The “best” blank T-shirt depends on what you’re printing, who’s wearing it, and what you can charge for it. These are the 10 we recommend most often in 2026, ranked by how often we reach for them in real quotes — not by what the spec sheet says.
1. BELLA+CANVAS 3001 Unisex Jersey
The default retail blank. 4.2 oz Airlume combed ring-spun cotton, side-seamed, modern fit, and it takes ink beautifully. Every boutique brand wants it. The only downside is it’s frequently back-ordered on heather colors — Next Level 3600 is the backup.
Best for: retail brands, merch lines, anything being photographed for social media.
2. Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton
The shop workhorse. 5.3 oz, tubular, cheap as dirt, and available in 60+ colors. Nobody prints this for a boutique — but for event shirts, fundraisers, teams, volunteers, and budget jobs, it’s the only blank that lets you hit an $8 retail price and still make money. Buy a case of Gildan 5000 in white and a case in black and you’re ready for 80% of budget orders that walk in.
3. Next Level 3600 Premium Cotton
The “Bella backup.” 4.3 oz combed cotton, side-seamed, slightly more body than a BELLA 3001. Customers who think Bella is “too thin” tend to love this one. Nearly identical pricing.
4. Gildan Softstyle 64000
Gildan’s answer to the Bella request. 4.5 oz ring-spun, softer hand than the 5000, priced a dollar cheaper than Bella. Great tier-2 upsell when the customer asked for Bella but flinched at the price.
5. Comfort Colors 1717
6.1 oz garment-dyed cotton. The most “retail looking” blank on this list. Pre-washed, softly faded, retro-leaning colors. Sells itself for vintage-inspired merch, college bookstore lines, and beach/surf brands. Prints beautifully with water-based ink.
6. BELLA+CANVAS 3413 Triblend
Polyester + cotton + rayon triblend. The softest shirt most people have ever touched, drapes like a vintage tee out of the box. Runs narrow — size up on the quote. Only for ring-spun-compatible decoration methods (plastisol screen, DTF). Skip for DTG.
7. Next Level 6010 Triblend Crew
Next Level’s answer to the 3413. A little more body, runs closer to true-to-size, and the heather variants are some of the best colors available in wholesale.
8. Hanes Perfect-T (4980)
4.5 oz ring-spun, nano coated, shockingly affordable for a ring-spun feel. Great wildcard for shops in price-sensitive markets who still want to upgrade from the Gildan 5000.
9. Sport-Tek PosiCharge Competitor (ST350)
100% polyester performance tee. When a customer wants a sports team shirt or a running club jersey, this is the blank. Do not DTG this shirt— dye migration will wreck your print. Screen print or DTF only.
10. American Apparel 2001 Fine Jersey
The classic “model shoot” tee. 4.3 oz fine combed jersey, runs slim, premium price. The move when a customer’s brand is “basics” or Instagram lookbook and they need the shirt itself to carry the aesthetic.
Quick-pick table
| Use case | Pick this |
|---|---|
| Cheapest event shirt | Gildan 5000 |
| Boutique retail brand | BELLA 3001 |
| “Vintage” aesthetic | Comfort Colors 1717 |
| Sports / performance | Sport-Tek ST350 |
| Ultra-soft / model shoot | BELLA 3413 or AA 2001 |
| Budget upgrade from 5000 | Gildan Softstyle 64000 |
| Bella back-ordered | Next Level 3600 |
How to stock these as a new shop
Here’s the trap: buying cases of all 10 blanks eats your cash and ties it up in a stockroom that will take 6 months to move. The shops that grow fastest don’t buy inventory at all. They pull blanks only when a customer places an order, have the blanks shipped plain-packed directly to the shop, and run the job the day the box arrives.
B2B Sportswear does exactly that. Every blank on this list is stocked, priced wholesale, and ships same-day on orders placed before 3 PM EST. Start your cart here and order only what your booked jobs need.