Fabric GSM Chart by Construction and End Use

Fabric weight is the first number every buyer asks for and the one most often quoted from memory. A supplier who says “around 200” and a supplier who says “200 GSM plus or minus 5 percent, tested to ISO 3801 after 24 hours conditioning” are describing two different levels of reliability. This chart gives the working ranges our knitters use, what moves them, and where the tolerance should sit.

Fabric GSM Chart by Construction and End Use

Filter by end use or construction. Ranges are for finished fabric unless the row says otherwise.

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These are working ranges for building a specification, not a substitute for a swatch. Confirm hand feel and opacity against a physical sample before placing a bulk order.

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Knit Constructions

Knit fabric feels lighter than its GSM suggests compared with a woven of the same weight, because the loop structure traps air. A 200 GSM fleece and a 200 GSM twill are not alternatives for the same product, even though the number on the spec sheet is identical.

Construction	Typical GSM	Common end uses	What moves the number
Single jersey, lightweight	120 – 160	Summer tee, tank, underwear	Yarn count and stitch length dominate; light colours go sheer below 140
Single jersey, standard	160 – 190	Everyday tee, promotional tee	The volume workhorse of the industry; combed yarn adds cost at the same GSM
Single jersey, premium	190 – 230	Retail tee, heavier drape	Better opacity and recovery; compactor finishing adds weight
Piqué	180 – 240	Polo shirt, textured knit	Structure matters as much as weight; the raised texture adds bulk
Interlock	200 – 280	Polo, kidswear, fitted tops	Double-knit, stable and low-curl; two yarn layers
French terry, loopback	200 – 280	Jogger, sweatshirt, casual jacket	Loop length and pile height; brushed-back adds 10 to 20 GSM
Fleece, unbrushed	240 – 300	Sweatshirt, mid-layer	Two-layer construction; often the base weight before brushing
Fleece, brushed back	300 – 400	Hoodie, winter sweatshirt	Brushing raises the surface; above 400 is genuine winter weight
Flocked, brushed base	280 – 450	Fleece, jersey and woven base	Base fabric GSM plus flock adhesive and fibre; specify base and finished separately
Flocked, jersey base	260 – 400	Logo fleece, garment panels	Flock add-on varies with pile length and fibre type
Rib 1×1 and 2×2	180 – 320	Collars, cuffs, waistband	Recovery and elasticity matter more than weight
Terry loop, towel grade	400 – 700	Towel, robe, blanket	Absorbency is a function of pile, not just GSM
Sports mesh and bird-eye	110 – 170	Teamwear, lining	Open construction lowers weight while keeping coverage
Stretch jersey with elastane	180 – 280	Leggings, activewear, swim	Recovery comes from elastane percentage, not from GSM
Lightweight lining	60 – 100	Pocket bag, dress lining	Usually poly or viscose; rarely specified by the buyer
Poplin, lawn, voile	100 – 140	Shirt, blouse, lightweight dress	Yarn count and thread count; a high count means fine and sheer
Shirting poplin	120 – 170	Formal shirt	Ends and picks per inch together with yarn count
Twill, light	180 – 260	Chino, light trouser	Weave density and finish
Twill, heavy	260 – 360	Workwear, jacket	Yarn tex and pick density
Denim, lightweight	240 – 300	Shirting denim, summer jean	Shuttle loom versus rapier; sanforising pre-shrinks
Denim, standard	300 – 450	Classic five-pocket jean	Slub yarn, wash and finishing add weight
Canvas and heavy twill	400 – 700	Bag, workwear, upholstery	Waterproofing and coating add substantial weight

Woven Constructions

Woven fabric usually needs a higher GSM than a knit of the same perceived thickness, because the threads sit side by side rather than looping and trapping air. When a buyer asks us to match a woven hand feel in a knit, the target GSM normally lands 20 to 40 percent below the woven figure.

GSM by End Use

If you are specifying a fabric before you have a construction in mind, start from the end use. Climate beats fashion when the two conflict, and the same base quality will be sold into completely different markets.

