What Is a Sweatshirt? Definition, Materials & Types Explained

A sweatshirt is not something most people need explained. But some people shopping for one still get confused. This write-up can be useful for those of you who need a refresher or an introduction to sweatshirts. 

Have you wondered what makes a sweatshirt different from a t-shirt, sweater, or jacket? It starts to make sense when you understand what a sweatshirt is used for, compared to other apparel types. A sweatshirt is a fundamentally thicker, casual garment made for warmth and comfort. Typically comes with long sleeves offering a relatively relaxed fit. But there are short sleeve variants too, and styles featuring ribbed cuffs or bands that help the garment sit in place.

The most important thing about sweatshirts is that it isn’t only one style. There are crewneck sweatshirts, zip-up sweatshirts, hooded sweatshirts, pullovers, quarter-zip sweatshirts, wholesale heavyweight sweatshirts, full-zip sweatshirts, and more including specialty styles featuring tie-dyes or camo patterns. All of these can occupy a similar part of the wardrobe while feeling quite different when worn.

For anyone shopping for blank apparel, understanding what is considered a sweatshirt and what makes each type of sweatshirt different can make things a lot easier. The right sweatshirt depends on the fabric, weight, construction, intended use, and the way you plan to wear or decorate it.

What Defines a Sweatshirt?

To identify a sweatshirt, you first need to look at how it is built.

• Compared with a regular t-shirt, a sweatshirt is bulkier being made of a heavier fabric and provides more coverage. 

• Compared with a sweater, a sweatshirt has a more casual construction and feel. 

• Compared with a jacket, a sweatshirt isn’t primarily designed as an outer layer for weather protection.

Most traditional sweatshirts have long sleeves, a crew neckline or hood, ribbed cuffs, and a thicker knit fabric. That's the basic formula, although modern apparel has stretched the category quite a bit.

The Basic Construction Behind a Sweatshirt

Look at a classic crewneck sweatshirt and you'll see the familiar pieces. There are long sleeves and a round neckline that’s close to the base of the neck. Ribbing is commonly used at the cuffs and bottom hem. The fabric has more substance than the typical t-shirt.

That extra fabric weight is part of the appeal. A sweatshirt feels like a real layer rather than something worn just to cover a t-shirt.

Fit also varies in sweatshirts. Some styles are roomy and relaxed while others have a cleaner, closer cut. So two garments can both be called sweatshirts while giving you a very different wearing experience.

ShirtsBargain's current wholesale sweatshirts & hoodies collection includes classic crewneck styles such as the Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend Crewneck Sweatshirt, Port & Co PC78 Core Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt, and JERZEES 562M NuBlend Crewneck Sweatshirt. You can also find unique styles with two-tone combinations, styles with raglan sleeves, hooded styles, cropped styles, and more in this collection.

Sweatshirt vs Sweater: Where Is the Difference?

We often get people that refer to sweatshirts as sweaters or mistake sweaters for sweatshirts. There are practical differences between the two.

A sweatshirt is generally associated with casual clothing and a thicker knit or fleece-style fabric. On the other hand, a sweater covers a much wider range of garments, including pieces made from wool, cotton, cashmere, acrylic, and other fibers. Styling is different too as sweatshirts generally occupy the “casuals” part of your closet. The garment is typically paired with jeans and joggers, and can be seen as part of team apparel, school gear, or everyday layering.

Sweaters can go casual, but they can also move into dressier outfits. 

The better way to go about it is to understand the construction and intended use of the garment, which tells more than its name can.

What Is a Sweatshirt Made Of?

More fabrics and fabric blends than you think actually. Sweatshirts made of cotton or purely made of polyester or a blend of the two are the most common in the market. But there are tri-blend sweatshirts, wool-blends, poly-blends with an outside cotton face, and more.

