Gildan G500 – Unisex Heavy Cotton T-Shirt – Black

The Gildan G500 Heavy Cotton is a 5.3 oz 100% cotton unisex t-shirt and the highest-volume blank in the US screen printing industry. It runs on carded open-end yarn, which is what holds its price below ring-spun blanks and makes it the default workhorse for event, school, promotional, and high-count spot-colour programs where the decoration is the product and unit cost drives the job. It is pre-shrunk, quarter-turned to remove the centre crease, and built on double-needle construction that holds position on the platen without distortion.

For screen printing, the G500 takes plastisol and water-based ink with reliable holdout on bold spot-colour work. The detail to plan for is the yarn: open-end (carded) cotton has a fuzzier, less aligned surface than ring-spun, so it carries more dot gain on fine halftones and small text than a combed or ring-spun blank. Pull back your trap and choke on detailed artwork and expect halftones to spread a touch on press. That trade-off is exactly why the G500 is the right call for bold event prints and the wrong call when a retail brand needs fine-detail fidelity, where the ring-spun Gildan Softstyle 64000 earns its premium. The quarter-turned body gives a flat print area from the first pull. For DTF, the 100% cotton surface bonds well with transfer adhesives and the 5.3 oz weight stays stable under the press without stretching. For DTG, white prints at full vibrancy without pre-treatment on most machines; coloured G500 blanks require pre-treatment, and the open-end surface takes pre-treat slightly less evenly than ring-spun, so dial in dwell time and coverage. For embroidery, the 5.3 oz weight is an adequate substrate for left-chest and front placements without extra backing adjustment.

• Brand: Gildan
• Style: G500 (also listed as Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton)
• Fabric: 100% US cotton, carded open-end, 20 singles jersey (Sport Grey is 90% cotton / 10% polyester; safety and certain heather/antique colours contain polyester, confirm the blend of your colourway)
• Weight: 5.3 oz/yd2 (approx. 180 gsm)
• Construction: Pre-shrunk. Quarter-turned body to eliminate the centre crease. Seamless double-needle 7/8 inch collar. Taped neck and shoulders. Double-needle sleeve and bottom hems. Tear-away label.
• Fit: Unisex, standard fit
• Sizes: S-5XL
• Colors available: 70+ colours (check current availability on the product page)
• Case quantity: 72 units (6 dozen) per case for standard sizes; extended sizes (3XL and up) may pack differently, confirm before a large mixed-size order
• Care: Machine wash warm. Tumble dry medium.

Gildan holds tight sizing grades and dye lot control across production runs, which is the main reason high-volume shops standardise on the G500 for repeat event and promotional programs where colour and fit have to match between batches. One sourcing note: if your job needs fine-detail print fidelity rather than bold spot colour, price the ring-spun Softstyle alongside it before committing, because the open-end surface sets the ceiling on detail. TheClothingSpace stocks the G500 at wholesale pricing with bulk discounts that increase as case and unit quantities rise, among the lowest prices online for this style, with fast US shipping on stocked colours.

Comparing blanks for your decoration method? Read: Gildan G500 vs Bella Canvas 3001C vs Next Level 3600.