French Terry vs Fleece: Which Hoodie Fabric to Choose
Almost every hoodie, sweatshirt and jogger is made from one of two fabrics, and they start life identically. Both are a looped knit; the difference is whether that loop is left alone or brushed open. That single finishing decision changes the warmth, the weight it needs to be, the way it drapes, how much it pills, and how it looks after a year — which is why "320 GSM fleece" and "320 GSM French terry" are not two ways of saying the same thing.
By Raj Rahman, Founder & Managing Director
They are the same fabric until the last step
Both French terry and fleece are knitted the same way: a face side of smooth jersey, and a back built from extra yarn pulled through as loops. Up to that point they are one fabric with one name — loopback.
French terry is what you get if you stop there. The loops on the inside stay closed, so you can see them as small neat rings against the skin. Fleece is what you get if that same fabric goes through a brushing machine, where rollers covered in fine wire cut the loops open and raise the fibres into a soft nap. Nothing is added and nothing is woven differently. One is brushed and one is not.
That is worth knowing because it explains every practical difference below. Brushing trades structure for air: it makes the fabric warmer and softer immediately, and slightly less stable over time, because fibres that have been raised can also migrate.
How each one behaves
French terry breathes. The closed loops hold less air, so the garment insulates less and stays comfortable indoors or in mild weather — it is the fabric behind most year-round sweatshirts and almost all summer joggers. It also holds its shape better and shows print more crisply, because the surface is denser and flatter.
Fleece is warmer at the same weight, because the raised nap traps air. It feels softer straight out of the polybag, and it drapes more heavily. The trade is pilling: brushed fibres are, by definition, loose fibre ends, and loose fibre ends rub into pills. Good fleece pills far less than cheap fleece, which is mostly a function of yarn quality and how aggressively it was brushed.
- French terry: breathable, structured, sharper print surface, less pilling, year-round
- Fleece: warmer at equal GSM, softer hand, heavier drape, more prone to pilling
- French terry suits summer joggers, transitional crews, printed merch, and warm climates
- Fleece suits winter hoodies, heavyweight streetwear, loungewear, and cold climates
- Both take embroidery well; French terry generally holds fine screen-print detail better
Weight changes the answer
GSM and construction interact, so choosing one without the other gets you a garment that is right on paper and wrong in the hand. We run French terry from about 240–280 GSM for summer joggers and sweat shorts, brushed fleece at 320 GSM as the standard mid-weight, and heavy fleece at 380–400 GSM for full heavyweight sets. Our stock heavyweight fleece is 450 GSM.
A useful rule: a brushed fleece feels roughly a weight class warmer than a French terry of the same GSM. If you want a hoodie that is substantial but not hot, 380–400 GSM French terry gets you the weight without the warmth. If you want maximum warmth without a garment that feels like armour, 320 GSM fleece does more than 400 GSM terry would.
Above about 450 GSM you are into custom knit territory rather than stock fabric, which adds 7–10 days for a dedicated knit and dye run. That is worth knowing before you spec 500 GSM because it sounded impressive.
If you already know roughly how heavy you want the garment and are choosing between constructions at that weight, the weight tiers we run for hoodies and sweatshirts.
Which one you should actually pick
- Selling into a warm market, or year-round: French terry, 240–320 GSM
- Selling a winter drop or a heavyweight streetwear hoodie: brushed fleece, 380–400 GSM
- Large, detailed front print: French terry — the flatter surface holds fine detail better
- Softest possible hand feel on first wear: fleece, and specify yarn quality rather than just GSM
- Matching a hoodie to a jogger: use the same construction across both, or the set will not read as a set
- Unsure: sample both at the same GSM in the same colour — it is the one comparison that settles itself in about four seconds of handling
What to put in the tech pack
Specify the construction by name, the GSM, and the fibre blend, in that order — "380 GSM brushed cotton fleece, 80/20 cotton-poly" is a spec; "heavyweight hoodie fabric" is a wish. If pilling matters to you, say so explicitly, because it is controlled at the yarn and brushing stage rather than fixed afterwards.
Ask for the lab dip on the actual construction you are buying. Fleece and terry take dye differently, so a colour approved on one is not approved on the other — this is the single most common cause of a hoodie and jogger not matching in a set.
Frequently asked questions
- Is French terry or fleece warmer?
- Fleece, at the same GSM. Brushing opens the loops into a raised nap that traps air, so a 320 GSM fleece is noticeably warmer than a 320 GSM French terry. If you want weight without heat, heavy French terry gives you that; if you want warmth without bulk, mid-weight fleece does.
- Which fabric pills less?
- French terry, because its loops are still closed. Fleece pills more by construction — brushing creates loose fibre ends and loose fibre ends form pills. Better yarn and gentler brushing reduce it substantially, so fleece quality varies far more between factories than terry quality does.
- What GSM should my hoodie be?
- For most brands, 320 GSM brushed fleece is the standard mid-weight and 380–400 GSM is premium streetwear territory. Our stock heavyweight fleece is 450 GSM. Going above that generally means a custom knit and dye run, which adds 7–10 days.
- Which is better for printing?
- French terry, marginally, for fine detail — the surface is flatter and denser so screen print sits more crisply on it. Fleece takes print perfectly well; the raised nap just softens very fine line work slightly. Both take embroidery without difficulty.
- Can I use the same fabric for a hoodie and matching joggers?
- Yes, and you generally should. A set built from one construction in one dye lot reads as a set; a fleece hoodie with a terry jogger in nominally the same colour usually does not, because the two fabrics take dye at different rates and reflect light differently.
- What is loopback fleece?
- Loopback is the unbrushed state — which makes loopback and French terry the same thing under two names. You will see "loopback" used for heavier unbrushed constructions and "French terry" for lighter ones, but there is no technical line between them; both describe a looped back that has not been brushed open.
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