Cotton is a natural cellulose fibre that is soft, breathable and absorbent. Polyester is a synthetic fibre, usually PET made from petroleum-based chemicals, that is stronger, dries faster and holds its shape and colour better. In the cotton vs polyester decision, cotton usually wins on everyday comfort and print quality, polyester wins on performance and easy care, and blends sit in between.
The right choice depends on the product, the decoration and your price point. Below we compare the two fibres, explain blends like polycotton, and show what to write in your tech pack.
What is cotton?
Cotton is a natural fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. It is almost pure cellulose, which is why it feels soft, absorbs water and copes well with heat.
Fibre length and spinning make a big difference to the finished fabric:
- Combed cotton has the short fibres and impurities removed, giving a smoother, stronger yarn.
- Ring-spun cotton is twisted into a finer, softer yarn than open-end cotton, which is cheaper and feels rougher.
- Long-staple cottons such as Pima give a smoother, more lustrous fabric at a higher cost.
Most premium T-shirts use combed, ring-spun cotton knitted into single jersey. If you are new to knits, our guide to jersey fabric explains how the construction affects drape and stretch.
What is polyester?
Polyester is a synthetic fibre. In clothing it almost always means PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the same family of plastic used for drinks bottles. The polymer is made from petroleum-derived chemicals, then melted and extruded through tiny holes to form continuous filaments.
Filaments can be used as smooth, continuous yarn, or cut short and spun so they feel more like cotton. Very fine filaments are sold as microfibre.
Cotton vs polyester: side-by-side comparison
These are general fibre behaviours; knit, weight and finishing can shift any of them.
| Cotton | Polyester | |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre type | Natural, plant cellulose | Synthetic, petroleum-based (PET) |
| Breathability | High | Lower as a fibre; depends heavily on the knit |
| Moisture | Absorbs sweat and holds it; slow to dry | Absorbs very little; wicking knits move sweat to the surface and dry fast |
| Feel | Soft, dry, natural handfeel | Smooth or slick; can be brushed or textured to feel softer |
| Durability | Good, but wears and fades with repeated washing | High abrasion resistance; keeps its shape and colour |
| Shrinkage | Can shrink unless pre-shrunk or compacted | Minimal under normal washing |
| Pilling | Pills tend to break off | Strong fibres anchor pills, so they stay; spun polyester and blends are most prone |
| Creasing | Creases easily | Resists creasing |
| Odour | Holds on to odour less | Tends to hold on to body odour |
| Care | Tolerates hot washing and ironing | Heat-sensitive; a hot iron can glaze or melt it |
| Printing | Ideal for DTG, screen print and garment dye | Needed for sublimation; screen print with low-bleed inks |
| Relative cost | Medium (organic is higher) | Lower (recycled is usually higher than virgin) |
Is polyester breathable?
Less than cotton, as a fibre. Polyester absorbs almost no water, so a plain, tightly knitted polyester tee can feel warm and clammy on a hot day.
But construction matters too. Performance fabrics use open knits, mesh and shaped fibres to pull sweat off the skin so it spreads and evaporates. That is wicking, and it is why polyester stays drier during exercise while cotton gets heavy and wet.
So for everyday wear, cotton feels more breathable. For sweating, a well-engineered polyester knit performs better.
Printing and dyeing: where the fibre really matters
The fibre decides which decoration methods work, and this is where first-time brands often get caught out.
- DTG (direct-to-garment): works best on 100% cotton or very high-cotton fabric. The water-based inks bond well to cotton; on polyester-heavy blends the print is usually duller and less durable.
- Sublimation: needs polyester. The dye turns to gas under heat and bonds with polyester fibres, so it works best on 100% or high-polyester, white or light fabric. On cotton the dye does not bond and washes out.
- Screen print: works on both. On dyed polyester, the heat used to cure plastisol ink can make the fabric dye migrate into the print, so a white logo on a red shirt can turn pink. Printers manage it with low-bleed inks, blocker underbases and lower cure temperatures.
- Garment dye and washes: cotton takes garment dye, pigment dye and enzyme washes well. Standard garment dyes are made for cotton, so in a blend the polyester stays lighter and gives a heathered or faded look.
Plan decoration and fabric together: a garment-dyed tee with a DTG back print points to 100% cotton; an all-over sublimated jersey points to polyester.
Polycotton and other cotton polyester blends
Polycotton is any cotton polyester blend. Blends combine some of cotton’s comfort with polyester’s strength, shape retention and low shrinkage, often at a lower cost.
Composition is written with the largest fibre first, so 60/40 cotton/polyester and 60/40 polyester/cotton are different fabrics. Always state which fibre leads.
- CVC (chief value cotton), e.g. 60/40 cotton/polyester: feels close to cotton with less shrinkage and better colour hold.
- 50/50: the classic budget and promotional tee blend. Durable and stable, but less natural-feeling and more prone to pilling.
