If you print or embroider on blank t-shirts for a living, you already know the label on the tag matters less than three numbers: fabric weight, cotton content, and the minimum you have to buy to test a design. This guide compares the Three Layer 1005 heavyweight cotton tee against the three blanks buyers cross shop most for custom printing, Gildan 2000, Bella plus Canvas 3001, and Comfort Colors 1717. Every competitor spec below is pulled directly from the manufacturer product page and verified 2026-07-02. Gildan (gildan.com, retail.gildan.com), Bella plus Canvas (bellacanvas.com), and Comfort Colors (comfortcolors.com) each publish their own weight and blend numbers, and we link the exact page for every claim in the sources list.
The short version: the 1005 is a 6.0 oz, 100 percent ringspun cotton tee built for high volume screen printing and embroidery. That puts it in a dead heat on raw weight with the Gildan 2000 and just under the Comfort Colors 1717, and meaningfully heavier than the Bella 3001, which is a lighter retail fashion tee. Where the 1005 actually wins is print surface, hand feel, and no minimum order, so a shop can test a design with a single piece before committing to a case.
The Three Layer 1005 at a glance
The 1005 heavy cotton t-shirt is 6.0 oz, 100 percent ringspun cotton, built thick and durable for high volume screen printing and embroidery. It currently ships in 2 colors. If your program needs more color options at a lighter hand, the Three Layer 1003 combed cotton tee runs 4.5 oz across 20 colors and is worth a look for DTG work. There is no minimum order on standard stock, so you can sample a single piece before you commit to a bulk run. For more on how weight changes the way ink sits on a shirt, see the wholesale t-shirt collection.
Side by side spec comparison
| T-Shirt | Weight | Fabric | Sizes | Minimum Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Layer 1005 | 6.0 oz | 100 percent ringspun cotton | See product page | None on standard stock |
| Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton | 6.0 oz per sq yd | 100 percent US cotton, solids. Antique and Sport Grey 90/10 cotton poly. Heather and safety colors 50/50 | S to 5XL | Case quantity, varies by distributor |
| Bella plus Canvas 3001 | 4.2 oz | 100 percent Airlume combed and ring spun cotton, 32 singles. Ash colorway 99/1 cotton poly | XS to 5XL | Case quantity, varies by distributor |
| Comfort Colors 1717 | 6.1 oz per sq yd | 100 percent ring spun US cotton, garment dyed, relaxed fit | S to 4XL | Case quantity, varies by distributor |
Heather and safety colorways shift to a higher polyester content on the Gildan 2000, so confirm the blend on the exact color you order if you are printing a design that depends on a pure cotton surface. The 1005 and the Comfort Colors 1717 stay 100 percent cotton across their catalog.
Three Layer blanks carry no minimum order on standard stock, which makes it easier to sample a new design with one piece before committing to a full case.
How each competitor compares
Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton
The 2000 is the industry default for a reason. At 6.0 oz and 100 percent US cotton on solid colors, it ties the 1005 on raw weight and delivers a reliable, forgiving surface for screen printing. It is also the easiest blank to source anywhere in the country, which matters if you need fast reorders from a local distributor. The tradeoff is that heather and safety colors drop to a 50/50 cotton poly blend, so the printable hand and the way dye takes can shift depending on the color you choose. Choose the 2000 when you need maximum nationwide availability and do not mind checking the blend color by color.
Bella plus Canvas 3001
The 3001 is the retail and boutique favorite. At 4.2 oz and a 32 singles combed and ring spun cotton, it is noticeably lighter and softer than the 1005, with a fitted, fashion cut that suits brands selling direct to consumers at a premium price point. It is a strong choice for soft hand screen printing and DTG on a design meant to feel like a retail t-shirt rather than a workwear blank. It is not the shirt to reach for on high volume production runs where a heavier, sturdier fabric holds up better to repeated washing and handling.
Comfort Colors 1717
The 1717 is the garment dyed, vintage look option, and at 6.1 oz it is the heaviest shirt in this comparison by a hair. The 100 percent ring spun cotton and garment dye process give it a soft, broken in feel straight out of the bag along with the faded, worn colorway look the brand is known for. That garment dyeing also means more shade variation between dye lots than a piece dyed cotton tee, so exact color matching across a large reorder can be harder to guarantee. Choose the 1717 when the washed, lived in aesthetic is the point of the design, not when you need tight color consistency at scale.
What print method fits which shirt
The four search queries buyers use to find this comparison usually break down into a print method question in disguise. Screen printing rewards a flat, even fiber surface and a fabric that can take a heavy ink deposit without the shirt stretching out of shape on press. DTG rewards a smooth, tightly knit cotton surface where the ink can sit on top of the fibers instead of soaking through. Embroidery rewards a stable, dense weave that will not pucker under the needle.
A 100 percent ringspun cotton like the 1005 or the Gildan 2000 solids gives screen printers a consistent surface run after run, which matters more on a 500 piece order than it does on a single piece sample. The Comfort Colors 1717 prints well for the same reason, being 100 percent ring spun cotton, but the garment dyeing means the fabric has already gone through a wash and shrink cycle before it ever reaches your press, which some shops prefer for dimensional stability and others find less predictable across dye lots. The Bella 3001, at 4.2 oz, is the lightest fabric in this comparison, which suits DTG and fine detail work on a fashion fit shirt better than it suits a heavy screen print deposit meant to survive years of washing.
If your buyers are ordering for a school, a gym, a construction crew, or any program where the shirt needs to survive repeated industrial washing, weight and cotton content matter more than softness. If your buyers are a boutique clothing brand selling direct to consumers, the softer hand and fitted cut of a lighter tee usually matters more than raw durability. Neither answer is wrong. The mistake is picking a blank based on brand recognition alone instead of matching the fabric to the job.
Minimum order quantities and how fast you can test
One number that gets less attention than weight or blend is how many pieces you have to commit to before you see a design in hand. The 1005 has no minimum order, which means a print shop can run a small test batch for a new client pitch without eating the cost of a full case. Distributor minimums on the Gildan 2000, Bella 3001, and Comfort Colors 1717 vary by supplier and are typically sold by the case or dozen rather than piece by piece, so confirm the minimum with whichever distributor carries the brand you are sourcing from. For a shop that is constantly testing new client designs before committing to a production run, a lower per order minimum can matter as much as the fabric spec itself.
Which blank t-shirt should you choose
Pick based on the job, not the brand name. For the widest color range at a soft, fitted retail hand, the Bella 3001 is the right call. For the broadest nationwide availability at a comparable weight to the 1005, the Gildan 2000 is hard to beat, as long as you confirm the blend on heather colors. For a garment dyed vintage look, the Comfort Colors 1717 stands in a category of its own. For a heavyweight, 100 percent ringspun cotton tee built specifically for high volume screen printing and embroidery, with a smooth, consistent print surface across every unit and no minimum order, so you can sample a single piece before you commit, the Three Layer 1005 is built for print shops and brands running production, not just testing a one off design.
The real decision point for most screen printers and embroiderers is not weight alone. It is print surface consistency and how easy it is to start small. The 1005 holds a flat, even face across every unit because it does not shift blend by colorway the way some mass market lines do, and having no minimum order means you are not locked into a case of a color that does not sell. If your program is built around DTG instead of screen printing, the lighter 4.5 oz Three Layer 1003 combed cotton tee across 20 colors is worth comparing too, since a lighter, smoother knit can lay down fine detail differently than a 6 oz heavyweight.
Ready to compare in hand? Browse the wholesale t-shirt collection or start with the 1005 heavy cotton t-shirt product page for full color and size availability.