts.

Control Union: An global corporation that gives certification offerings for a number of programs–along with many natural certification programs. Certifies USDA Organic, in addition to GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard).

Cotton Jersey: Knitted, very barely stretchy cloth with a easy flat face and a extra textured however uniform lower back. Average weight in line with backyard is set five.five to six oz.. Basic t-shirts are manufactured from cotton jersey. Fine cotton jersey is generally smoother and has a lighter weight in line with backyard.

Cotton: A herbal fiber this is the maximum famous withinside the international for fabric. Cotton fibers are generally ½ to two inches lengthy. Longer fibers produce finer cotton cloth. Varieties inclusive of Pima and Egyptian, which characteristic fibers exceeding 1.five inches, are extra noticeably valued than everyday varieties.

Crew Neck: A spherical close-becoming neckline. Most not unusualplace neck on t-shirts.

Crop Top: A blouse with a quick frame to it; made to show the midriff place.

Double-Needle Stitched: Used totally on sleeve/backside hems and refers to a parallel row of sewing. This kind of sewing offers sturdiness and a cleaner, extra completed appearance.

Drape, Drapability: Refers to how a material hangs. A cloth like bamboo rayon has exquisite drape, at the same time as a rough cloth like burlap has very little. T-shirts which have properly drape characteristics experience nicer to wear.

Drop Tail: A garment that capabilities an extended lower back than front.

Eco-Friendly: Extremely unfastened time period that refers to a product’s “greenness.” Almost vain in realistically assessing a product. Favorite time period utilized by inexperienced washers.

Egyptian Cotton: Cotton produced in Egypt and valued for its lengthy period of fiber. Apparel made with genuine Egyptian cotton is prized for its softness and fineness.

Environmental Justice Foundation: A registered charity installed in 2000 to assist those who go through maximum from environmental abuses inclusive of pesticide poisoning, water depletion, and soil destruction. Especially energetic in curtailing abuses in cotton farming.

Enzyme Washed: A wash system the usage of unique enzymes to supply a smooth end and easy appearance to a material. Ages dyes to create a unique appearance to dyed fabric. Enzyme washing is bodily much less harsh at the cloth as compared to stone washing.

European Cut: A fashion of t-blouse this is narrower than what one commonly finds. For example, a complete reduce men’s t-blouse, length big, generally runs 22 inches throughout the chest (measured one inch underneath the sleeve). A men’s big European reduce will run approximately 1/2 of an inch to one inch narrower, occasionally extra.

Fabric Dyed: Fabric dyed earlier than being reduce and sewn right into a completed piece of apparel.

Fair Labor Association: A nonprofit corporation committed to finishing sweatshop situations in factories worldwide. Works to increase Code of Labor Practices, particularly vital withinside the garb commercial enterprise in which operating situations have traditionally been so bad.

Fair Wear Foundation: An global institution committed to improving garment workers’ lives everywhere in the international. Works with corporations that produce apparel and different sewn merchandise and that take duty for his or her deliver chain.

Fine Cotton Jersey: Knitted, very barely stretchy cloth with a easy flat face and a extra textured however uniform lower back. Fine cotton jersey is generally smoother and has a lighter weight in line with backyard than everyday cotton jersey. T-shirts made with exceptional cotton jersey have a higher drape and experience than everyday t-shirts. Usually made with 30s and better cotton thread, and weighs approximately 4.three oz. in line with rectangular backyard.

Fitted Cut: Definitions vary, however usually a geared up reduce refers to a reduce that flatters the frame. Used frequently in women’s t-shirts, the center phase of the blouse may be tighter than the pinnacle or backside. Overall, the shirts run narrower than a primary complete reduce.

Full Cut: A generous, roomy reduce. In t-shirts, tubular patterns are usually taken into consideration complete-reduce, however there are exceptions. Full Cut differs from the slimmer European Cuts, Slim Cuts, and Fitted Cuts.

Garment Dyed: Clothing dyed after it’s been reduce and sewn right into a completed article of apparel.

Garment Washed: A system in which completed articles of apparel are washed, generally with introduced softeners to enhance the texture and appearance of the cloth.

