320gsm vs 380gsm: which hoodie weight for your brand?

If you want one hoodie that suits a staff team, a school or a retail rail and you don't want to think about it too hard, take the 320gsm. It is the mid-weight, it carries embroidery and print well, it comes in the widest colour range we hold, and most people find it comfortable for most of the South African year. Go up to 380gsm when the hoodie is the outer layer — Highveld winters, cold storage, early starts on site — or when you want the garment itself to feel like the premium part of the offer.

What does GSM actually measure?

GSM is grams per square metre: the weight of the fabric, not its quality. A square metre of our 320gsm fleece weighs 320 grams; the same square metre in 380gsm weighs 380. That is all it tells you directly.

What it tells you indirectly is more useful. Heavier fleece is generally thicker, warmer, more opaque and more structured. It hangs straighter, resists going shapeless, and feels substantial in the hand — which is what people are really judging when they say a hoodie feels "cheap" or "proper".

It is not a quality score, though. A badly made 380gsm hoodie is worse than a well made 320gsm one. Knit construction, finishing and how the thing survives washing matter at least as much as the number.

320gsm or 380gsm: the short comparison

What does "three-thread" mean?

It describes how the fleece is knitted. In three-thread fleece, a third yarn is laid in behind the face of the fabric and then brushed up to create the soft inner surface. It gives you a denser, more stable fabric than a lighter two-thread construction, with a plusher inside and a face that holds its shape.

Practically: three-thread fleece is less likely to go thin and saggy at the elbows and hem after a year of wear. That is most of why the 380gsm feels like the more expensive garment, independent of the extra 60 grams.

Which one takes branding better?

Both take branding well, and for most logos you will not see a difference in the finished result.

Where the weight does help is on embroidery. A denser, more stable fabric moves less under the needle, so a detailed logo sits flatter with less stabiliser behind it. If your logo has fine elements that you are nervous about, the 380gsm gives you slightly more margin.

For DTF printing, both are fine. Brushed fleece in general wants a firm press and a moment to cool, and neither weight is awkward about it. If you are printing something large across the chest or the full back, the 380gsm's extra structure means the garment hangs flatter and the print distorts less when it is worn.

There is more on decoration choices in our guide to embroidery versus DTF printing.

What about the colour range?

This is often the thing that actually decides it. We hold the Classic Pullover Hoodie in 28 colours and the 3 Thread Premium in 6.

If your brand colour is anything other than black, navy, white or a neutral, the 320gsm is far more likely to have it on the shelf. If you are ordering for a club or a school with a specific colour, start there rather than starting with the weight.

Does weight matter for South African weather?

It matters less than people assume, and it matters differently depending where the garment is going.

On the coast — Durban, the Eastern Cape seaboard — a 380gsm hoodie is a genuinely warm garment that will spend most of the year in a cupboard. The 320gsm gets worn in autumn and spring as well, which means your branding is actually out in public rather than folded away.

Inland and at altitude, the calculation flips. A Highveld or Free State winter morning justifies the heavier fleece, and if your people work outdoors or in cold storage, the 380gsm earns its place as the outer layer.

If you are kitting out a team spread across the country, the 320gsm is the one that works everywhere.

Is there a middle option?

Yes, if the hoodie shape is not the point. Our crewneck sweaters come in the same two weights — 320gsm and 380gsm three-thread — in a cleaner silhouette that tends to suit uniforms and layering better than a hood does. The Crewneck Sweater at 320gsm carries 27 colours; the Premium Crewneck at 380gsm matches the hoodie's fabric exactly.

For warmer regions or lighter use, a 160gsm round-neck t-shirt under a jacket often does the job a light hoodie was being asked to do.

So which should you order?

• Staff kit for a mixed team across the country — 320gsm
• School or club, specific brand colour — 320gsm, because the colour range is where you will find it
• Outdoor or cold work, worn as the outer layer — 380gsm
• Premium retail, where the garment is the product — 380gsm
• Not sure — order one of each as a sample before you commit to the run. We have no minimum, so a single hoodie of each is a perfectly normal order

Browse the full range on our wholesale hoodies collection, or ask us for a quote with your quantities and we will usually come back the same day.