The fabric may also be constructed or finished in different ways, which changes the way the garment feels. That's why two sweatshirts that have similar shape and look can feel different. You can see variants of the same sweatshirt in ShirtsBargain with one being lighter, the other being heavier or made of a different fabric composition. 

Cotton, Polyester & Common Fabric Blends

Cotton is widely used in sweatshirts because of its familiar soft feel and natural fiber construction. Polyester can bring different qualities to the fabric, including durability, shrinkage resistance, and wrinkle resistance.

Blends can bring the best of both cotton and polyester. A cotton-polyester sweatshirt can be reasonably breathable and quite durable. The exact result depends on the blend and the way the fabric is made, so it's better to look at the garment's actual fiber content. For wholesale buyers, this becomes important when you're ordering for a particular purpose. A casual retail sweatshirt may have different priorities from apparel intended for a team or active group.

Why the Inside of a Sweatshirt Can Feel So Different

The inside of a sweatshirt can also tell a lot about the garment, because some sweatshirts feature unique interior construction to serve specific purposes. For example, a fleece sweatshirt will have a brushed interior that delivers a soft, fuzzy feel to the wearer. These sweatshirts are also inherently warmer. A french terry sweatshirt doesn’t have a fuzzy surface but small loops instead on the inside. These sweatshirts are relatively lighter, and feel less plush than fleece. French terry sweatshirts are for those who don’t prefer bulky sweatshirts but still want a sweatshirt layer. 

Either construction suits different preferences and conditions. ShirtsBargain's wholesale crewneck sweatshirts selection offers best-selling french terry styles such as the New Era NEA501 French Terry Crew and Anvil 72000L Ladies French Terry Crewneck Sweatshirt alongside fleece-based options.

Crewneck Sweatshirts, Hoodies & Other Common Styles

The neckline, front opening, hood, and fabric influences how the garment looks and feels. Explains why people shopping for sweatshirts often end up looking at crewnecks, hoodies, quarter-zips, wholesale full-zip hoodies, and other variations in between. 

Crewneck Sweatshirts Keep Things Simple

So what is a crewneck sweatshirt exactly? Simply put, it’s the classic sweatshirt everyone knows. The style has that round neckline, no hood, and no zipper running down the front. It's just a straightforward top layer. It’s the simplicity of this style that retains its popularity even now. Crewneck sweatshirts, like their t-shirt counterparts, are easy to wear with almost anything - jeans, work pants, joggers, or most casual bottoms. Because of the classic appeal, you can also spot them in team apparel, school clothing, company merchandise and at events. 

Explore a vast collection of crewneck sweatshirts in ShirtsBargain featuring wholesale crewneck styles from Gildan, Port & Company, JERZEES, Sport-Tek, New Era, and other popular brands.

Other Sweatshirt Styles You May Come Across

Once you move beyond the basic crewneck, the category opens up quickly.

• Pullover hoodies, as the name suggests, come with a hood and commonly include a front pocket. Explore styles such as the Gildan 18500, Port & Company PC78H, and JERZEES 996M among other best-sellers in our wholesale blank pullovers catalog.

• Full-zip hoodies open completely down the front, making them quite practical when you want to put the garment on over another layer or adjust how much coverage you have. Our collection also includes full-zip variants of popular pullovers. 

• Quarter-zips have a shorter front opening, giving you some of the adjustability of a zip-up without turning the sweatshirt into a full jacket. It delivers a different aesthetic appeal to the outfit. ShirtsBargain's current selection of wholesale quarter-zip sweatshirts includes styles from JERZEES, Port Authority, New Era, Port & Company, Sport-Tek, and a few more reputed brands.

There are also performance sweatshirts, hooded styles, heavyweight options, and other variations. 

What Makes a Sweatshirt Soft, Warm or Comfortable?

There are sweatshirts built to feel dense, and there are others designed to be light and flexible. It comes down to the fibers and construction. But there’s more to it. 

Fabric Weight Matters More Than You Might Think

Fabric weight affects how a sweatshirt feels and handles weather. 

