Weight, knit, and what they do
Which fabric, and what the difference feels like
5 minute read
Fabric is described in numbers that mean very little without a garment in your hand. Weight, knit and finish are the three that decide how a kit performs, and each one translates into something a player notices on the field.
Everything else on a spec sheet is detail. These are the three or four decisions worth making deliberately.
The three numbers worth asking about
- Weight (gsm)
- Grams per square metre. Under 140 is light and shows sweat; 160–180 is the usual game-kit range; over 200 is a heavier, more structured garment.
- Knit
- Birdseye and micromesh have holes and breathe; interlock and performance knit are smoother, more opaque and hold colour more evenly.
- Stretch
- Four-way stretch moves in every direction and matters most where a garment is close to the body. Two-way is fine on a loose cut.
What we normally recommend, by sport
A starting point, not a rule. Each specialist site carries the detail for its own sport.
| Sport | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Volleyball | Light performance knit with four-way stretch | Indoor, constant movement, garment sits close to the body |
| Basketball | Mesh or micromesh | Airflow matters more than opacity; the cut is loose |
| Soccer | Mid-weight birdseye | Outdoors in changeable weather, ninety minutes of continuous running |
| Football | Heavier knit with mesh panels | Has to sit over pads and take contact |
| Baseball | Mid-weight interlock or poly-cotton | Colour evenness and a traditional hand matter more than airflow |
The trade nobody mentions
Lighter fabric is more comfortable and less opaque. A very light white jersey is a very light white jersey, and no amount of specification changes what that means under stadium lighting. Where a team wants both, the answer is usually a slightly heavier knit in a colour rather than the lightest available cloth in white.
Mesh breathes and snags. On a court that is fine; on a field with contact it is why football kit uses mesh in panels rather than throughout.
Poly-cotton feels better against the skin and dries slower. It belongs on a training top worn in the cold, not on a jersey worn in July, and it will not take sublimation — a limit explained on our page about bonding dye into polyester fibre.
What a player actually notices
Nobody has ever finished a match thinking about gsm. What they notice is whether the shirt stuck to them, whether it was see-through when it did, whether it moved when they reached, and whether it was still doing those things in the second half — and each of those maps onto one of the numbers on a spec sheet.
Weight decides opacity and warmth. Knit decides airflow and how evenly colour sits. Stretch decides whether a close-fitting garment moves with a body or against it. Those three cover almost everything a player will report, and everything else on a spec sheet is refinement.
The trade nobody mentions is that lighter is more comfortable and less opaque, and the two cannot both be maximised. A very light white jersey is a very light white jersey, and no specification changes what that means under stadium lighting; a program that wants both is usually better served by a slightly heavier knit in a colour.
What each choice costs you elsewhere
Every fabric decision buys one thing and gives up another. These are the trades worth knowing before you make them.
- Lighter weight
- Gains comfort and drying speed. Gives up opacity and durability — the lightest fabrics are the first to snag.
- Mesh knit
- Gains airflow. Gives up snag resistance, which is why football uses mesh in panels rather than throughout.
- Four-way stretch
- Gains movement on close-fitting garments. Costs more, and does nothing at all on a loose cut.
- Poly-cotton
- Gains a softer hand for cold-weather training tops. Gives up drying speed, and will not take sublimation.
- Heavier interlock
- Gains durability and even colour. Gives up breathability — right for baseball, wrong for soccer.
- Water-repellent finish
- Gains weather protection on outerwear. Gives up the ability to hold pressed vinyl, so decoration must be stitched.
How to decide without a swatch in your hand
Four questions that get most programs to the right fabric without guessing.
How long is it worn in motion?
Ninety continuous minutes and two hours of standing are different problems. This one question separates soccer from baseball more usefully than the sport names do.
Indoors or outdoors?
Indoors, airflow wins and snagging barely matters. Outdoors, the reverse — and weather changes during a match in a way a hall does not.
How close to the body?
Close-fitting needs four-way stretch and pays for it. A loose cut does not, and specifying it there is money spent on nothing.
Is it worn daily or weekly?
Daily wear is a different specification, not a cheaper version of the same one — set out on our page for kit worn five days a week.
Follow-up questions
Can we feel the fabrics before deciding?
Ask for a swatch pack. It is the cheapest thing on this site and it settles more arguments than any amount of description.
Which fabric lasts longest?
A mid-weight interlock, generally — fewer holes to snag and enough substance to survive washing. The lightest fabrics are the most comfortable and the least durable.
Is recycled polyester available?
For some garments. Ask when you enquire, because availability varies by fabric and by run rather than being a standing option.
Does the fabric change the print?
Yes. The same design reads slightly differently on mesh than on interlock, because on mesh part of the surface is a hole. We show the mockup on the fabric you have chosen for this reason.
Can we feel the fabrics before choosing?
Ask for a swatch pack. It is the cheapest thing on this site and it settles more arguments than any amount of written description.
Which fabric lasts longest?
A mid-weight interlock, generally — fewer holes to snag and enough substance to survive washing. The lightest fabrics are the most comfortable and the least durable, and both facts are true at once.
Is recycled polyester available?
For some garments. Availability varies by fabric and by run rather than being a standing option, so ask when you enquire rather than assuming.
Does the fabric change how the print looks?
Yes. The same design reads differently on mesh than on interlock, because on mesh part of the surface is a hole. We show the mockup on the fabric you have chosen for exactly this reason.
What gsm should we ask for?
Under 140 is light and semi-opaque; 160 to 180 is the usual game-kit range; over 200 is structured and warm. If a supplier cannot tell you the number, that is worth noticing.
Is more expensive fabric always better?
No — it is usually heavier or more technical, and both can be wrong for a sport. A 220gsm volleyball jersey would be an expensive mistake.