Custom Hoodies in Bulk: Fabric Weight, MOQ, Decoration, and Cost

Custom hoodies in bulk start at 30 pieces per style from our factory, cost about $10 to $28 per piece factory-direct depending on fleece weight, construction and quantity, and ship in roughly 3 to 5 weeks of production after sample approval. A 320 to 350 GSM brushed-back cotton fleece pullover with an embroidered left-chest logo is the standard brand and team build.

Hoodies are the single most reordered custom item for US brands, schools, gyms and companies, and October is when the orders stack up: homecoming, holiday merch drops, winter team wear and year-end staff gifts all need fleece on the floor by November. The hard part is not finding a supplier. It is getting the same fabric weight in bulk that you approved in the sample, a fit that matches your spec, and a price that still works at 50 pieces. This guide walks through what to specify, what it costs, and how the order runs in our Sialkot factory. Browse the custom hoodie catalog for the fits and fabrics referenced here.

What is a cut-and-sew custom hoodie, and when does it beat decorating blanks?

A cut-and-sew hoodie is built from the fabric up to your spec: you choose the fleece type and weight, the fit, the hood shape, the pocket, the ribbing, the drawcord, the labels and the decoration. A decorated blank is a stock hoodie from a wholesale brand with your logo added by a print or embroidery shop. Both have a place. The right choice depends on quantity, timing and whether you plan to reorder.

Factor	Decorated stock blank	Cut-and-sew from our factory
Practical minimum	12 to 24 pieces	30 pieces per style, 12 for team sets on stock colors
Turnaround	1 to 2 weeks	About 12 days for the sample, then 3 to 5 weeks bulk, plus freight
Fabric and weight	Whatever the blank brand runs, often 240 to 280 GSM	Your choice, 240 to 500 GSM, written on the spec
Fit	Blank brand's block	Your block: boxy, drop-shoulder, fitted, cropped, longline
Colors	Stock palette only	Any Pantone, dyed to order at 50 pieces and up per color
Branding	Blank brand's neck label, sometimes removable	Your woven label, printed neck, hem tag and hang tag
Cost at 100 pieces, logo embroidered	About $18 to $30 per piece for a premium blank plus decoration (estimate)	About $13 to $20 per piece for a 320 to 350 GSM build (estimate)
Reorder consistency	Depends on the blank brand's stock and dye lot	Same pattern, same fabric spec, same factory

The rule of thumb we give buyers: under 30 pieces or under two weeks, decorate blanks. At 50 pieces and up, or any time you want your own fit and label, cut-and-sew wins on both cost and control. If you are launching a brand, the second order is where cut-and-sew pays off, because the pattern and spec are already on file and the reorder matches the first run.

Which fleece and GSM should you choose for custom hoodies?

GSM, grams per square meter, is the number that decides how a hoodie feels, drapes and prices. It is also the number most likely to drift between the sample and bulk if you do not pin it down. One of the top US sourcing guides for this search describes a 280 GSM sample arriving as 240 GSM in bulk, a 15 percent cut the buyer only caught after delivery. We put the GSM on the quote, on the sample tag and on the bulk fabric inspection report, and we weigh a cut swatch from each roll before cutting starts.

Fabric	Weight	Feel	Best decoration	Best for
French terry, loopback	240 to 300 GSM	Smooth face, loops inside, breathable	Screen print, DTF, embroidery	Gym hoodies, spring and fall, Sun Belt states
Brushed-back fleece, 80/20 cotton-poly	320 to 350 GSM	Soft inside, stable face, warm	Embroidery, screen print, DTF	The standard brand, school and staff hoodie
Heavyweight brushed fleece, 100 percent cotton or 80/20	400 to 450 GSM	Dense, structured, holds a boxy shape	Screen print, puff print, embroidery	Streetwear, drop-shoulder, winter merch
Premium heavyweight	480 to 500 GSM	Very dense, stiff until washed in	Screen print, chenille or embroidered patches	Limited drops, premium price points
Polyester tech fleece or sherpa-lined	280 to 380 GSM	Wicking or lofted warmth	Embroidery on tech fleece, sublimation on poly	Performance training, cold-weather sideline wear

Three details beyond the GSM matter as much. First, the blend: 80/20 cotton-poly shrinks less and pills less than 100 percent cotton at the same weight, while 100 percent cotton gives the dry, matte hand streetwear buyers ask for. Second, the finish: a brushed back is warmer, a loopback breathes. Third, the ribbing: 2x2 rib at the cuffs and hem should be a cotton-spandex blend at 1x1 or 2x2 gauge so the cuff recovers after 50 washes. We preshrink fleece before cutting so a size L stays a size L after the first wash. Our heavyweight hoodies run 400 GSM and up, and the French terry builds cover the lighter end.

