Walk into any screen-print shop and the shelves tell the same story: stacks of Gildan, sorted by four style numbers. The 5000 Heavy Cotton tee, the 64000 Softstyle, the 2000 Ultra Cotton, and the 18000 Heavy Blend crewneck. Between them they cover the budget tee, the soft tee, the heavy tee, and the sweatshirt — and because they share a brand name, buyers treat them as one product with different numbers.
They are not. Each one has a different fabric weight, a different yarn, a different cut, and a different color range, and each behaves differently once ink hits it. This guide lays the four side by side with the numbers a wholesale buyer actually needs: ounces, fit, live color counts, and current wholesale pricing.
Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton: the default
The Gildan 5000 (from $3.21) is a 5.3 oz, 100% open-end cotton tee with a classic straight fit, taped neck and shoulders, and a seamless double-needle collar. It is the most-ordered blank t-shirt in the country for a simple reason: it is the cheapest shirt that prints reliably and survives the wash.
Colors: 83 in stock — the widest range of any Gildan tee, including heathers, neons, safety colors, and a deep run of team colors. Sizes: S–5XL. Print behavior:open-end cotton has a slightly fuzzy surface, so fine halftones lose a little detail, but plastisol lays down flat, there is zero dye-migration risk, and it cures at standard temps without special ink. Expect 3–5% shrinkage in length after a hot wash on this and any tubular open-end cotton tee.
Pick the 5000 when:the job is price-driven — events, fundraisers, giveaways, staff tees, any run where the customer says “just a normal t-shirt.” Youth and women’s companions (5000B, 5000L) share the fabric, so a family or school order can match across cuts.
Gildan 64000 Softstyle: the soft, fitted one
The Gildan 64000 (from $3.98) is a 4.5 oz ring-spun cotton tee with a semi-fitted, slightly longer cut and a narrower collar. Ring-spun yarn is combed and twisted tighter than open-end, which is why the Softstyle feels closer to a retail tee than the 5000 does — and why it costs a little more.
Colors: 77 in stock, with an unusually strong heather range. Sizes: S–5XL. Print behavior: the smoother ring-spun face takes fine detail well and is the best of the four for DTG, water-based, and discharge inks. Two cautions: heathers contain polyester (the Softstyle heathers are typically a cotton/poly blend), so use a low-bleed underbase on them, and the lighter 4.5 oz fabric is slightly less opaque, so white ink on darks needs a proper underbase rather than a single pass.
Pick the 64000 when: the shirt will be worn by choice rather than handed out — brand merch, gyms, breweries, retail-style jobs — or when the process is DTG. The Gildan vs BELLA+CANVAS comparison covers where the Softstyle sits against the premium ring-spun tees it competes with.
Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton: the heavy one
The Gildan 2000 (from $3.67) is the 5000’s heavier sibling: 6.0 oz, 100% open-end cotton, same classic straight fit, same taped neck. On the shelf the two look identical. In the hand the 2000 is noticeably denser, and after fifty washes it is the one that still holds its shape.
Colors: 61 in stock. Sizes: S–5XL. Print behavior: the extra weight buys opacity — a one-hit white on a black 2000 covers better than on a 5000 — and a firmer print surface that holds registration on multi-color jobs. Same open-end texture, same zero-migration advantage, same shrinkage caveat. Cure times run a few seconds longer because the thicker fabric absorbs more heat.
Pick the 2000 when: durability outranks softness — work crews, trades, uniforms, landscaping, and any customer who has complained that their last shirts went thin. It is also the safer choice for white and light-color prints on darks when you want to print one white pass instead of two.
Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend crewneck: the sweatshirt
The Gildan 18000 (from $8.89) is the crewneck sweatshirt that matches the tees: 8.0 oz, 50% cotton / 50% polyester fleece, classic fit, 1x1 rib cuffs and waistband with spandex. The hooded version is the Gildan 18500 (from $13.49) with the same fabric.
