The Gildan 18000 and Comfort Colors 1566 are the two most popular crewneck sweatshirts in print on demand. They're also completely different products targeting completely different buyers.
The Gildan 18000 is the budget workhorse — affordable, durable, available in 50+ colors and sizes up to 5XL. The Comfort Colors 1566 is the trendy premium pick — garment-dyed, vintage-soft, and all over Etsy and TikTok right now.
Choosing between them isn't about which is "better." It's about which one fits your brand, your audience, and your margin strategy. This guide compares both on every metric that matters to POD sellers: fabric, fit, colors, print quality, pricing, and profit.
Quick Specs Comparison
| Spec | Gildan 18000 | Comfort Colors 1566 | |------|-------------|-------------------| | Material | 50% cotton / 50% polyester | 80% ring-spun cotton / 20% polyester | | Weight | 8.0 oz/yd² | 9.5 oz/yd² | | Fit | Classic, roomy | Relaxed, oversized | | Sizes | S – 5XL | S – 3XL | | Colors | 50+ | 20+ garment-dyed | | Collar | 1x1 rib with spandex | 1x1 rib | | Construction | Air combed MVS yarn | Double-needle stitched seams | | Wholesale Price | $8 – $12 | $18 – $25 | | Look & Feel | Clean, standard | Vintage, lived-in |
The numbers tell the story immediately. The CC 1566 costs roughly double the Gildan 18000 at wholesale. It's heavier, softer, and comes in fewer sizes and colors. Everything else in this comparison flows from that fundamental trade-off: premium feel vs. better margins.
Fabric and Feel
Gildan 18000: The 50/50 cotton-polyester blend is practical. Cotton provides comfort, polyester adds durability and reduces shrinkage. The brushed interior gives it a cozy feel. Gildan's MVS (Murata Vortex Spinning) yarn technology creates a smoother surface that pills less over time. It feels like a solid, reliable sweatshirt — not luxurious, but comfortable.
Comfort Colors 1566: The 80/20 ring-spun cotton-polyester blend with garment dyeing is in a different league. Ring-spun cotton is inherently softer than the open-end cotton in most budget blanks. The garment-dye process adds a broken-in, vintage softness from day one — it feels like you've owned it for years. At 9.5 oz, it's noticeably heavier and more substantial than the Gildan.
Honest take: The CC 1566 wins on feel. It's not close. If you hand someone both sweatshirts blind, they'll pick the 1566 every time. The question is whether that softness justifies the price gap — both for you and your customers.
Garment dyeing means each Comfort Colors 1566 has slight color variation between units. This is intentional — it's part of the vintage aesthetic — but it means colors won't be perfectly uniform across a batch. If your brand requires exact color consistency (corporate orders, team uniforms), the Gildan 18000's piece-dyed process is more reliable.
Fit and Sizing
Gildan 18000: Classic fit with a roomy cut. Not slim, not boxy — straight down the middle. The size range is a major advantage: S through 5XL covers nearly every customer. For a detailed breakdown, see our Gildan 18000 size chart.
Comfort Colors 1566: Relaxed, oversized fit that sits looser through the body. This is the fit trending on social media right now — the slightly oversized, effortless look. The trade-off is a smaller size range: S to 3XL only. No XS, no 4XL, no 5XL.
What this means for sellers: The Gildan 18000's size range lets you serve plus-size customers that the CC 1566 simply can't. If inclusivity matters to your brand — and it should, because 4XL and 5XL orders carry higher margins — the Gildan wins here by default.
The CC 1566's relaxed fit is a selling point for its target audience. The oversized look is what makes it Instagram-worthy. But "relaxed fit" also means less predictable sizing — some customers size down for a normal fit, others order true-to-size for the intended oversized look. Include clear sizing guidance in your listings to reduce returns.
Color Options
Gildan 18000: 50+ colors spanning basics (Black, White, Navy, Sport Grey), bold solids, heather blends, and safety colors. The palette covers every conceivable niche and season. See the full lineup on our Gildan 18000 color chart.
Comfort Colors 1566: 20+ garment-dyed colors with a distinctly different aesthetic. Instead of bright, saturated solids, the CC 1566 palette leans earthy and muted — Pepper, Blue Jean, Ivory, Moss, Berry, Chalky Mint. Some colors are pigment-dyed (vintage wash), others are reactive-dyed (more uniform).
What this means for sellers: If you sell in the boho, vintage, cottagecore, or aesthetic space, the CC 1566 color palette was designed for your audience. Those muted, earthy tones are exactly what's trending on Etsy and social media.
If you need bright colors, heathers, safety options, or just sheer variety, the Gildan 18000 gives you three times the palette to work with.
Print Quality
| Print Method | Gildan 18000 | Comfort Colors 1566 | |-------------|-------------|-------------------| | Screen Printing | Excellent — smooth MVS surface | Excellent — heavyweight fabric holds ink well | | DTG | Good — 50/50 blend works well, smooth surface | Good but variable — garment dye can affect consistency | | Embroidery | Excellent — heavy fabric prevents puckering | Excellent — 9.5 oz handles embroidery beautifully | | DTF | Good | Good | | Sublimation | Limited — 50/50 allows some on light colors | Poor — high cotton content doesn't hold sublimation |
The DTG caveat for CC 1566: Garment-dyed blanks can be unpredictable with DTG printing. The dye process affects how pre-treatment adheres, which can lead to slight color shifts or inconsistency between prints. Most POD providers handle this well, but it's worth ordering samples — especially on darker colors.