GMO Free: GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. First used withinside the Nineties whilst purchasers have become concerned approximately genetically changed meals. Many corporations now practice the GMO loose label on the entirety from meals to herbal fabric, like cotton.

GOTS: Stands for Global Organic Textile Standard. A mission of the International Working Group. They have advanced requirements to make certain natural repute of textiles, from the harvesting, production, and labeling, a good way to offer a reputable guarantee to the stop consumer. An natural t-blouse that meets the requirements may be GOTS certified.

Green: Generic time period utilized by advertising specialists to sell merchandise. Another preferred time period of “inexperienced-washers,” who’re hopping at the environmental bandwagon with none actual commitment.

Green-Washing: Take off at the time period “white-washing,” however in an environmental context. Companies that inexperienced-wash are paying lip-provider to environmental worries to draw extra commercial enterprise, however have not taken any actual steps to be environmentally responsible.

Hand: The manner a material feels to the touch. A cloth that feels smooth and easy is taken into consideration to have an awesome hand.

Hemp Fabric: Hemp, or Cannabis sativa, has been used for cloth for lots of years, more often than not as an commercial cloth. Newer processing strategies have made it appropriate for finer apparel, and now it’s far used in lots of apparel articles, along with t-shirts. Hemp is valued for its energy and sturdiness.

Henley T-Shirt: Similar to a collarless polo blouse, a Henley is a pullover t-blouse presenting 2 or three buttons (occasionally as much as five buttons are used, however it’s uncommon). A Henley may be both quick or lengthy sleeved.

Ice Wash: A technique of stone washing in which the stones are first soaked in an answer of potassium permanganate. This technique produces a frosted look to cloth.

Interlock Knit: A kind of knit this is very smooth and has an awesome drape. Interlock knit stitches are tighter, extra stretchy than Jersey knit, however much less stretchy than rib knit. Used in very exceptional clothes.

Jersey Knit: Commonly observed in t-shirts and is the maximum long lasting of knits. It is mild weight, and has exceptional vertical ribs. The Jersey knit changed into named after the British Island withinside the English Channel. Fine cotton Jersey refers to Jersey Knit made with exceptional cotton threads inclusive of 30s and 40s.

Knit: Defines how the interlocking loops of yarn that make up cloth had been made. There are many kinds of knits. Jersey Knit is typically observed in t-shirts and is the maximum long lasting of knits. It is mild weight, and has exceptional vertical ribs. On the opposite hand, rib knits have heavy ribs jogging down the cloth, at the same time as interlock knits are utilized in very exceptional fabric. T-blouse collars are generally rib knit.

Muscle Shirt: Sleeveless fashion t-blouse, however now no longer precisely a tank pinnacle. Basic t-blouse, simply with out the sleeves. The shoulder strap component is a good deal wider than an everyday tank pinnacle.

Neck Tape: A skinny strip of cloth sewn over the seam jogging throughout the shoulders and neck place. It covers the seam and appears higher than an uncovered stitch. Often known as “shoulder to shoulder taped.”

OekoTek 100: Certification from the International Oeko-Tex® Association, which assures purchasers that the garb they purchase is chemical loose and poses no threat to their health. Under the Oeko-Tex general, apparel ought to be freed from formaldehyde, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and different poisonous chemicals.

Organic Apparel: A time period very loosely implemented withinside the garment industry. It can imply whatever from 100% natural to as low as 6% natural. Often blended with phrases like Eco-Friendly, Green, and so on. Consumers ought to test the labels and affirm the substances used to peer if some thing is virtually natural or now no longer.

Organic Cotton: Cotton grown with out the usage of pesticides. Certified natural cotton has been inspected to insure it virtually is natural.

Organic Soil Association: Founded in 1946 through a collection of farmers, scientists and nutritionists involved approximately the connection among farming practices and plant, animal, human, and environmental health. The Organic Soil Association pioneered the primary natural requirements in 1967, and certifies farms and groups that meet the ones requirements.

Overdyed: A system in which formerly dyed clothes or fabric are dyed with an extra colour to create a completely unique appearance.