Gildan is the highest-volume wholesale blank apparel brand globally. Screen printers, DTF decorators, embroiderers, and promotional product companies across North America rely on Gildan blanks because the sizing holds consistent across production runs, the price per unit is among the lowest in the industry, and the range covers every major apparel category a decoration shop needs. The G500 Heavy Cotton t-shirt alone accounts for more wholesale blank units sold than any other single style on the market.

Gildan T-Shirts: G500, G640 Softstyle, and G800 DryBlend

The G500 Heavy Cotton (5.3 oz, 100% cotton, air jet spun) is the default blank for high-volume screen print programs. Open-end yarn produces a dense, pill-resistant surface that holds plastisol ink cleanly at standard mesh counts (110 to 160 mesh for spot colors). The coarser hand feel compared to ring-spun alternatives is the accepted trade-off for the lowest cost per unit on large runs. The G640 Softstyle (4.5 oz, ring-spun cotton) is Gildan's retail-grade option and the preferred blank for DTG printing, where tighter yarn surfaces reduce ink absorption variation and produce cleaner halftone detail. For athletic programs, event staff shirts, and workwear, the G800 DryBlend (5.6 oz, 50/50 cotton-poly) provides moisture management and holds color through repeated industrial washing. Note that dye migration risk exists on DryBlend and other 50/50 poly-blend styles when using plastisol inks; use low-bleed or polyester-specific inks on the G800 to prevent ghosting under heat.

Gildan Hoodies and Sweatshirts: 18500 and 18000 Heavy Blend

The 18500 Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt is the most ordered hoodie blank in the wholesale channel, used for everything from school spirit programs to fundraiser merchandise to corporate employee apparel. At 8 oz, 50/50 cotton-poly fleece, the 18500 provides a mid-weight fleece that prints well with plastisol screen printing and presses clean with DTF transfers. The matching 18000 Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt runs at the same fabric weight and construction, making it easy to offer both silhouettes within a single program without introducing sizing variation between styles. Embroidery on 18500 fleece runs best on a tearaway or cutaway backing depending on design complexity.

Why Consistent Sizing Matters for Reorder Programs

Gildan maintains consistent spec tolerances across production runs. Chest width, body length, and sleeve length measurements hold from one dye lot to the next, which is a practical requirement for decorators running multi-season programs, school accounts, or corporate uniform programs that add units in subsequent orders. A screen printer sourcing replacement units six months after the original run can reorder Gildan G500 or 18500 with confidence that the size chart will match the garments already in the client's hands. This predictability separates Gildan from smaller-run blanks where spec drift between dye lots creates fitting issues on reorders.

For the full range of Gildan t-shirt styles including G500, G640, and G800, see the wholesale Gildan t-shirts collection. For 18500 hoodies and 18000 crewnecks, browse the Gildan sweatshirts collection.

Case Pricing and Bulk Discounts on All Gildan Styles

All Gildan blanks at TheClothingSpace are priced among the lowest online for wholesale apparel. Case pricing applies automatically. Bulk discounts increase with quantity above single-case orders. No minimum order is required on any Gildan style, so mixed-category and mixed-color orders ship without surcharge. Stocked colors on core Gildan styles ship from US warehouses with fast delivery.