Colors: 41 in stock. Sizes: S–5XL. Print behavior: this is where the Gildan rules change. The 50% polyester content means dye migration is a real risk on reds, royals, and other saturated colors — use a low-bleed white and keep cure temperatures at the bottom of spec. The fleece face is brushed and soft, so a thin ink deposit sinks in; print with a heavier stroke or a flash-and-second-hit for solid coverage. Embroidery is excellent on it.
Pick the 18000 when: the order needs a matching sweatshirt at a price that keeps the whole package affordable — schools, teams, company stores. For the numbers behind fleece weights, see the sweatshirt weight guide.
Fabric weight, ounces per square yard
ring-spun cotton
open-end cotton
open-end cotton
50/50 fleece
Heavier is not better — it is more opaque and more durable, at the cost of softness and drape.
Side-by-side comparison
| Style | Weight / fabric | Fit | Colors in stock | From (qty 1–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 Heavy Cotton | 5.3 oz open-end cotton | Classic straight | 83 | $3.21 |
| 64000 Softstyle | 4.5 oz ring-spun cotton | Semi-fitted | 77 | $3.98 |
| 2000 Ultra Cotton | 6.0 oz open-end cotton | Classic straight | 61 | $3.67 |
| 18000 Heavy Blend crew | 8.0 oz 50/50 fleece | Classic | 41 | $8.89 |
Prices are the single-piece wholesale tier at the time of writing; quantity breaks reduce them further. Color counts are live in-stock colors, not catalog listings.
Which Gildan to buy: a decision guide
- Cheapest reliable print: 5000. Nothing under it prints as consistently.
- Widest color choice:5000 (83), then 64000 (77). If the customer’s brand color is unusual, start here.
- Softest hand, retail feel, DTG: 64000.
- Heavy wear, opacity, one-pass white: 2000.
- Matching sweatshirt on a budget: 18000 crew, 18500 hoodie.
- Moisture-wicking staff tee: none of the four — jump to the Gildan 8000 DryBlend (from $3.67), the 50/50 tee that matches the 18000’s fabric family.
One quoting trick: offer the 5000 and the 64000 as two tiers on the same job. The price gap is under a dollar at wholesale, the difference in hand is obvious the moment a customer touches both, and the upgrade conversation usually pays for itself. The ring-spun vs open-end explainer gives you the two-sentence version to tell customers.
Buying Gildan wholesale
All four styles — plus the youth, women’s, and V-neck companions — are in stock at B2B Sportswear at wholesale pricing from the first piece, with no minimum order and no membership fee. Six quantity-break tiers apply automatically in the cart, and mixed colors and sizes within a style count toward the same break, so a 72-piece school order across four colors gets the 72-piece price. Orders placed by 1 PM EST ship the same day from the nearest US warehouse in plain packaging, and orders over $265 ship free via Ground. Browse fleece for the 18000 and 18500, and see bulk pricing for the full tier schedule.
FAQ
What is the difference between Gildan 5000 and Gildan 2000?
Weight. The Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton is 5.3 oz and the Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton is 6.0 oz. Both are 100% open-end cotton with a classic straight fit; the 2000 is thicker, more opaque, and holds up better to heavy wear.
How much does a Gildan 64000 weigh?
The Gildan 64000 Softstyle weighs 4.5 oz per square yard. It is ring-spun cotton with a semi-fitted cut, which makes it the softest and slimmest of the core Gildan tees.
How many colors does the Gildan 2000 come in?
The Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton is stocked in 61 colors at B2B Sportswear, in sizes S through 5XL. The Gildan 5000 has the widest range at 83 colors, and the 64000 Softstyle has 77.
Which Gildan shirt is best for screen printing?
The Gildan 5000 is the default screen-printing blank: flat open-end cotton, no dye migration, and the lowest price. Choose the 2000 for heavier wear or maximum opacity, and the 64000 when the customer wants a softer, more fitted shirt.