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8 oz., 50/50 cotton/polyester, 20 singles. Heavy Blend MVS Air-spun fleece for reduced pilling and a smoother decoration surface. Classic fit. Sizes Small through 5XL with one of the broadest color ranges in wholesale fleece, including ANSI-compliant Safety Green.
Key Features of the Gildan 18000
- 8 oz./yd² (US), 13.3 oz./L yd (CA), 50/50 cotton/polyester, 20 singles
- Safety Green is compliant with ANSI/ISEA 107 high-visibility standards
- Classic fit
- 1x1 rib with spandex for enhanced stretch and recovery
- Tear away label
- Heather Dark Green, Heather Dark Maroon, Heather Dark Navy, Heather Deep Royal, and Heather Scarlet Red are 60/40 polyester/cotton
- The Heavy Blend collection is now made with finer yarns and new MVS Air spinning technology, that improves the fabric by reducing pilling, enhancing durability, and creating a smoother printing surface
Responsible Supplier: this product was made in a facility that is OEKO-TEX and FLA certified.
Responsible Materials: contains US grown BCI cotton
About the Gildan 18000
The Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt is one of the most-printed blank crewnecks in the wholesale apparel industry, and the reasons for it are practical: an 8-ounce 50/50 cotton/polyester construction at a price that makes high-volume orders work, a color range broader than almost any competing crew at this price point, and a fabric that holds its shape and color through repeated washing. For school spirit programs, athletic teams, corporate casual programs, fundraising merch, and decoration shops running fleece blanks at volume, the 18000 is the default pick for a reason.
The Heavy Blend fleece behind the 18000 has been remastered with MVS Air spinning technology, which uses finer yarns to reduce pilling, improve durability, and produce a smoother printing surface than older Heavy Blend constructions. For decorators, that smoother surface is the meaningful upgrade: screen prints land with sharper edges, DTF heat transfers bond more cleanly, and embroidery sits flatter without the fuzzy halo that coarser fleece can produce around stitching. Pill resistance matters for buyers running garments through frequent wash cycles like school programs, athletic teams, and corporate uniform programs that issue fleece for daily wear.
The classic crewneck silhouette keeps the 18000 versatile across program types. The 1x1 rib collar, cuffs, and waistband with spandex hold their shape through repeated wear and wash without the stretching out that ruins the fit on cheaper fleece. Color planning is the one place to pay attention before you commit a print: most colors run the standard 50/50 cotton/polyester blend, but five specific heathers (Dark Green, Dark Maroon, Dark Navy, Deep Royal, and Scarlet Red) run 60/40 polyester/cotton, which means they need dye migration considerations on light prints. The Safety Green colorway is ANSI/ISEA 107 compliant for high-visibility background color, which makes the 18000 a practical pick for outdoor staff programs and workwear that requires certified safety colors rather than just bright tones.
For coordinated bulk orders in the same Heavy Blend family, the Gildan G185 Heavy Blend Pullover Hoodie is the matching hood and the Gildan 18600 Heavy Blend Full-Zip Hood is the matching full-zip option. For the matching sweatpant in the same fabric, the Gildan 18200 Heavy Blend Sweatpants completes the set. For the youth-sized version of the 18000 in the same fabric construction, the Gildan 18000B Youth Heavy Blend Crewneck keeps mixed-age program orders consistent across both pages.
FAQ
What is Heavy Blend fleece?
Heavy Blend is Gildan's flagship fleece line, an 8-ounce 50/50 cotton/polyester construction that's been remastered with MVS Air spinning technology. The MVS Air process uses finer yarns to reduce pilling, improve durability, and produce a smoother printing surface than older Heavy Blend constructions. Heavy Blend is the fleece you'll find across most of Gildan's hoodie, crew, sweatpant, and full-zip lineup, which is why programs that standardize on Gildan get consistent fabric, color matching, and decoration prep across all their bulk orders.
How does the 18000 compare to the Jerzees 562M?
Both are 8-ounce 50/50 cotton/polyester crewneck sweatshirts in a similar wholesale price tier. The Gildan 18000 has a broader color range and includes the ANSI-compliant Safety Green for high-visibility programs. The Jerzees 562M uses Jerzees' NuBlend fleece, which is its own pill-resistant construction with a slightly different hand feel. Both perform similarly across screen printing and embroidery, so the choice usually comes down to color availability, brand preference, and which fleece feel decorators prefer to handle in their shop.
What does ANSI/ISEA 107 compliance mean for Safety Green?
ANSI/ISEA 107 is the American National Standard for high-visibility safety apparel. The Safety Green colorway of the 18000 meets the standard for high-visibility background color, which means it's certified for use in programs that require ANSI-compliant high-visibility garments such as outdoor work crews, traffic control, and roadside maintenance. Note that for full ANSI/ISEA 107 garment-level compliance with reflective striping (Class 2 or Class 3 vests, jackets, or hoodies), you'll need a layered hi-vis garment over the crew rather than just the crewneck on its own.
Is the 18000 good for screen printing?
Yes. The smoother MVS Air-spun surface holds plastisol and water-based screen inks cleanly across both chest and back panels. The 50/50 blend produces consistent results across a full run, and the broad color range gives decorators flexibility to match nearly any team or brand palette. For the five heather colors that run 60/40 polyester/cotton, use a low-bleed plastisol or a poly-friendly underbase to prevent dye migration on light prints; the rest of the color range behaves like a standard 50/50 fleece on press.
What sizes are available?
Sizes Small through 5XL. Body length runs 27 inches (S) through 34 inches (5XL); chest width runs 20 inches (S) through 34 inches (5XL), measured laid flat with a +/-1 inch tolerance.
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Policies and Practices
Any order can be returned within 30 days of receipt. To be eligible for a return, your item must be: 1). unused, 2). unwashed, and 3).unaltered (it must be blank--no embroidery or printing, etc).
Make sure your item is in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in our original packaging.
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