What construction details should be on your hoodie spec?

A hoodie has more decision points than a crewneck, and each one changes the look and the price. If your tech pack leaves them blank, the factory fills them in with its default, and your sample will not look like your sketch. Decide these before you request a quote:

1. Fit and block. Fitted, regular, relaxed, boxy, drop-shoulder, cropped or longline. Give a body length, chest width and sleeve length for a size M, and we grade the rest. A boxy heavyweight runs 2 to 3 inches wider in the chest than a regular fit of the same size.
2. Hood. Two-piece or three-piece panel, self-fabric or jersey lined. A three-piece hood with a center gusset sits higher and holds its shape; a lined hood adds about 60 to 90 grams of fabric and a little cost.
3. Drawcord and eyelets. Flat or round cord, metal or embroidered eyelets, metal tips or knotted ends. Youth sizes 2 to 12 should have no drawcord at all under the US CPSC guidance on drawstrings in children's upper outerwear, so we build youth hoodies with a closed hood.
4. Pocket. Kangaroo with bar tacks at both openings, split kangaroo, or no pocket for a cleaner print area. Zip pockets add a zipper and roughly a dollar.
5. Closure. Pullover, full zip with a chin guard, half zip or quarter zip. A full-zip hoodie needs the print or embroidery split or offset around the zipper, so lock artwork placement with the closure.
6. Seams. Flatlock on the side seams for a performance look, or overlock with a coverstitch hem for a classic sweatshirt finish. Shoulder seams get a tape for strength on heavyweights.
7. Labels. Woven neck label, printed tagless neck, hem loop label, care and content label, hang tag. US law requires the fiber content, country of origin and care instructions on a permanent label.

If you are also ordering tops without a hood for the same program, the custom crewneck sweatshirt guide uses the same fleece table, so one fabric lot can cover both styles and share the minimum.

Which decoration works best on hoodies: embroidery, screen print or DTF?

Fleece is the friendliest fabric for decoration because it is stable and flat, but the hood, the pocket and the seams limit where artwork can go. Chest prints have to clear the kangaroo pocket, which usually means a maximum print height of about 9 to 11 inches on an adult L. Back prints are open to a full 14 by 16 inch area. Sleeve and hood prints need a smaller platen and cost more per piece because of the extra handling.

Method	Best use on a hoodie	Typical add per piece at 100 pieces (estimate)	Watch for
Embroidery	Left-chest logo up to 4 inches, hood side, sleeve wordmark	$1.50 to $3.50 for 5,000 to 10,000 stitches	Use a cutaway backing; stitch count drives price; fine text under 5 mm fills in
Screen print, plastisol or water-based	Large chest, full back, multi-color spot art	$1.50 to $4.00 for 1 to 4 colors	Each color is a screen; water-based inks soften on heavy cotton; pocket clearance
Puff print	Raised streetwear lettering	$2.50 to $5.00	Keep lines over 3 mm; do not iron
DTF transfer	Photographic or many-color art, small runs, mixed designs	$2.00 to $4.50	Film hand on very heavy fleece; test wash before approving
Chenille or embroidered patch	Varsity letters, crests on heavyweights	$3.00 to $7.00	Patch stiffness on light fleece; sew-on beats heat-seal on 400 GSM and up

Our default for a brand or team hoodie is an embroidered left-chest logo with a screen-printed back, because embroidery survives the most washes on a left chest and screen print is the cheapest way to cover a back. If your art has gradients or photographs, DTF is the practical choice. The full comparison is in sublimation vs embroidery vs DTF, and our embroidered hoodies page shows the stitch-on-fleece look.

How much do custom hoodies cost in bulk?

These are factory-direct estimates for a cut-and-sew hoodie made in our Sialkot factory, EXW or FOB, before freight and US duty. They cover the garment, your woven neck label and one left-chest embroidered logo. The drivers that move a quote inside each band are the GSM, the blend, the decoration count and the number of colorways.

Build	50 to 99 pieces	100 to 299 pieces	300 to 499 pieces	500 pieces and up
French terry pullover, 260 to 300 GSM	$12 to $18	$11 to $15	$10 to $13	$9 to $12
Brushed fleece pullover, 320 to 350 GSM	$14 to $22	$13 to $18	$11 to $15	$10 to $14
Heavyweight boxy, 400 to 450 GSM	$18 to $28	$16 to $23	$14 to $19	$13 to $17
Full zip, 320 to 350 GSM, chin guard	$17 to $25	$15 to $21	$13 to $17	$12 to $16
Sherpa-lined or tech fleece	$20 to $30	$18 to $26	$16 to $22	$15 to $20

What adds to the band: a full back print adds $1.50 to $4.00 per piece; a second colorway under 50 pieces adds a surcharge because it needs its own dye lot; a lined hood, zip pockets or contrast panels add roughly $1 to $3 each; custom packaging beyond a polybag has its own minimum. What takes off: one design across mixed sizes, stock fabric colors instead of custom dye, and a single decoration location. For comparison, the same US-focused guides put a US cut-and-sew hoodie at $22 to $35 per piece at 50 to 150 pieces, and a decorated premium blank at $14 to $24 per piece at 24 to 50 pieces before the decorator's setup fee.

