French Terry vs Fleece vs Single Jersey: What is Actually Inside Your Hoodie

July 2, 2026

Every hoodie looks like a hoodie. The fabric inside is where the difference lives.

Three constructions cover most of the market: French Terry, fleece, and single jersey. Most brands do not explain them. Most buyers do not know to ask. Here is what each one actually is, and why it matters for what you spend your money on.

French Terry

French Terry is a looped knit, smooth on the outside, with small intact loops on the inside. The loops are not visible when wearing it. They sit against your skin and create insulation by trapping air within the fabric's structure.

Key characteristics:

Smooth exterior resists pilling and holds colour wash after wash
Looped interior provides natural warmth without a brushed finish
Mid-to-high stretch recovery, bounces back to shape after wear
Softens with repeated washing rather than fraying, when the cotton content and GSM are high enough
Structure holds up well with proper care

Good quality French Terry holds up well over time. The smooth exterior resists pilling better than brushed fleece, and 100% cotton French Terry tends to soften with wear rather than degrade, provided the GSM is high enough to begin with.

At 300-400 GSM, French Terry is the standard construction for quality hoodies. The combination of weight and loop structure creates warmth without bulk, and durability without stiffness.

Fleece

Fleece begins as a similar knit fabric but goes through an additional mechanical process where the surface is brushed to break and raise the fibres, creating the soft, fuzzy texture most people associate with "hoodie lining."

Key characteristics:

Extremely soft on first touch, the brushed surface reads as premium
Pills aggressively where friction occurs: collar, bag straps, seat belts
Traps warmth well through its raised fibre structure
Loses softness and structure within 20-30 washes
Often blended with polyester to stabilise the brushed fibres and reduce cost

Both fabrics have a place in streetwear. Fleece is common in budget winter pieces because it is cheaper to produce at scale. French Terry costs more to make well, which is part of why brands charging premium prices for streetwear often lean toward it. GSM and finishing quality decide the real outcome more than the fabric family alone.

The polyester blending is worth flagging. Fleece is cheaper to produce because polyester is cheaper than 100% cotton. It photographs identically to French Terry in product images. The difference shows at wash 15, not wash 1.

Single Jersey

Single jersey is the standard knit for t-shirts. Thin, breathable, stretchy. Excellent for exactly what it is designed for: layering under other pieces and everyday warm-weather wear.

Some lightweight hoodies are single jersey. They are essentially thick tees with hoods. Fine for air-conditioned offices and mild evenings. Not insulating enough for genuine cold weather, and not structured enough to hold an oversized silhouette cleanly.

Side by Side

	French Terry	Fleece	Single Jersey
Warmth	High	High	Low
First touch softness	Medium-high	Very high	Medium
After 50 washes	Better	Noticeably worse	Unchanged
Pill resistance	High	Low	High
GSM range	220-400	280-360	120-220
Best for	Year-round hoodies, premium streetwear	Budget winter pieces	Tees, light layers

The India-Specific Factor

French Terry suits Indian wear well because of its breathability. It insulates in the cold without overheating in transitional weather, useful across a country where winters range from mild to sharp depending on region. Fabric that regulates temperature rather than just trapping it performs better across that range than pure fleece.

Worth noting: French Terry and fleece are usually run as separate production processes at the factory level, not just styling choices applied to the same base fabric. That is part of why quality varies so much between suppliers claiming to produce "the same" fabric.

What to Look For When Buying

Check for GSM, any brand not publishing it is hiding it
Look at the interior: French Terry has intact loops, fleece has fuzzy brushed fibres, jersey is smooth both sides
Check cotton percentage: 100% cotton French Terry outlasts cotton-polyester blends significantly
Stretch and recover: pull gently and release. Clean snap-back indicates solid construction.