The Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend pullover hoodie is the most decorated hoodie blank in North America. When a print shop quotes a 72-piece hoodie job for a school district, a 5K race, or a corporate event, the 18500 is the starting price point for nearly every bid. Its 7.75 oz 50/50 cotton-poly Air Jet yarn fleece hits the weight threshold that buyers associate with a durable hoodie without crossing into premium territory on cost.

TheClothingSpace stocks the full Gildan hoodie lineup: the 18500 pullover hoodie, the 18600 Heavy Blend full-zip hoodie, and the SF500 Softstyle pullover hoodie. All three styles are priced among the lowest online for wholesale Gildan blanks, with case pricing applied automatically at checkout and bulk discounts that increase with quantity. No minimum order is required on any Gildan hoodie style.

Gildan 18500 vs SF500: Choosing the Right Hoodie for Your Program

The 18500 and SF500 are both pullover hoodies from Gildan, but they target different segments of a decorator's order book. The 18500 is a 7.75 oz 50/50 cotton-poly fleece. The SF500 Softstyle is a lighter 7.2 oz 65/35 ring-spun cotton-poly fleece with a softer hand feel. The SF500 prints and presses similarly to the 18500 but carries a higher perceived softness that some end buyers notice on contact.

For screen printing production, the 18500 is the safer specification. The 50/50 blend is a known substrate, Air Jet yarn holds ink on the surface rather than absorbing it into the nap, and the 18500 color library is broader across more warehouses. The SF500 ring-spun construction is slightly more receptive to DTF transfer adhesion on the face of the fleece, making it a reasonable choice for shops running DTF on soft-hand orders. For embroidery programs, the heavier 18500 construction provides a more stable backing and resists puckering on high-stitch-count left-chest logos.

Screen Printing and Embroidery on Wholesale Gildan Hoodies

The 18500 kangaroo pocket creates a double-layer seam ridge that falls inside the standard 16 by 20 inch platen print zone. Screen printing directly over the pocket seam produces a step in the squeegee pass and uneven ink deposition along that line. Most production shops either confine the design above the pocket opening or board the pocket flat by opening it and inserting a rigid platen insert before pressing. The 18600 full-zip routes all front decoration to the left-chest panel since the center zipper makes a center-chest print impractical.

For embroidery on Gildan 18500 and SF500 hoodies, the brushed fleece interior requires a topping film over the embroidery field. Without topping, needle penetration pushes fleece fibers up through the stitch columns, creating a fuzzy appearance in the finished logo. A water-soluble topping sheet placed over the left-chest or hood print zone holds the nap down during stitching and tears away cleanly after the run.

Dye Migration Risk on Dark-Color Gildan 18500 Hoodies

The 50/50 polyester content in Gildan Heavy Blend hoodies introduces dye migration risk at elevated cure temperatures. When press heat exceeds 320 degrees Fahrenheit, polyester fibers release sublimation dye that bleeds through white and light-colored plastisol prints or DTF transfers. The discoloration appears as a yellow or pink cast that develops hours to days after pressing, not immediately off the platen. On dark-colored 18500 or 18600 garments, use low-cure plastisol formulated to cure under 280 degrees, or a DTF transfer film rated for polyester substrates. For programs where dye migration cannot be tolerated, consider sourcing wholesale hoodies in higher cotton-content blends from other brands in this category.

Shops that need the Gildan price point with reduced migration risk can also compare the SF500 Softstyle hoodie: at 65/35 cotton-poly, the polyester content is lower than the Heavy Blend, which reduces (but does not eliminate) migration risk on dark colors at standard cure temperatures. For a full look at the Gildan crewneck and full-zip options beyond the pullover styles, see wholesale Gildan sweatshirts.

All Gildan hoodies at TheClothingSpace are priced among the lowest online for wholesale fleece. Case pricing applies automatically at checkout on the 18500, SF500, and 18600. Core colors on standard Gildan styles ship with fast US delivery, and no minimum order is required on any style.