Short answer: choose cotton, polyester or a blend for the end use — next-to-skin hand, how the fabric dries and wrinkles, how much dimensional change you can accept, and how the garment will be washed — then prove that fabric and garment with named test methods and legal fibre names. There is no universal “better” fibre. Unsourced wash-life percentages, moisture figures and raw-fibre price tables are not a specification.
This page is a production decision for buyers and product teams. A closer look at blending cotton is in what blending cotton does in textiles. Hoodie-specific fabric choices are in the best fabric for hoodies. Later cotton/polyester blend titles on this site overlap and are flagged rather than merged.
Fiber properties that matter for the end use
The points below are decision criteria, not laboratory results. Actual performance depends on yarn, knit or weave, weight, finish and garment construction. Ask the mill or factory for a test report on the quality you will buy, not on a generic fibre name.
| Decision point | Cotton (qualitative) | Polyester (qualitative) | What to specify or test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand and next-to-skin comfort | Often chosen where a natural hand and absorbency are the priority (tees, underwear, many casual layers). | Often chosen where a smoother, quicker-drying or more shape-holding hand is the priority (some active and outer layers). | Approve a hand-feel standard and a wear-test size set on the actual quality, not on a substitute fabric. |
| Moisture and drying | Absorbs moisture; drying time depends on yarn, weight and construction. “Breathable” is not automatic. | Does not absorb water the way cotton does; a moisture-management finish or a specific knit can move sweat, but the word “wicking” is a claim that needs a method, not a fibre slogan. | If you will market moisture management, name the test method on that fabric (do not invent a percentage). |
| Dimensional change | Can relax or shrink in wash and dry if the fabric is not engineered and tested for the care you will put on the label. | Often more dimensionally stable, but heat, stitch density and residual shrinkage still matter. | Measure fabric and/or garment dimensional change with a named method: AATCC TM135 (fabrics, home laundering), or ISO 6330 together with ISO 5077. Do not copy unsourced “typical shrinkage” figures. See also GSM after wash when the fabric quote looks the same. |
| Wrinkle, care and shape | Often wrinkles more readily and may need a different care path. | Often holds a crease less and recovers shape more readily, depending on construction. | Write care instructions you can support (16 CFR Part 423) and approve them on a washed sample, not only on a loom-state swatch. FTC care-labelling guidance is in Clothes Captioning. |
| Color and lab dips | Dyeing behaviour differs by fibre. A shade that works on cotton will not automatically match on polyester. | Takes disperse dyes; lab dips and colourfastness have to be run on the polyester (or on each component of a blend). | Approve lab dips on the production quality — see what to check on a lab dip. |
How the fibres must be named on the label
Fact: in the United States, textile fibre products must be labelled with the generic fibre name and the percentage by weight, under 16 CFR Part 303 and the FTC’s Threading Your Way guidance. Cotton is a generic name for that natural fibre. Polyester is a manufactured-fibre generic name defined in 16 CFR 303.7 (a long-chain synthetic polymer meeting that section’s ester definition). A trademark or a marketing word such as “microfibre” does not replace the generic name. Care instructions are a separate requirement under 16 CFR Part 423. Practical label production notes are in custom clothing labels and hang tags.
Recycled polyester and environmental claims
A recycled-polyester claim is a recycled-content claim, not proof that the garment is “eco-friendly.” Under the FTC Green Guides (16 CFR 260.13), it is deceptive to claim recycled content unless the material was recovered or diverted from the waste stream; unqualified “recycled” language is for items made entirely of recycled material (excluding minor, incidental components); partial content must be clearly qualified by amount or percentage. Unqualified general environmental benefit claims such as “eco-friendly” or “green” are difficult to substantiate and are addressed in 16 CFR 260.4. Unqualified “biodegradable” claims are a separate issue under 16 CFR 260.8 — they are often deceptive for items customarily thrown in the trash, because the marketer must be able to show complete breakdown in a reasonably short time under customary disposal conditions.
Recommendation: choose the fibre for end use and care first. If you will also claim recycled content, put the qualified percentage in the tech pack and keep the substantiation (including whether the content is pre-consumer or post-consumer, if you say so). A factory page on recycled polyester programs is recycled polyester clothing manufacturer; organic-cotton programs are a different claim set, outlined on organic cotton clothing manufacturer.
A practical production choice
- Write the end use and the care the customer will be told to use.
- Pick cotton, polyester or a blend against the table above — a blend is a specified percentage, not a vague “cotton-feel performance fabric.”
- Lock the quality with weight, construction, finish, lab dips and a shrinkage test on the production fabric, using a named method.
- Put generic fibre names, percentages and care instructions on the label set you approve with the sample.
- Keep environmental claims qualified and evidenced, or leave them off.
Where Knitwear Base fits
Knitwear Base is a China knitwear manufacturer and works with both cotton and polyester qualities, including blends, when they fit the brief. If you want to specify a knit program, start from the contact page or private label. This page is a fibre-choice guide, not a claim that one fibre is always more durable, cheaper or more sustainable.
Sources and further reading
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 303, Rules under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
- eCFR, 16 CFR 303.7, Generic names and definitions for manufactured fibers
- FTC, Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel
- FTC, Clothes Captioning: Complying with the Care Labeling Rule
- AATCC TM135, Dimensional Changes of Fabrics after Home Laundering
- ISO 6330:2021, Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing
- ISO 5077:2007, Determination of dimensional change in washing and drying
- eCFR, 16 CFR 260.4, FTC Green Guides: general environmental benefit claims
- eCFR, 16 CFR 260.13, FTC Green Guides: recycled content claims
- eCFR, 16 CFR 260.8, FTC Green Guides: degradable claims
Rules and standards are summarised from their official pages for general guidance; this is not legal advice. Check the current version and the requirements of your own market before you rely on them.
