A Quick Guide to Heavyweight Sweatshirts for Wholesale Buyers
By: YouApparel Posted on: Sep 19, 2025Heavyweight sweatshirts are more than thick hoodies—they’re strategic wholesale essentials that cut costs and boost margins. Buyers must know the expert tips: fabric weight (10–14+ oz), ring-spun cotton blends, and eco-friendly fleece drive durability, customization quality, and resale value. Leading brands such as Independent Trading Co., Bayside, Gildan, Comfort Colors, and Hanes supply top blanks, while decoration methods—embroidery, DTG, DTF, and puff screen printing—perform uniquely on heavyweight fleece. Corporate teams, streetwear brands, schools, and retailers rely on these sweatshirts for uniforms, merchandise, and fashion drops. With hidden truths on cost savings and expert insights, they remain a top choice for bulk buyers.
Most people know sweatshirts as cozy weekend wear, but buyers in the United States who buy them in bulk see much more in these garments. From budget-friendly team gear to premium streetwear options, sweatshirts come in different weight classes.
Lightweight sweatshirts generally sit around 6 - 8 oz, midweight is 8 - 10 oz, while heavyweight sweatshirts can go from close to 10 oz all the way up to 14+ oz per square yard of fabric. That heavyweight range is what delivers serious warmth, structure, and durability. Popular wholesale brands in YouApparel, like Bayside, Gildan, Independent Trading, and more, offer their own blank heavyweight sweatshirt styles. Then there are brands like LA Apparel and Sport-Tek that continue to build a reputation in the heavyweight sweatshirts category, offering reliable blanks for everything from corporate branding to streetwear drops.
What is Special About Heavyweight Fabric in Sweatshirts
Heavyweight hoodies and crewnecks offer more than just thicker fabric. These garments are designed and built for cooler seasons and to last longer than their regular counterparts. The fabric weight, measured in ounces per square yard or GSM, directly affects insulation and perceived quality. Fabrics in the 400–500 GSM range are generally considered top-tier for durability and warmth.
Due to their sturdy build, they are also top choices for customization. As a matter of fact, styles like the IND4000 from Independent Trading, its full-zip variant - the IND4000Z, and Bayside 900 are among the top preferences of some of YouApparel’s regular buyers that specialize in customized heavyweight clothing merchandise. Bayside in particular, is getting more attention with the market slowly shifting to US-made apparel.
From what we gathered from our buyers, they choose heavyweight sweatshirts for:
- Warm fall and winter apparel lines
- Durable workwear, uniforms, and company swag during the holiday seasons
- Streetwear merchandise
- Events demanding a stylish look and hand feel
What are the Fabric Options of Heavyweight Sweatshirts?
The fabric blend defines how a sweatshirt feels, holds up, and prints. Here are the common types buyers will encounter:
100% Cotton Face Fleece: Soft interior makes it the best surface for screen printing. The IND5000P Cross-Grain Hoodie from Independent features a 100% cotton face.
French Terry: Structured, breathable, and versatile, French terry heavyweight sweatshirts are not very common, but is a top preference for fashion-forward lines.
80/20 Cotton-Polyester Blend: Exceptional softness with reduced shrinkage and longer life. This is the most common fabric option in heavyweight sweatshirts. The Bayside 1102 USA-made crewneck in YouApparel features an 80/20 cotton-polyester blend fabric.
50/50 Cotton-Polyester Blend: Strong, wrinkle-resistant, and easy to wash, this blend is great for team apparel. That’s the specialty of the Jerzees 996MR sweatshirt - one of the most popular blank heavy sweatshirt options in the market today and a consistent top-selling style in YouApparel.
Ring-Spun Cotton: Has a smoother, softer finish compared to open-end cotton. This cotton is also more durable. Most heavyweights in our collection are made of ring spun cotton blended with polyester.
Many modern heavyweight sweatshirts, like the TT95 HydroSport™ hoodie from Team 365, are enhanced with fabric technologies that give them water-repellent characteristics. This makes them practical for variable weather conditions. This is the kind of versatility that appeals to wholesale buyers, as they get solutions that cover a lot of needs - from outdoor workers needing dependable warmth to fashion-conscious consumers wanting year-round style.
Tips to Choose the Best Way to Customize Heavyweight Sweatshirts
Customization is one of the biggest reasons why blank heavyweight sweatshirts have a thriving, steadily growing market today. Depending on the fabric, these garments can be customized in a lot of ways. Here are a few interesting facts on custom heavyweight sweatshirts.
Screen Printing
- Works best on cotton face fabrics
- Plastisol inks typically last over 35 washes
- Puff ink adds 3D texture, perfect on heavyweight fleece
- Jumbo screen printing can cover areas up to 17.5" x 23.5"
Embroidery
- Durable and looks premium on thick fabric
- Commonly chosen for branding with logos
- Long-lasting with no risk of cracking
DTG and DTF Printing
- DTG delivers photo-quality results on 100% cotton face fabrics
- DTF works well across blends
- DTF is trending and mostly preferred for on-demand customization
Heat Transfer Vinyl
Typically applies cleanly on heavyweight materials at 320–360°F
Polyester blends may require low-temp transfers to avoid scorching
If you don’t want all the hassle, you can have your choice of sweatshirts customized with YouApparel at exceptional overall costs (we guarantee it). Combined with our low per-unit prices on sweatshirts, hoodies, and everything else in our vast selection, we offer professional-grade apparel decoration services - customizing your picks the way you want at a cost that will still prove a better deal than most third-party decorators offer. Our specialty is embroidery and DTG, empowered by decades of expertise in customizing apparel and accessories. Explore the top 10 decorator-approved styles in our blank sweatshirts.
