Buying guide · Fabrics
Every garment listing leads with a number and a blend — 245gsm 65/35 polycotton — that most buyers skim past. It's the most information-dense line on the page: weight, fibre and weave predict how a garment wears, washes, breathes and dies. Ten minutes of fabric literacy upgrades every order you'll ever place.
The numbers
GSM is fabric weight, and weight predicts character: 140–180gsm is shirt and summer-polo territory; 200–260gsm is the workwear heartland (trousers, polos, sweats that survive trade use); 300gsm+ is heavy canvas and winter fleece — durable, warm, slow to dry. Heavier isn't better, it's slower and tougher: a 320gsm trouser outlasts a 240 but punishes an August loft.
Fibre is the blend line. Cotton brings comfort, breathability and easy dyeing; polyester brings strength, colourfastness, fast drying and crease recovery. The 65/35 polycotton ratio dominates workwear because it takes cotton's feel and polyester's survival; reversed ratios (35/65) push durability further for washing-heavy fleets — the reason industrially launderable garments lean polyester-rich. Pure cotton keeps two specialist thrones: comfort against skin, and — critically — it doesn't melt, which is why heat trades and FR underlayers care (synthetics near flame melt onto skin; the reason polyester tees under FR are banned). A few percent elastane buys the stretch modern trousers are loved for — at a price in heat tolerance and tumble-dryer life.
Weave finishes the prediction: twill is the standard workwear weave (diagonal grain, drapes and wears well); canvas is the stiff heavy-duty version; ripstop grids reinforcing threads so tears stop at the box — lighter fabrics acting tougher, the summer-trouser trick.
The decoder
| Spec line | Translation | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|
| 180gsm 100% cotton | Light, breathable, creases, shrinks if abused | Comfort tees, hot environments |
| 245gsm 65/35 polycotton twill | The workwear default — balanced everything | Trousers, coveralls, service kit |
| 300gsm+ canvas | Armour-grade, stiff until broken in | Heavy trades, longest life |
| 210gsm ripstop + elastane | Light but tear-stopping, moves well | Summer trousers — the hot-weather logic |
| Poly-rich (35/65+) | Fast-dry, colourfast, wash-proof | Fleet & laundry-service kit |
The consequences
Questions
Grams per square metre — the fabric's weight. Workwear mostly lives between 200 and 260gsm; lighter means cooler and faster-drying, heavier means tougher and warmer. It's the quickest single predictor of how a garment will feel and last.
For most work, yes — the 65/35 blend keeps much of cotton's comfort while adding polyester's strength, colourfastness and crease recovery, and it survives repeated washing far better. Pure cotton keeps the advantage for comfort against skin and around heat, because it doesn't melt.
A weave with a grid of reinforcing threads so that tears stop at the next grid line instead of running. It lets lighter, cooler fabrics behave more toughly — the classic construction for summer-weight work trousers and outdoor kit.
Everything in these guides is stocked, embroiderable and priced for teams.