The Gildan 18000's MVS advantage: The air combed MVS yarn creates a smoother printing surface than standard fleece. DTG prints come out cleaner and more vibrant on the 18000 than on older-generation Gildan blanks.
If you're running DTG on Comfort Colors 1566 blanks, order a sample before listing. Garment-dyed fleece can cause pre-treatment adhesion issues that affect print vibrancy and wash durability. This varies by POD provider and specific color — darker garment-dyed colors tend to be more temperamental. Screen printing and embroidery don't have this issue.
Pricing and Profit Margins
This is where the comparison gets real. The wholesale price gap between these two sweatshirts changes your entire margin structure.
| Metric | Gildan 18000 | Comfort Colors 1566 | |--------|-------------|-------------------| | POD base cost (with printing) | $20 – $27 | $30 – $40 | | Suggested retail price | $35 – $48 | $48 – $65 | | Etsy fees (~12%) | $4.20 – $5.76 | $5.76 – $7.80 | | Profit per sale | $3.04 – $20.80 | $0.20 – $27.20 | | Sweet spot profit | ~$12 – $16 | ~$12 – $18 | | Margin at sweet spot | ~30 – 40% | ~25 – 35% |
Both blanks can hit similar dollar-amount profits per sale, but the Gildan 18000 gets there at a lower retail price with a higher percentage margin. The CC 1566 needs premium pricing ($50+) to match the Gildan's profitability — which its audience is willing to pay, but your retail price is higher and more sensitive to competition.
The margin math simplified:
- Gildan 18000 at $42 retail → ~$12-15 profit (reliable, broad audience)
- CC 1566 at $55 retail → ~$12-18 profit (premium audience, trending demand)
For a deeper dive into POD pricing strategy, see our guide on how to price print on demand products.
Don't compete on price with the Gildan 18000. Its strength is margin efficiency at moderate price points. If you price a G18000 crewneck at $28 to undercut competitors, your profit after POD costs and Etsy fees drops to $1-3 — not worth the effort. Price at $38-48 and let the product's value speak through your listing quality.
Which One Should You Sell?
Sell the Gildan 18000 if:
- You're building a volume-based business where margin per unit matters
- Your designs target broad audiences (humor, professions, family roles)
- You need sizes above 3XL for inclusive sizing
- You sell in niches where bright, bold colors are important
- You want the most reliable DTG print consistency
- You're price-sensitive and want the best cost-to-quality ratio
Sell the Comfort Colors 1566 if:
- Your brand is built around vintage, boho, cottagecore, or aesthetic vibes
- Your audience expects premium, garment-dyed products and will pay $48-65
- You sell on platforms where the CC brand name itself drives search traffic ("Comfort Colors sweatshirt" is a high-volume Etsy search)
- Your designs work best on muted, earthy tones
- You prioritize softness and heavyweight feel as a selling point
For a broader look at apparel blank selection, see our best blanks for Etsy guide. And if you're curious about Comfort Colors' t-shirt counterpart, check our Comfort Colors 1717 guide.
Why Not Sell Both?
Many of the most successful POD sweatshirt sellers stock both blanks and let the design dictate which one gets used.
The dual strategy:
- Funny quote and text-heavy designs → Gildan 18000 (lower cost, broader color range, doesn't need the premium feel)
- Minimalist, vintage, and aesthetic designs → Comfort Colors 1566 (the garment-dyed look IS the product)
- Bestsellers that prove themselves on the Gildan → test a CC 1566 version at a higher price point
- Seasonal designs → Gildan for volume, CC for premium gift positioning
This approach lets you serve both the budget-conscious buyer and the premium buyer without choosing sides. The key is being intentional about which blank goes with which design, not just defaulting to one for everything.
Showcasing Both with Professional Mockups
Whichever blank you choose — or both — your listing photos determine whether buyers click. Crewneck sweatshirts sell best with lifestyle mockups showing the product on a person in a cozy, aspirational setting. A flat-lay on a white background doesn't communicate the feel of either garment.
Seller Mockups supports both the Gildan 18000 and Comfort Colors 1566 with manufacturer-accurate garment colors. The colors you see in the mockup match the actual blank — no guessing whether "Pepper" will look right or if "Sport Grey" is too light.
The "Make It Unique" feature is particularly useful for crewneck mockups. Describe the scene you want — "woman in her 30s reading on a couch, fall afternoon light" — and the AI generates a unique lifestyle image at 300 DPI. No templates, no recycled scenes that other sellers share.
Seller Mockups also provides free downloadable listing images — size charts, product details, and care instructions — for both blanks. These fill your remaining image slots and reduce returns by setting clear expectations. No subscription required. For mockup strategy specific to the Gildan 18000, see our Gildan 18000 mockup guide.
Conclusion
The Gildan 18000 is the better business blank — lower cost, wider size range, more colors, more predictable printing. The Comfort Colors 1566 is the better product experience — softer, trendier, more premium.
Neither is the wrong choice. The Gildan 18000 makes more sense for volume-driven shops, broad-audience designs, and sellers who need to keep base costs low. The CC 1566 makes more sense for niche brands targeting the vintage/boho/aesthetic crowd that actively seeks out garment-dyed premium blanks.
The smartest play is stocking both and matching the blank to the design. Let your funny quote tees ride on the Gildan. Let your minimalist, vintage-vibe designs shine on the Comfort Colors. Your customers get the right product for each design, and you maximize margins across your entire catalog.
For a complete deep dive into the Gildan 18000's specs, sizing, and selling tips, see our Gildan 18000 complete guide.