Our Heavyweight Sweatshirt Recommendations for Fall & Winter
Apart from the styles from Independent Trading Company we mentioned earlier, the following three styles from the brand are also worth checking out.
Independent Trading Co. IND5000C Legend Premium Heavyweight Crewneck - An absolute banger of a heavy crewneck, this 13.5-ounce sweatshirt has a fabric that blends 70% ringspun cotton and 30% polyester 3-end fleece. Combine that with a 100% cotton face and a high 20 singles yarn count, and you get a heavyweight masterpiece that’s ultra soft with a premium finish. This will easily give many popular crewneck sweatshirts under $25 in the market a run for their money.
Independent Trading Co. IND45UVZ Heavyweight Varsity Full-Zip Hoodie - A varsity-style 10 oz. full-zip hoodie that features a similar fabric composition to the IND5000C but with 75% ringspun cotton instead. The IND45UVZ offers a unisex, slim fit, has gunmetal eyelets, and a distinctive 1x1 jacquard ribbing at cuffs and waistband. Its vintage appeal also makes it a great choice for people that want the retro vibe on their outfit. The tear-away label allows for easy rebranding.
Independent Trading Co. IND3000 Heavyweight Crewneck Sweatshirt - Seemingly a simple ringspun cotton-polyester fleece sweatshirt, the IND3000 is more than meets the eye. It features an incredible 32 singles yarn count that is quite rare on heavyweight sweatshirts, giving it an amazingly soft feel. It offers an intentionally generous fit for a loose, laid-back feel.
But it isn’t all about Independent Trading Company, though. We also recommend giving these styles a look:
Just Hoods JHA021 Cross Neck Hoodie - A unique hoodie made of ringspun cotton and polyester blend with a cross-over neck detail - one of a kind in our wholesale pullovers selection. A great choice for custom merchandising.
J. America 8454 Sherpa Quarter-Zip Pullover - A 100% high-loft polyester sherpa pullover weighing in at 9.5 oz, the 8454 from J America delivers cozy warmth. A solid choice for when winter approaches.
Comfort Colors 1580 Garment-Dyed Quarter Zip - There should be at least one Comfort Colors sweatshirt in the list, as such is the brand’s reputation today. The 1580 also features the iconic Comfort Colors “lived-in” look, and this is yet another style in our wholesale sweatshirts collection with a high 30 singles yarn count.
Hanes F260 Ultimate Cotton® Crewneck Sweatshirt - If you prefer something as good as 100% cotton but heavy enough, the Hanes F260 delivers. This 10 oz crewneck features a 90/10 US-grown cotton-polyester blend fabric (85/15 for Light Steel and 65/35 for Charcoal Heather and Oxford Grey colors). The sweatshirt is pill-resistant and has a 100% cotton face. The Hanes F260 does have a few alternatives in our wholesale crewneck collection, but the style is arguably more popular.
Econscious EC5500 Heritage Hooded Sweatshirt - Need something heavy but eco-friendly? The EC5500 is a great choice. Made of 80% organic cotton and 20% recycled polyester, this hoodie is 100% sustainable and a rising name in our sustainable apparel collection. Want to explore more styles in various weight classes like this? Check out our blog on sustainable sweatshirts.
If you have Fall sports and outdoor adventures in your plan, you may find some of our performance sweatshirts very useful. Get a quick overview of our collection and a few insights from our guide on performance sweatshirts.
Who Buys Heavyweight Sweatshirts Blank & Customized from YouApparel?
Corporate Organizations: For handout pieces and promotions
Streetwear Brands: For seasonal fashion lines
Schools: For spirit wear and team outfitting
Small & Medium-Sized Organizations: For workwear
Retail Clothing Lines: For rebranding and retail sales
Music Bands: For fan merchandise
Heavyweight sweatshirts can be a smart buy if you know where to source them from, blank or customized. From Independent Trading Company’s premium styles to the budget-friendly Gildan 18500, every buyer can find a style in YouApparel that matches their customer base. And we can customize them just the way you want at excellent bulk pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ounces is a heavyweight sweatshirt?
A heavyweight sweatshirt generally goes from 9 ounces to over 14 ounces.
What is the best heavyweight fabric for hoodies?
We recommend a blend of ringspun cotton and polyester with more cotton than polyester in the composition.
Where to buy heavyweight hoodies?
If you plan to buy heavyweight hoodies in bulk, you can get the best deals from wholesale platforms like YouApparel. We also offer the lowest per-piece pricing on many of the most popular styles in the market today, along with professional-grade customization services.
Are 50/50 hoodies heavyweight?
They can be. 50/50 attributes to the fabric blend and not the fabric weight. The fabric weight is determined by GSM (Grams per Square Meter). If it is dense enough (over 350 GSM), the hoodie can be heavyweight.
What are Class 3 heavyweight thermal lined hoodies?
A Class 3 heavyweight thermal lined hoodie is generally a safety apparel built for high-visibility. These kinds of hoodies typically meet ANSI/ISEO 107 standards for complete visibility. They are also more durable than regular hoodies, offer excellent warmth, and feature a thermal lining for extra insulation in cold work environments. They are best suited for construction and road maintenance workers.