Polyester T-shirt Vs Cotton T-shirt: Which One is Better for You?

Cotton T-shirts  Vs Polyester T-shirts

Mot of us buy a t-shirt based on its fibre content. Many t-shirt brands proudly mention the fibre content (100% Cotton, 100% Organic cotton) on the t-shirt label to ensure the quality of the t-shirt. So, you understand, there is a big reason for mentioning fibre content and making t-shirts from the right fabrics.

Most people prefer cotton T-shirts. Do you know the reason behind it? Although there are many good reasons for wearing a polyester t-shirt as well.

In this article, I will show you 13 comparisons on polyester t-shirts vs cotton t-shirts.

Polyester Vs Cotton T-shirts

1. The reason is you can wear cotton T-shirts in all seasons. For casual use cotton t-shirts are better than a polyester t-shirt in many aspects. You will get to know it after reading the following comparisons.

2. Cotton is a natural fibre. And polyester is man-made (synthetic) filament fibre. T-shirts are also made of cotton and polyester fibre blend. This is done to improve some fabric quality (shrinkage, wrinkles, quick drying, lighter weight, price factor) of the material with cotton t-shirts which are disadvantages in 100% cotton made t-shirt.

3. Cotton t-shirts are heavier than polyester t-shirts. For light weight t-shirts, you may go for a 100% polyester T-shirt or polyester blended t-shirts.

4. Cotton t-shirts are more breathable compared to a polyester t-shirt. Due to this properties, you would not feel much warm in summer. On the other hand, as polyester is not breathable as cotton, it tends to stick to wet skin.

5. Cotton t-shirts are soft and comfortable whereas polyester t-shirts may irritate your skin.

6. Polyester t-shirts do not shrink. Cotton t-shirts may shrink.

7. You will see creases and wrinkles on cotton t-shirts after washing. You need to press the t-shirt to remove creases. In the case of a polyester t-shirt, wrinkles are rare and polyester t-shirts are easy to care for.

8. Cotton t-shirts take a longer time to dry whereas a polyester t-shirt dries faster. Sportswear t-shirts are made of polyester fabrics due to its strength, lightweight feel, and moisture-wicking properties.

9. When come it to printing on t-shirts, you will get many options for printing cotton t-shirts. On the other hand, there are limited options for printing on polyester t-shirts.

10. Polyester is a durable, synthetic fabric with excellent resiliency. Low moisture absorbency allows the fabric to dry quickly.

11. Polyester is heat sensitive.

12. Polyester is extremely durable, and fabric is stronger compared to cotton. For this reason, polyester t-shirts are used for sports jerseys.

13. The price of the 100% cotton t-shirt is higher than a polyester t-shirt of similar design and weight (without special treatment on it). You know cotton price is market sensitive where polyester price is more stable.

Conclusion

The above comparisons are shared for increasing awareness among the common people. You now know the pros and cons of each fibre. If you are a t-shirt designer or a manufacturer, you know it better which t-shirt would be more preferred by your target consumers.

Instead of comparing polyester and cotton t-shirts based on the physical and chemical properties of cotton and polyester fibre, we can see it from another angle. Now consumers are concerned about sustainable clothing items. As t-shirts are the most produced products among apparel items and cotton is considered a more sustainable material, cotton t-shirts are most preferred one compared to polyester t-shirts.

I would love to read your thoughts. I would appreciate your comments on this article. If I missed any important comparisons, please do share. Also let me know if you don’t agree with any points mentioned in the above list.

Reference:

Cotton vs. Polyester Shirts: The Pros and Cons
Polyester vs. Cotton vs Blends: Choosing the Best T-shirt Fabric

Prasanta Sarkar

Prasanta Sarkar is a textile engineer and a postgraduate in fashion technology from NIFT, New Delhi, India. He has authored 6 books in the field of garment manufacturing technology, garment business setup, and industrial engineering. He loves writing how-to guide articles in the fashion industry niche. He has been working in the apparel manufacturing industry since 2006. He has visited garment factories in many countries and implemented process improvement projects in numerous garment units in different continents including Asia, Europe, and South Africa. He is the founder and editor of the Online Clothing Study Blog.

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