Gildan Heavy Blend fleece is the price-point default for school spirit wear, event merchandise, and fundraiser programs across North America. The 18500 pullover hoodie alone accounts for more decorated hoodie units than any other wholesale blank in the US market. When a print shop quotes a hoodie job for a school booster club or a 5K race committee, the Gildan 18500 is almost always the starting price.

TheClothingSpace stocks the full Gildan Heavy Blend fleece line: the 18500 pullover hoodie, the 18000 crewneck sweatshirt, and the 18600 full-zip hoodie. All three styles use the same 7.75 oz 50/50 cotton-poly Air Jet yarn fleece construction. All are priced among the lowest online for wholesale Gildan blanks, with case pricing that applies automatically and bulk discounts that increase with quantity. No minimum order is required on any Gildan fleece style.

Gildan 18500, 18000 & 18600: Style Differences for Decorators

The 18500 pullover hoodie is the volume workhorse. It carries a double-lined hood, a front kangaroo pocket, and a pouch drawstring. The kangaroo pocket creates a seam ridge across the lower chest print zone. On a standard 16 by 20 inch platen, the pocket seam falls inside the printable area. Screen printing over the pocket seam produces uneven squeegee pressure at that line and a visible step in the cured ink. Most production shops either keep designs above the pocket opening or open the pocket and insert a platen board inside to create a flat surface.

The 18000 crewneck eliminates the pocket entirely, giving decorators a flat, uninterrupted front panel from collar to hem. This makes the 18000 the cleaner substrate for large front prints, oversized graphics, and all-over DTF designs that extend into the lower torso. The 18600 full-zip routes decoration to the left-chest panel and the full back, since the center zipper splits the front panel and makes a center-chest print impractical.

Air Jet Yarn and Dye Migration on 50/50 Gildan Fleece

Gildan Heavy Blend uses Air Jet spun yarn, which produces a denser, smoother surface compared to open-end spun yarn. The practical result is a pill-resistant exterior that holds ink on the surface rather than absorbing it into the nap. For screen printing, this means cleaner dot definition and less ink bleed at the edge of halftone shapes. For embroidery, the tighter surface provides a stable base that resists snagging during high-stitch-count fills.

The 50/50 blend introduces dye migration risk under heat. When press temperature exceeds 320 degrees Fahrenheit, the polyester fibers release sublimation dye that bleeds through white and light-colored plastisol prints and DTF transfers. The discoloration appears as a yellow or pink cast that develops hours to days after pressing. On dark-colored 18500, 18000, or 18600 garments, use low-cure plastisol (cure under 280 degrees) or a DTF transfer film rated for polyester substrates to prevent migration. For runs where dye migration cannot be tolerated, source wholesale sweatshirts in 80/20 or 100% cotton blends instead.

Wholesale Gildan Sweatshirts vs Competing Brands

Gildan Heavy Blend competes directly with the Hanes EcoSmart P170 (hoodie) and F260 (crewneck) at a similar weight and price tier. The functional differences are small: Hanes uses a slightly higher recycled polyester content; Gildan uses Air Jet yarn across the full line. For print shops that need to consolidate suppliers, either brand works. If a customer already specifies Gildan by style number because they are reordering a prior run, stick with Gildan to maintain color consistency across decoration batches. Switching brands mid-program introduces color variation even within nominally identical colorways like Black or Sport Grey.

For accounts that want a step up in perceived value without moving to a premium brand, compare wholesale Champion sweatshirts. The Champion S700 uses a 9 oz fleece with the recognizable C logo on the left sleeve, which adds retail shelf value for school and team programs where the end consumer expects a branded garment.

All Gildan sweatshirts at TheClothingSpace are priced among the lowest online for wholesale fleece. Case pricing applies automatically at checkout, stocked colors on core Gildan styles ship with fast US delivery, and no minimum order is required.