Fleece Or French Terry: What's Actually Different

Fleece and French terry start out the same. Same cotton, same knit.

What separates them is what happens to the inside.

One Gets Brushed, One Doesn't

Fleece goes through rollers that pull the loops on the back of the fabric open into a soft nap. That's the fuzzy inside you already know.

French terry skips that. The loops stay as loops. Turn a terry hoodie inside out and you can see them — little uncut rings of yarn sitting in rows.

That's the whole difference. Everything else comes out of it.

What The Brushing Buys You

That nap traps air, and air is what holds heat. So fleece runs warmer at the same weight. It also feels softer the first time you touch it, which is most of why it sells.

The trade is that a brushed surface leaves more loose fiber ends standing up where they can rub against each other. That's where pilling comes from.

What The Loops Buy You

Terry breathes. The loops move moisture instead of pressing it against you, so it works across a wider stretch of the year instead of just the cold end of it.

It also hangs different. Terry has more body, which is why a heavy terry hoodie keeps a shoulder line instead of folding in on itself on the hanger.

It won't feel as plush on day one. That's the honest trade.

The Cotton Matters More Than Either One

None of the above helps much if the cotton's cheap.

Short-staple cotton means short fibers, which means more ends sticking out, which means fuzz. Ring-spun means the fibers got twisted tighter and smoother before they were knit. Combed means the short ones got pulled out first.

Those two words on a tag are doing more work than most of the marketing printed next to them.

What I Went With

The hoodie is 10.5oz fleece, 75/25 cotton-poly with a cotton face. The tee is 7oz ring-spun cotton, all cotton.

Fleece, with everything that comes with it. It runs warm and it feels right the first time you put it on. The trade is the one I just laid out — a brushed back needs more care than loops do. Wash it cold, inside out, and air dry it. Keep it out of the dryer. Now you know why.

If you want one thing that works across more of the year and holds its face longer, terry is the better answer for you. I'm not gonna tell you different just because I don't sell it.

$85 in black or cream. Same price at every size — a 3XL costs what a small costs. I buy in small runs, so sizes sell out and stay out till the next order lands. What the page shows is what I’ve got. US shipping is free on orders of $70 or more.

If you want the weight talked through properly, I wrote one on what GSM actually tells you, and one on why some hoods hold their shape.

How To Pick

Cold climate, want maximum warmth, don't mind being careful with it — fleece.

Want one thing that works most of the year — terry.

Either way, read the fiber before you read anything else. The blend matters as much as the number in front of it.