What is a Ring Spun Cotton Shirt?

A Cutting for Business reader recently stumped me on a question: “What is the difference between a ring spun cotton shirt and a regular cotton shirt?” Honestly, I have some ring spun tee shirts and I know that they are softer than regular cotton shirts – but why?

Regular Cotton versus Ring Spun Cotton

The cotton fibers used in both regular cotton and ring spun cotton are the same; however the process to make the two types of shirts are different:

Regular cotton: When creating regular cotton shirts, the strands of cotton fiber are twisted together to make yarn. The cotton yarn is then woven together to make cotton fabric. From the fabric, shirts are created.

Similarly, ring-spun cotton yarn is made by constantly twisting and thinning the cotton strands to make yarn. The higher number of times that the strands are twisted will determine how soft the cotton yarn becomes. (This similar to thread count in sheets: the higher the thread count – the better the quality.) Ring spun shirts generally look slightly fuzzier than regular cotton.

Which one is better in your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Business?

It’s a personal choice. Both types of shirts will accept heat transfers, vinyl, and rhinestones. From the explanation above you can guess that ring spun cotton shirts are more expensive than regular cotton shirts. However, ring spun cotton shirts are more durable and softer than their regular cotton counterparts. If you offer ring spun cotton shirts, be sure to highlight this in your listing by noting that ring spun cotton is higher quality and softer.

Wondering the best place to buy tee shirts? Head over to this post.

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