{"id":8597,"date":"2026-07-07T05:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/?p=8597"},"modified":"2026-07-07T07:51:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:51:36","slug":"comfort-colors-1717-vs-gildan-5000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/garment\/comfort-colors-1717-vs-gildan-5000\/","title":{"rendered":"Comfort Colors 1717 vs Gildan 5000"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Comfort Colors 1717 and Gildan 5000 are two of the most popular T-shirt blanks in custom apparel, showing up everywhere from college merch and local fundraisers to company apparel and retail brands. If you’ve ordered shirts for a fundraiser, a company event, or a small brand, there’s a good chance you’ve already worn one of these two.<\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance, both are heavyweight cotton tees with straight cuts and seem very similar, but once you compare them side by side, you’ll notice differences in the fabric, fit, dyeing process, and overall look that make each shirt a better fit for different types of projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

At a Glance: Comfort Colors 1717 vs. Gildan 5000<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nComfort Colors 1717<\/b><\/td>\nGildan 5000<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fabric weight<\/b><\/td>\n6.1 oz., heavyweight<\/span><\/td>\n5.3 oz., midweight<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Material<\/b><\/td>\n100% ring-spun cotton<\/span><\/td>\n100% cotton (heather colors are of varied cotton-poly blends)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dye process<\/b><\/td>\nGarment-dyed (pigment dye)<\/span><\/td>\nPiece-dyed (standard)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fit<\/b><\/td>\nBoxy, tubular<\/span><\/td>\nClassic fit, tubular<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sizes*<\/b><\/td>\nAdult S-4XL, kids YXS-YXL<\/span><\/td>\nAdult S-5XL, kids YXS-YXL<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Color range<\/b><\/td>\n67 colors<\/span><\/td>\n66 colors<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price**<\/b><\/td>\n$13.70 per shirt<\/span><\/td>\n$7.60 per shirt<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best for<\/b><\/td>\nVintage look, premium feel, retail-style merch<\/span><\/td>\nBudget-friendly bulk orders, everyday team or event gear<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*Size availability varies by color<\/span><\/p>\n

**When ordering 50 shirts with one color screen printed<\/span><\/p>\n

The Basics<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Comfort Colors<\/b> is best known for its garment-dyed T-shirts with a soft, broken-in feel. The brand has built its reputation around vintage-inspired apparel, and the 1717 has become a favorite for college merch, breweries, coffee shops, and retail brands where the look and feel of the shirt are part of the finished product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Comfort Colors is part of the larger Gildan family of brands, but it maintains the distinctive identity the brand has been known for over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gildan<\/b> is one of the largest manufacturers of blank apparel in the world. The 5000 has been an industry staple for decades thanks to its reliable quality, affordable price, broad size range, and easy availability. It’s a popular choice for schools, businesses, sports teams, fundraisers, and just about any project where you need a dependable blank.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a nutshell, you could say that the Comfort Colors 1717 is designed for a premium, garment-dyed look and feel, while the Gildan 5000 is built around consistency, versatility, and value.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Quick Word on Dyeing Method<\/span><\/h2>\n

This is one of the main differences between these two shirts, so it’s worth addressing briefly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Comfort Colors 1717, like most of the Comfort Colors brand, is garment dyed. That means the shirt gets sewn together first, and then the whole finished garment goes through the dye process. This softens the fabric further and creates small, natural variations in shade from shirt to shirt, which is where the signature washed, lived-in look comes from.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gildan 5000 is piece dyed, meaning the fabric is dyed before it’s cut and sewn into a shirt. This gives you a cleaner, more uniform color from one shirt to the next, which matters a lot if you’re trying to match a specific brand color or team color across a big order. If you\u2019re running multiple repeat orders across time, this also ensures that the base color is consistent each time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fabric Weight and Feel<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another one of the noticeable differences when comparing these two shirts is the hand feel and weight. Both fall into the heavyweight, relaxed T-shirt category, but they each come with their own distinctive fabric character.<\/span><\/p>\n