Shown: Orange — tap any color below to see it here
Gildan · Style 5000 · Heavy Cotton™
The volume workhorse. The widest color range of any blank we stock, the lowest cost of any 100% cotton tee we run, and a thick, forgiving surface that takes bold artwork all day long.
Real numbers back the same business day — not a range.
Tap a color to see the actual blank up top — your picks ride along invisibly when you send the quote form.
Garment photos are supplier stock images of the actual blank. Heads up: the heather colorways and all safety colors are cotton/poly blends even though the 5000 is sold as a cotton tee - they print differently and we handle them accordingly.
Tell us what you are printing and roughly how many. We come back the same business day with real numbers, not a range.
| Style number | Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton |
|---|---|
| Fabric | 100% US cotton (heathers and safety colors are cotton/poly blends) |
| Weight | 5.3 oz/yd² |
| Yarn | 20 singles - thicker, sturdier yarn than fashion tees |
| Fit | Classic boxy fit, tubular (seamless) body |
| Colors | 80 |
| Sizes | Full adult size run with extended sizes; tell us your sizes and we confirm live stock |
Comparing against the Gildan 2000 Ultra Cotton? The 2000 is heavier (6.0 oz) and coarser with fewer colors - the 5000 is the better value for almost every job, which is why it is the one we stock deep.
This is the part most printers will not tell you before they take your money.
The thick 5.3 oz surface takes heavy spot-color deposits beautifully – event shirts, fundraisers, crew shirts, anything with big solid graphics.
The 20-singles carded yarn is sturdier and fuzzier than ring-spun, so we keep halftones and line weights heavier here. For photoreal detail, we will point you to the Next Level 3600 instead – and tell you why.
Heather and safety colorways of the 5000 are actually 50/50 blends – they migrate like polyester and get a low-bleed underbase here. Shops that treat every 5000 as plain cotton get bleeding prints on exactly those colors.
Deciding between blanks? Our guide to the best shirts for screen printing ranks the top ten by what we actually print. Stepping up to a retail feel? See the Next Level 6210.
24 pieces, with no setup fees. You can mix colors and sizes inside that 24 as long as the printed design is the same.
It is the lowest-cost 100% cotton tee we stock, and on big runs it is usually the sharpest total price next to the Port & Company PC43. On several hundred pieces the blank price difference often matters more than the print price - worth quoting both.
The 2000 Ultra Cotton is heavier (6.0 oz) with a coarser yarn and fewer colors; the 5000 is 5.3 oz with around 80 colors and better value. Unless you specifically want the beefier boxier feel, the 5000 wins.
It is preshrunk cotton but a classic tubular tee - expect it to relax and behave like every standard cotton tee you have owned. Wash cold, dry low.
Because safety colors of the 5000 are 50/50 poly blends, not cotton - different substrate, different ink behavior. We treat them as blends automatically; not every shop does.
It is a classic-feel tee, not a fashion blank. For giveaways and events it is perfect; for staff shirts people wear off the clock, spend the extra on a Next Level 6210 and watch the difference.
Both. We are in Deerfield Beach and plenty of customers pick up, but we ship orders anywhere in the US.
24-piece minimum. No setup fees. Same-day pricing from a shop that runs this blank every week.
Need the budget option for a big run? Also see the Port & Company PC43, or contact us.