Understanding Gildan Size Charts

What is your shirt size? The question seems like it has an obvious answer, but it may be more complicated than you know. Many brands base the sizing designation of their products on a system that they created themselves. Three different companies may have three different internal definitions of “extra small” — or any other size, for the matter. If you try to get products of the same size from them, you may find that one feels a little tight or loose. It may not even fit at all.

In order to make sure that you are buying the appropriate shirt size, it is important that you understand the sizing charts of different companies and how to read them. Because a lot of companies do this differently, it may take some time to fully understand how a certain brand’s shirts fit your body, as well as those of your customers. However, that knowledge is important to have. In this article, we will touch on the size charts for Gildan t-shirts.

What is Gildan?

To recap for those who may not know, Gildan is among the most largest clothing manufacturers on the planet. Although we will focus on t-shirts in this blog post, they produce many types of apparel: sweaters, pants, socks, underwear, and so much more. They are also the parent company of American Apparel, Gold Toe, Prim + Preux, Comfort Colors, and more. Gildan even creates and supplies socks with the Under Armour and New Balance name.

Clothing merchants love Gildan for quite a few reasons. One is the sheer variety of products they offer, typically at fair prices. Another is the excellent quality of the clothing they produce. T-shirt printers have another reason to like Gildan: many of their tops are great for several methods of customization. They can print more complex designs onto the garment upon customer request and create something sturdy, comfortable, and visually pleasing.

How Gildan Fits

Generally speaking, Gildan shirts tend to have more of a loose fit, especially compared to brands like Next Level and Bella + Canvas. Gildan is widely considered as the staple company in the t-shirt printing industry, and they want their shirt sizing to reflect this. 

As you can see with the size chart that they provide on their website, Gildan only offers five unique sizing options, which may not be enough to account for all chest sizes and may not fit perfectly on your body specifically. Even so, these sizes have a pretty solid range to them. There is a nice amount of flexibility within each size, which helps you ensure that your product will fit nicely on your customers. The shirts do a pretty good job of fitting almost everyone.

Finally, the loose fits may not bring that swole body that you have been working on in the gym. They are not designed to emphasize one’s body shape — Gildan leaves that to other brands. Their focus is on creating clothes that provide comfort and softness for all.

A Word About Chest Measurements

You may notice that the size chart gives a range of chest measurements for each size. Most people only have a general idea about their shirt size, and not everyone knows the exact measurements for their own chest. If more people took the time to get this data on themselves, it can make a big difference in getting a shirt that satisfies them.

When you prepare to customize a shirt for someone, you may want to request that they submit their personal chest measurement to you. Advise them to take some measuring tape and lay it across their chest. It should be taut, with no wrinkles or humps along the cord, but it should not be pushing down on your skin, either. The measurement is the length from one armpit to the other across the fullest part of one’s chest (which should not be puffed).

Do Gildan T-Shirts Run Big or Small?

A pretty common question that people like to ask when determining the size of their shirts is “Do they run big or small?” In other words, are they bigger or smaller than the size designation would indicate? This is obviously an opinionated question, and the answer may vary from one person to the next.

I would say that especially when compared to other brands, Gildan sizes run pretty spot on. You can advise your customers to go with the size that they normally wear, and they will find the shirt to their liking more often than not.

Do Gildan T-Shirts Shrink?

Gildan advertises that their shirts are made of 100% preshrunk cotton. That means that they already shrank in the wash on purpose, as part of their production. In light of this, you shouldn’t have to worry about the shirts shrinking on you much further in the laundry.

With that said, a little caution may still be useful. Preshrunk shirts, including those of Gildan’s quality, still share certain qualities with their non-preshrunk counterparts. If you leave any type of cotton in the dryer for too long, it is likely to shrink a little bit. This brand’s tees won’t dwindle as much as other shirts — again, they’re all preshrunk — but it still could.

Gildan Products at AllDayShirts.com

Gildan hasn’t endured for more than three decades without any good reason. Popular brands and the general public flock toward the brand because it holds itself to high standards of quality and strives to cater to many different people. Anyone in the t-shirt printing business would be wise to feature plenty of Gildan products in their stock.

If you want to build your own supply of Gildan t-shirts, AllDayShirts.com can help out! We offer dozens of tees in many sizes and styles for men, women, and children. On top of that, we always strive to sell them at fair prices, so you can boost your business without breaking the bank. You can also drop by the official AllDayShirts.com Facebook group and ask us any questions you may still have about Gildan sizing. Our t-shirt printing experts will be more than happy to help.