Gildan 5000 vs. Bella+Canvas 3001: Which Blank Tee Should You Print On?

The Gildan 5000 and the Bella+Canvas 3001 are the two most commonly compared blank t-shirts in the print industry, and for good reason — they sit at opposite ends of the budget-to-premium spectrum while both being widely stocked, widely printed, and easy to source. Here's how their actual published specs compare, and which one fits which kind of order.

Fabric weight and material

The Gildan 5000 is a heavyweight, 100% cotton tee at 5.3 oz (about 180 GSM), preshrunk, using conventional open-end spun cotton (some safety colors and heather shades are a cotton/poly blend rather than 100% cotton). It has a seamless double-needle collar, taped neck and shoulders, and double-needle hems — solid, no-frills construction built for volume.

The Bella+Canvas 3001 is noticeably lighter at 4.2 oz (about 142 GSM), made from 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton. Combed and ring-spun cotton fibers are processed to remove short, stray fibers and are spun more tightly than the open-end cotton typically used in budget tees, which is part of why the 3001 feels smoother and softer against the skin than the Gildan 5000 does.

Fit

The Gildan 5000 runs in a classic, slightly boxy American fit — roomy through the body, with a straightforward cut that hasn't changed much over the years. It's a predictable, forgiving fit that works fine for event tees, uniforms, and giveaways where a tailored silhouette isn't the point.

The Bella+Canvas 3001 is cut as a retail-style unisex fit: not slim, but not boxy either, designed to sit closer to the body than the Gildan 5000 without feeling tight. Because the two brands size differently, someone who wears a Large in a Gildan 5000 may need to size up to get the same overall room in a 3001 — worth flagging to customers if you're printing both blanks for the same event or product line.

Price point

Price is the clearest dividing line between these two shirts. The Gildan 5000 is consistently one of the least expensive blanks on the market, which is a large part of why it remains the default choice for bulk orders. The Bella+Canvas 3001 costs noticeably more per unit, reflecting the combed ring-spun cotton, the softer finish, and the more tailored fit. Neither price is fixed — both fluctuate with the supplier and order size — but the Bella+Canvas 3001 sits firmly in the premium tier relative to the Gildan 5000's budget positioning.

How each performs with different printing methods

The heavier, tighter weave of the Gildan 5000 is a reliable, forgiving surface for screen printing — it holds ink well, resists show-through, and is generally what people picture when they think of a standard printed event tee. It works with DTG too, though the coarser open-end cotton can give slightly more texture to fine detail than a combed cotton shirt would. The Bella+Canvas 3001's tighter, combed ring-spun cotton is frequently favored for DTG specifically, since the smoother fiber surface helps ink sit more evenly and reproduce fine detail and soft gradients more cleanly. It also takes screen printing well, and its lighter weight means large solid-color prints can read as slightly softer and less stiff on the finished garment than the same design on a heavier Gildan blank.

Which one should you print on?

If you're printing a large quantity where cost per shirt is the main driver — team orders, fundraisers, event giveaways, work uniforms — the Gildan 5000 is the more economical choice, and its heavier fabric holds up well to repeated screen printing and washing. If the finished product needs to feel like something a customer would buy off a store shelf — a small apparel brand, a boutique print run, merch meant to be worn as everyday clothing rather than a one-off event shirt — the Bella+Canvas 3001's softer hand feel and closer fit generally justify the higher price.

Neither shirt is objectively "better." They're built for different jobs: the Gildan 5000 for volume and budget, the Bella+Canvas 3001 for feel and retail presentation. If you're still deciding what to buy in bulk, our pillar guide on choosing the best blank t-shirts for printing on a budget covers GSM, cotton content, and shrinkage in more depth, and how other budget brands compare beyond just these two.

Browse more comparisons and buying advice on the full guides hub.