Freight and duty on top: air express from Sialkot to a US address is about $4 to $7 per hoodie at 100 pieces and falls under $3 at 500 pieces; sea freight is a fraction of that but adds four to five weeks. Cotton fleece hoodies from Pakistan carry a US duty rate set by their HTS classification plus any additional tariff in force at the time of entry, so ask for a DDP quote if you want one landed number. Our 2026 tariff guide explains how the stack works.

How does the order run, and how long does it take?

A custom hoodie order moves through the same five steps every time in our factory. The dates below assume you approve each step within two working days.

1. Quote and spec, days 1 to 3. You send the sketch or reference, the fleece choice, the size run and the decoration. We return a quote with the GSM, blend, construction and price per tier in writing.
2. Pre-production sample, about 12 days. One sewn sample in your fabric and size M, with the embroidery or print applied. We photograph it on a form and flat with a tape measure against the spec sheet and send a video. One revision round is included.
3. Bulk production, 3 to 5 weeks. Fabric is inspected and weighed by roll, preshrunk, cut by marker, sewn in line, decorated, then every piece is checked at the table. We run AQL 2.5 sampling on the finished lot and send photo and video QC before packing: measurements against the spec, stitch density, print alignment and label placement.
4. Packing and dispatch, 2 to 3 days. Folded, polybagged with a size sticker, packed by size in export cartons with a packing list. Balance payment is due before dispatch: 50 percent deposit to start, 50 percent before the shipment leaves.
5. Shipping. 5 to 7 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS air express to any US address, or 25 to 35 days by sea to a US port. DDP is available so the duty is paid before delivery.

Work backwards from the wear date: a homecoming or winter team order that must arrive in the first week of December needs the sample approved by about October 20 for air freight. A spring gym drop can be sampled in January and shipped by sea. Our team hoodies and youth hoodies run on the same timeline, with youth sizes built without a drawcord.

How do you order custom hoodies in bulk from our factory?

Send us the five things that fix the quote: the fleece and GSM you want (or the feel you are after and we recommend one), the fit and closure, the size run by quantity, the artwork with placements, and the delivery date and address. If you have a hoodie you already like, mail one to our Pearland, Texas office and we measure it and match the block. From there you get a written quote in 2 to 3 days, a sample in about 12 days, and bulk 3 to 5 weeks after you approve it. Alayki International makes every piece in our own factory in Sialkot, Pakistan, under a US company you can verify, QVR Associates LLC in Texas, with sample-first production and photo and video QC on every lot. Start with the catalog, or go straight to the form and request a quote.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum order for custom hoodies?

Cut-and-sew custom hoodies start at 30 pieces per style in our factory, and 50 pieces per colorway is the practical floor if you want a dedicated fabric dye lot. Team and staff orders on stock fabric colors can start at 12 pieces. Mixed sizes within one design count toward the same minimum.

How much does a custom hoodie cost per piece in bulk?

Factory-direct, a 320 to 350 GSM cotton-rich pullover hoodie with a left-chest embroidered logo runs about $14 to $22 at 50 to 99 pieces and about $10 to $14 at 500 pieces and up. A 400 to 450 GSM heavyweight drop-shoulder build with a large screen print adds roughly $3 to $6 per piece at every tier. These are estimates for a standard build, before freight and duty.

What GSM should a custom hoodie be?

For a brand or team hoodie that will be worn most of the year, 320 to 350 GSM brushed-back fleece is the safe choice. Go to 400 to 450 GSM for a boxy streetwear fit or a winter piece, and down to 240 to 280 GSM French terry for a gym or spring hoodie. Ask for the GSM in writing on the quote and the sample.

How long does a bulk custom hoodie order take?

Plan about 12 days for a pre-production sample after art and measurements are approved, then 3 to 5 weeks of bulk production, then 5 to 7 days by air express or 25 to 35 days by sea to the USA. For a November delivery, approve the sample by early October; for a holiday retail drop, by mid September.

Should I order cut-and-sew hoodies or decorate blanks?

Decorate blanks when you need fewer than 30 pieces, a two-week turnaround, or a one-time event drop. Go cut-and-sew when you want your own fit, fabric weight, colors, labels and reorders that match. At 50 pieces and up, a cut-and-sew hoodie from our factory usually lands at or below the cost of a decorated premium blank, with your label in the neck.