Gildan vs Bella Canvas vs Comfort Colors: Which Blank Is Right for Your Business?

If you're ordering custom apparel for your business (staff shirts, branded merch, retail inventory, event tees) the blank you choose matters as much as the design you put on it. I've had clients spend weeks perfecting a logo and then ask me to print it on the cheapest blank available. The logo looks great. The shirt feels like cardboard. Nobody wears it. The whole investment is wasted because the blank killed the product.

I work with Gildan, Bella Canvas, and Comfort Colors every day in my York, PA studio. I ice dye on them, press DTF transfers on them, and ship them to businesses and boutiques across the country. Each brand has real strengths and real weaknesses, and the right choice depends entirely on how you're using the apparel and who's wearing it. Here's an honest, side-by-side breakdown to help you decide which blank is right for your business.

Gildan: The Budget Workhorse

Gildan is the default in the custom apparel industry. If you've ever gotten a free t-shirt at a 5K race, a company picnic, or a trade show, there's a good chance it was a Gildan. They're the most widely available and most affordable blanks on the market, and for certain use cases, that's exactly what you need.

The Gildan Lineup for Business

The two Gildan blanks I work with most are the 18000 (heavyweight crewneck sweatshirt) and the 18500 (heavyweight hooded sweatshirt). Both are 50/50 cotton-polyester blends with a thick, durable construction. For tees, Gildan offers a wide range, but for business applications I'm typically asked about the heavy cotton models.

When Gildan Makes Sense

• Large-volume orders where budget matters most. If you're ordering 200+ tees for a fundraiser, community event, or giveaway item, the per-unit savings on Gildan add up fast. The shirts will be fine, but they won't feel premium.
• Single-use or short-life apparel. Event tees, race day shirts, promotional giveaways. Pieces that serve a purpose and might not see heavy rotation in someone's wardrobe. Gildan does this job reliably and affordably.
• Heavyweight hoodies on a budget. The Gildan 18500 is hard to beat for a budget-friendly hoodie. It's warm, it holds up to washing, and DTF prints adhere well to the surface. For organizations that need branded hoodies without premium pricing, like fire department fundraiser hoodies or team spirit wear, this is a solid choice.
• Ice dye practice and budget wholesale. For my dye work, Gildan crewnecks produce good patterns at a lower cost. The 50/50 blend creates a muted, heathered effect that some customers actually prefer for its softer aesthetic. I covered this in detail in my best blanks for ice dye comparison.

The Honest Downsides

• The fit is boxy and utilitarian. Gildan blanks are cut for a wide range of body types, which really means they're cut for nobody in particular. The silhouette is broad in the shoulders and body with little tapering. On many wearers, it looks like what it is: a blank.
• The fabric feels stiff out of the package. Unlike garment-dyed blanks, Gildan's standard blanks haven't been through a softening process. They'll soften after several washes, but the first-wear experience is noticeably stiffer than Bella Canvas or Comfort Colors.
• The 50/50 blend affects print and dye results. Polyester fibers don't absorb fiber-reactive dye, which means ice dye on Gildan looks more muted. For sublimation printing, the poly content is actually an advantage, but for DTF and screen printing, the surface can feel slightly different than 100% cotton options.
• Brand perception. Fair or not, customers and employees associate Gildan with "free event tee." If you're trying to build a premium brand or create merchandise people are excited to wear, the Gildan association can work against you.

Bella Canvas: The Modern Standard

Bella Canvas positioned themselves as the retail-quality alternative to traditional blank brands, and they've succeeded. The Bella Canvas 3001 unisex tee is one of the best-selling blanks in the industry because it looks and feels like something you'd buy at a clothing store rather than something handed out at a corporate event.

The Bella Canvas Difference

The 3001 is the flagship. It's a lighter-weight tee (4.2 oz) with a cotton-polyester blend and a modern, slightly tapered fit. The fabric is smooth and soft right out of the package, the shoulders sit where they should, and the overall silhouette is flattering on a wider range of body types than Gildan's boxy cut.

When Bella Canvas Makes Sense

• Staff and employee apparel that people actually wear. If you're ordering shirts for your team and you want them to show up in those shirts outside of work hours, Bella Canvas is how you make that happen. Nobody wants to wear a stiff, boxy tee on their day off. A Bella Canvas 3001 with your logo? That's a shirt people reach for because it fits well and feels good.
• Brand merch for sale. If you're selling branded apparel to customers, not giving it away, the blank quality directly affects whether people buy it and whether they wear it. Bella Canvas signals "this is a real product" rather than "this is promotional merch."
• Designs with fine detail. The smooth fabric surface of the 3001 is ideal for DTF transfers with intricate detail, fine text, or photographic elements. The print sits cleanly on the surface without the texture interference you get from garment-dyed blanks.
• Year-round wearability. The lighter weight makes it comfortable in warm weather while still substantial enough for layering in cooler months. If you need one tee that works in every season, this is it.

