Polyester vs. Cotton T-Shirts: What’s the Difference?

updated by Anne Dorfman on 2/16/2026

If you’re just starting out decorating your t-shirts at home as a hobby (or for an upcoming family vacation), starting to sell your creative designs on Etsy, or launching your very own t-shirt business, it’s important to know the differences between cotton t-shirts and polyester t-shirts. We’re here to break it all down for you, so you’ll have everything you need to know when you’re browsing our t-shirt selection.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Polyester vs. Cotton

As with all fabrications, there are definite advantages and disadvantages of cotton and polyester, depending on how you want to decorate, wear and use the garments. Here’s a snapshot glance at the advantages vs. disadvantages of cotton and polyester fabrics.

To split it down the middle, decorating experts say that t-shirts made of cotton and polyester blends are the best of both worlds. Basically, your t-shirt manufacturer blends cotton’s natural, soft hand and breathability with polyester’s strength, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. With a blend, you’ll get an affordable t-shirt with the best of both fabric worlds.

When to Use Cotton Vs. Polyester T-Shirts

We get a lot of questions about when to use cotton or polyester t-shirts. Well, that really all comes down to your personal preference and use case.

When to Choose Cotton T-shirts

First up, cotton. We love cotton because it’s soft, breathable, comfortable and great for people with sensitive skin. Lots of people love cotton, and they’ll deal with some of the common downsides, like that it’s more expensive, as well as can lose color in the wash and shrink in the dryer. However, cotton garments are easy to clean and wash, and cotton conducts heat well, so it feels cooler in hotter weather and warmer in cold environments.

However, since cotton clothing absorbs moisture and dries slowly, you shouldn’t wear these when you’re outside in windy, cold conditions, especially if you’re doing activities that make you sweat. Instead, cotton blends are better in this case. On the other hand, definitely opt to wear cotton if you’re headed out for a hike in hot and dry conditions.

Clothing Shop Online's (CSO) most popular cotton unisex tees cost under $4 each and include the Gildan Adult Softstyle Shirt (style #64000) and Hanes Essential-T T-Shirt (style #5280). Shoppers looking for a slimmer fit in 100% cotton may prefer Next Level Apparel Cotton T-Shirt (style #3600). 

Decorating Tip: Generally, 100% cotton shirts are safe for embroidery and printing with most textile inks, like direct-to-garment printer inks as well as screen-printing water-based and plastisol inks. However, dye sublimation doesn’t work well with cotton t-shirts at all, and your print results may look downright terrible.

When to Choose Polyester T-shirts

Second up, polyester. This fabric is more wrinkle- and stain-resistant than cotton, fades less, and is very long-lasting. That’s why shirts made of polyester are great options for restaurant staff who need durable, tough shirts that go through lots of wearings, washes and tumbles through the dryer.

Lots of manufacturers also add treatments to polyester shirts to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. Plus, there are antibacterial treatments that prevent odors. These performance options are great for uniform apparel, and for people who are active or working out.

You’ll also see some polyester fleece fabrications, a more affordable version of wool maximizing its pros and minimizing its cons. Clothes made from polyester fleece are lightweight, highly breathable, super-soft and stay warm, even when it’s wet.

Some of CSO's most popular polyester t-shirts cost under $5 each, like the Gildan Performance® T-Shirt (style #42000) or the Jerzees Dri-Power® Performance T-Shirt (style #21MR). Often 100% polyester shirts will have product names that include “cooling,” “sport” or “performance” that speak to the fabrication’s quick drying properties and light weight.

Decorating Tip: If you plan to print on polyester or poly blend garments, we recommend checking with your ink manufacturer to make sure that the t-shirt will take the ink. However, if you want to dye sublimate polyester garments, they’re ideal for this decorating method. Plus, since poly garments are designed to wick moisture, sublimation “becomes one” with the fabric, so it doesn’t add a surface layer that interferes with polyester’s quick-dry nature.

Making the Right Choice

Cotton and polyester each have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, cotton is a natural fiber that’s breathable and hypoallergenic, but doesn’t dry quickly. Polyester is a strong, durable fabric that’s great for many uses, but isn’t sustainable and can pill or snag. Another option is to look at 50/50 cotton/polyester blends, which combine some of the best qualities of both fabrics: these t-shirts have cotton’s softness and polyester’s strength for a long-lasting t-shirt. When you know the pros and cons of each material, you can choose the best t-shirt at CSO that meets all your needs.