End use	Recommended GSM	Notes from the floor
Promotional tee	140 – 165	Budget-priced, usually poly-cotton, screen printed
Retail tee, everyday	170 – 200	The most commercially useful range; holds print well and stays fully opaque
Premium tee	210 – 240	Substantial hand feel; price moves more at this point than weight does
Polo shirt	200 – 240	Piqué or interlock; the collar and cuff rib is specified separately
Summer dress	100 – 150	Viscose, rayon or lyocell; drape matters more than weight
Structured dress	180 – 220	Needs to hang without clinging
Activewear top	140 – 190	Wicking and recovery are driven by yarn and finish, not by weight
Legging	180 – 260	Elastane content decides recovery; GSM decides opacity
Mid-layer sweatshirt	280 – 320	Unbrushed fleece or lightly brushed
Retail hoodie	340 – 380	The standard for a mid-season cotton hoodie
Winter hoodie	400 – 450	Genuine cold-weather weight; price per metre steps up sharply
Kidswear	180 – 260	Interlock and rib; durability is rated on abrasion, not on weight
Upholstery	400 and above	Martindale abrasion rating matters far more than GSM

How Flocked Fabric Changes the Number

Flocking adds weight in a way that is easy to get wrong. The base fabric keeps its own GSM; the flock adhesive and fibre add on top. A 220 GSM jersey with flock can finish at 340 GSM, and nobody should quote a single number for it without saying which state it refers to.

Specify base GSM, flock add-on and finished GSM as three separate figures whenever the order contains flocked fabric. This is the single most common cause of a rejected flock order.
Flock add-on varies with pile length and fibre type, so changing flock supplier can shift the finished weight even when the base fabric is identical.
Flocked fabric is always specified as finished GSM, because the base is an intermediate the buyer never sees. Light grounds need a slightly different base weight from black, since the adhesive shows through.
Ask for the finished GSM after flock is cured and brushed, measured on a conditioned sample, and state whether tufting is part of the construction.

Tolerance: Why 200 GSM Is Never Exactly 200

A commercial tolerance of plus or minus 5 percent is normal for knitted fabric. Holding plus or minus 3 percent is achievable on single jersey when yarn lot, machine gauge and stitch length are controlled and the roll is finished on a compactor, but it costs more and it should be written into the contract rather than assumed.

Judge a supplier less on whether they hit the exact number and more on whether they hit the same number every time. Consistency between rolls matters far more in cutting than a one-off perfect reading, because a roll that is 4 percent light next to a roll that is 4 percent heavy will produce garments that fit differently after washing.

Two further points belong in the specification:

State the state. Greige, finished and washed all read differently, and this ambiguity causes more disputes than almost anything else in knit sourcing.
Name the test method and conditioning. ISO 3801 or ASTM D3776, conditioned 24 hours at 20 °C and 65 percent relative humidity, samples taken at least one metre from the edge. An unconditioned reading from a humid warehouse can be 3 to 5 percent heavy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a higher GSM always better quality?

No. Higher GSM means heavier. Quality in knit fabric is uniformity across the roll, controlled shrinkage, colour fastness and surface cleanliness. A well-made 170 GSM jersey outperforms a poorly made 240 GSM jersey in almost every real test.

Should I ask for greige or finished GSM?

Finished GSM, always, unless you are the mill. Greige GSM describes fabric before washing, dyeing and finishing, and it is only useful as an internal control figure. If a spec sheet offers only greige, the fabric has not been finished yet.

Why does the same fabric feel heavier after washing?

Shrinkage reduces the area while the mass stays the same, so GSM rises. Compacting and pre-shrinking stabilise the fabric so the garment does not change after the customer washes it. Always specify residual shrinkage separately from GSM.

What GSM for a hoodie sold into a cold market?

300 to 420 GSM covers the range. Around 300 to 320 suits a mid-season layer, 340 to 380 is the standard retail hoodie, and above 400 is winter weight. Match it to your market climate rather than to a single default.

How do I convert a spec written in ounces?

Multiply oz/yd² by 33.9057 to get GSM. So 4.5 oz is about 152 GSM, 5 oz is about 170 GSM and 7 oz is about 237 GSM. The fabric GSM calculator shows both conventions side by side.

Does GSM tell me anything about durability?

Only indirectly. Heavier fabric uses more fibre per metre and usually lasts longer, but a 400 GSM fabric of poor construction can wear out faster than a 300 GSM fabric made from high-tenacity yarn in a tighter construction. Read abrasion and tensile results, not GSM, when durability is the deciding factor.

Need the weight for a specific construction rather than a range? The fleece and flocked GSM picker starts from your end use and finish, then returns a target GSM with oz/yd², weight per metre and the yardage to put on one order.

Measuring a sample you already hold? Use the fabric GSM calculator for the cut-and-weigh method, and the fabric width and spec reference to confirm the width you are converting at.