- 80/20 cotton/polyester: a standard for hoodie and sweatshirt fleece. Our comparison of fleece vs sherpa vs French terry shows how the construction changes warmth.
- 65/35 polyester/cotton: polyester-majority, widely used for workwear, uniforms and shirting because it handles frequent, hot washing and resists creasing.
- Tri-blend: polyester, cotton and rayon (viscose), often around 50/25/25. Very soft and drapey with a heathered, vintage look.
The trade-off: blends usually pill more than 100% cotton, take DTG and garment dye less well, and are harder to recycle because the fibres are mixed.
Sustainability: organic cotton vs recycled polyester
Neither fibre is simply “the sustainable one”, so be careful what you claim on product pages.
Cotton is a renewable, plant-based fibre that breaks down far more readily than synthetics. But conventional cotton farming can use a lot of water and pesticides. Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers or GM seeds, and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification follows the fibre through spinning, dyeing and manufacturing, with environmental and social criteria.
Polyester is made from fossil fuels and does not biodegrade. Synthetic fabrics also shed microfibres in the wash, which can end up in waterways. Recycled polyester avoids making new polymer from oil, but most of it today comes from used plastic bottles rather than old clothing, so it is not yet a closed loop. If you use it, ask for certification such as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) so the recycled content is verified.
Make specific claims (“made with GOTS-certified organic cotton”) rather than vague ones (“eco-friendly”), and remember single-fibre garments are easier to recycle than blends. Our sustainable clothing manufacturing page explains how we approach lower-impact production.
Which should you choose for your product?
Start from how the garment will be worn, then check it against your decoration plan and price point.
| Product | Usual choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday and premium tees | 100% combed ring-spun cotton | Soft, breathable, best for DTG and garment dye |
| Budget, promo and event tees | 50/50 or CVC polycotton | Lower cost, less shrinkage, holds colour |
| Fitted fashion tees | Tri-blend | Soft drape and a vintage heathered look |
| Hoodies and sweatshirts | 100% cotton or 80/20 cotton/polyester fleece | Cotton-rich face for printing; polyester adds stability |
| Activewear and sports kit | Polyester or nylon, usually with elastane | Wicking, quick-drying, sublimation-friendly |
| Workwear and uniforms | 65/35 polyester/cotton | Hard-wearing, crease-resistant, handles frequent washing |
For T-shirts, weight matters as much as fibre. Lightweight tees sit around 140 to 160gsm, mid-weights roughly 160 to 200gsm, and heavyweight streetwear tees 220gsm and up.
Developing a tee range? Our T-shirt manufacturer service takes cotton and blend tees from tech pack to bulk, from 50 pieces per style.
What to put in your tech pack
“Cotton tee” is not a spec. The fabric section of your bill of materials should include:
- Fibre composition: exact percentages, largest first, e.g. 100% organic cotton or 60/40 cotton/polyester. Fibre content must also appear on the garment label in the UK, EU and US.
- Construction: single jersey, interlock, piqué, French terry, fleece and so on.
- Weight: GSM, and whether it is measured before or after washing.
- Yarn: for cotton, combed or carded, ring-spun or open-end, and yarn count (e.g. 30s or 20s); for polyester, filament, spun or microfibre.
- Certification: GOTS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 or GRS if you plan to make claims.
- Shrinkage: a maximum allowance in length and width after washing, checked on the pre-production sample.
- Decoration method: so the factory can flag fibre clashes, like sublimation on cotton or DTG on a polyester-heavy blend.
How Fabrickly can help
We spell out fabric composition, weight and yarn in the tech packs we build, then manufacture from 50 pieces per style with in-line QC and an AQL 2.5 final inspection. Our standard fabrics are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, and GOTS organic cotton is available on request. Send your tech pack or a sketch for an itemised quote within one business day via our quote request form.
Frequently asked
Q: Is cotton or polyester better for T-shirts?
For most fashion and streetwear tees, 100% cotton is the better choice: it feels softer, breathes well and suits DTG, screen print and garment dye. Polyester or a blend makes more sense for sports tees, budget promotional tees and anything that needs to dry fast.
Q: Is polyester breathable?
Less than cotton as a fibre, because it absorbs almost no moisture. Performance polyester knits are engineered to wick sweat and dry quickly, so they can feel drier than cotton during exercise.
Q: What is polycotton?
Polycotton is a blend of polyester and cotton, commonly 50/50, 60/40 or 65/35. It combines cotton’s comfort with polyester’s durability, colour hold and low shrinkage, usually at a lower cost than premium cotton.
Q: Does polyester shrink?
Very little under normal washing and drying. It is heat-sensitive, though, so very hot tumble drying or ironing can distort or glaze the fabric.
Q: Is recycled polyester sustainable?
It is generally considered lower impact than virgin polyester because it reuses existing plastic, mostly bottles. It still sheds microfibres and does not biodegrade, so ask for GRS certification and keep your claims specific.
— Hasebul, Fabrickly