• A heavier sweatshirt generally has more substance, which keeps wearers warmer and holds its shape differently from a lightweight style.

• A lighter sweatshirt can be easier to layer under another garment and may feel more comfortable during milder weather.

Still, two fabrics with similar weight can still behave differently because of their knit structure, fiber content, and finishing. That’s why we always recommend our customers to look at the actual garment details rather than shopping by the word “sweatshirt” alone.

Softness Comes Down to More Than Fibre

A lot of stuff can happen to a garment’s fiber during manufacturing. For starters, fiber that undergoes brushing can alter the fabric surface. This is why a fleece-backed sweatshirt feels different from an unbrushed one. Similarly, the knit structure changes the texture, too.

Even the same broad fiber category can produce different results. “Cotton sweatshirt” doesn't tell you everything you need to know about how the garment will feel; because there is ring-spun cotton, airlume-combed ringspun cotton, superior pima cotton, and a lot of other cotton variants with distinct differences. If softness is high on your list, look at the fabric description and construction before anything else.

How Do You Know If a Sweatshirt Is Good Quality?

Price alone doesn't tell quality. The budget-friendly Gildan G185 is considered a cheap but dependable blank. Similarly a Sport-Tek sweatshirt is designed with the quality to compete with premium offerings from top-tier brands like Nike at essentially less than half the cost. So a good  approach is to look at the garment itself and think about how it is supposed to be used.

Check the Fabric, Seams & Finishing

We recommend starting with the fabric. Check if it looks consistent or if it has the weight and texture you expect. This is one of the main reasons why ShirtsBargain offers samples and recommends giving them a look before placing a bulk order. 

Once you get a feel of the weight and texture, you can go deeper and inspect the seams and stitching. The neckline should sit properly. Cuffs should feel secure without being unnecessarily restrictive. The hem should have a finished edge rather than looking loose or poorly constructed.

If you're buying in quantity, small construction details must not be neglected because you're dealing with many units of the same style. ShirtsBargain product pages provide garment information for individual styles, including details such as fabric, sizes, colors, pricing, tiered pricing, and category.

Think About How You Plan to Wear It

A good sweatshirt for one person may be the wrong sweatshirt for someone else. Some people just want everyday sweatshirts that are reasonably soft and easy to layer. Softness may not be top priority for teams though. They might want specific fabric compositions, colors, consistent sizing, and specific features. Outdoor workers may want different, more performance-oriented fabric and construction than an organization that wants sweatshirts for company swag. 

Make sure you consider decoration compatibility of your choice of sweatshirts before ordering. ShirtsBargain offers blank apparel as well as customization options, so the garment itself is only one part of the final product.

Choosing the Right Sweatshirt Comes Down to How You Wear It

We have buyers that end up with sweatshirt specifications that don’t make sense for everybody, but do for them. In such scenarios, our team can help out. They typically start with the situation and purpose, and then work backwards to the specific style or styles that suit the job. The answer to what are the best sweatshirts is subjective to the wearer. 

Everyday Comfort Calls for Different Features

For regular casual wear, it could be about how the sweatshirt feels after you've had it on for several hours. A comfortable fit helps. So does a fabric that feels right for the temperature. Some people prefer a heavier fleece. Others would rather have something lighter that works under a jacket. 

A crewneck can be a particularly simple choice when you don't need a hood or front opening. A pullover hoodie makes more sense when you want those features.

Active & Outdoor Use May Need Something Different

As mentioned earlier, people who exercise or spend a lot of time outdoors may have another set of priorities. For them, weight matters more. So does mobility and features like UV protection and moisture management. In such cases, performance sweatshirts make more sense .

ShirtsBargain's current catalog includes performance sweatshirt options from brands such as Sport-Tek, alongside traditional fleece and cotton-blend garments. The point isn't that performance fabric is always better. It's that the fabric should match the work the sweatshirt has to do.