The Honest Downsides

• It's not as soft as Comfort Colors. Bella Canvas is soft, but it's a smooth, structured soft, not the broken-in, lived-in softness of garment-dyed blanks. Customers who've felt a Comfort Colors piece will notice the difference.
• The cotton-poly blend affects ice dye. If you're ordering dyed blanks, Bella Canvas produces a muted, vintage-looking dye result because the polyester fibers don't absorb color. That's a feature for some customers and a drawback for others. I wrote about this in my Comfort Colors deep-dive.
• Shrinkage is possible. The 3001 isn't garment-dyed, so it hasn't been pre-shrunk by a dye process. Wash and dry on high heat and you may lose some length. I always recommend cold wash, tumble dry low.
• Mid-range pricing. More expensive than Gildan, less expensive than Comfort Colors. For budget-sensitive large orders, the per-unit premium over Gildan adds up.

Comfort Colors: The Premium Choice

Comfort Colors is where I spend most of my time. Their garment-dyed blanks are the foundation of my ice dye production and a major part of our custom graphic tee service. The 1566 crewneck and 1717 tee are the blanks that built my wholesale business, and for good reason.

What Sets Comfort Colors Apart

The garment-dyeing process is the differentiator. Every Comfort Colors blank is dyed after construction, which pre-shrinks the garment, opens up the cotton fibers, and produces that signature broken-in softness. Even a brand-new Comfort Colors piece feels like you've owned it for years. Customers notice this immediately. It's the reason people specifically request Comfort Colors by name.

When Comfort Colors Makes Sense

• Boutique and retail merchandise. If you're selling apparel to consumers (through a shop, online, at markets) Comfort Colors is the blank that justifies premium retail pricing. Customers feel the quality and associate it with brands they already love.
• Camp store and resort merch. This is our sweet spot at Floorboard Findings. Comfort Colors crewnecks and tees are the best-selling blanks in camp stores because guests want something that feels like a keepsake, not a souvenir shop throwaway. Our custom apparel program for campgrounds and resorts uses Comfort Colors as the default.
• Ice dye production. Nothing takes ice dye like Comfort Colors. The open fiber structure absorbs Procion MX dye with rich saturation and beautiful pigment splitting. Every serious ice dyer I know uses Comfort Colors as their primary blank.
• Premium staff shirts. If you want your team wearing shirts that feel like a perk rather than a uniform, garment-dyed blanks change the equation. An employee who loves how their work shirt feels will actually wear it, and that's the whole point of branded apparel.

The Honest Downsides

• Highest cost per unit. The garment-dyeing process adds meaningful cost. For large-volume orders where budget is the primary constraint, Comfort Colors may not be feasible.
• Oversized fit isn't for everyone. The relaxed, boxy cut is trendy right now, but some customers and organizations prefer a more tailored look. Comfort Colors doesn't offer a slim-fit option.
• Availability issues. White Comfort Colors blanks sell out at distributors during peak seasons. I've had to adjust production timelines around blank availability, and it's a real operational consideration for anyone who relies on these blanks consistently.
• Heavy weight limits seasonal use. The 1566 crewneck is a fall/winter product. You won't sell many in July. The 1717 tee is more versatile but still heavier than a Bella Canvas 3001.

Quick Comparison

Factor	Gildan	Bella Canvas	Comfort Colors
Price per unit	$	$$	$$$
Fit	Boxy / utilitarian	Modern / tailored	Relaxed / oversized
Softness	Stiff new, softens over time	Smooth and soft	Broken-in from day one
Fabric	50/50 cotton-poly	Cotton-poly blend	100% ring-spun cotton
Shrinkage	Moderate (not pre-shrunk)	Slight (not pre-shrunk)	Minimal (garment-dyed)
Best DTF surface	Good	Excellent (smooth)	Excellent (textured premium look)
Ice dye absorption	Moderate (muted)	Good (vintage tones)	Excellent (full saturation)
Best for	Events, fundraisers, budget orders	Staff shirts, brand merch, modern fit	Retail, boutiques, premium merch

My Recommendation by Use Case

Staff shirts your team will actually wear: Bella Canvas 3001. The modern fit and soft fabric make it a shirt people choose to put on, not one they're required to. For cooler weather, pair with Comfort Colors 1566 crewnecks if budget allows.

Merch for resale (camp stores, boutiques, online): Comfort Colors, every time. The perceived quality justifies premium pricing and the softness creates repeat customers who come back for more.

Fundraiser and event tees (100+ pieces): Gildan for the base tier, Bella Canvas if you want to charge a bit more. The volume savings on Gildan mean more money goes to the cause.

Ice dye or dye-based products: Comfort Colors is the gold standard. Bella Canvas for a muted, vintage alternative. Gildan for budget-conscious wholesale.

Branded hoodies: Gildan 18500 for budget, Comfort Colors 1566 for premium. There's a big gap in feel and fit between the two, so choose based on how the hoodies will be used.

The Blank Is Half the Product

The most common mistake I see businesses make is treating the blank as an afterthought. They focus on the design (the logo, the colors, the placement) and then default to whatever's cheapest for the blank. But your customer or your employee experiences the blank every time they put the shirt on. The design might get them to pick it up, but the blank determines whether they reach for it again.

If you're planning a custom apparel order and want to talk through which blank makes sense for your specific project, get in touch. I work with all three brands every day and I'm happy to recommend the right option based on your budget, your audience, and what you're trying to accomplish.