What is a Tri-blend T-shirt?

You probably have heard of cotton, polyester, and cotton/polyester blends, but do you know what tri-blend means?

A tri-blend T-shirt (or sweatshirt, pullover, pants, tank or beanie) is made from a blend of three different fibers: cotton, polyester, and rayon. Combining all three materials helps make comfortable, sweat-wicking garments that drape nicely over the body. 

How Long Have Tri-blend T-Shirts Been Around?

Tri-blend fabrics were first introduced in 2006. The market was looking for a new material that provided the advantages of polyester/cotton blends that drape better. 

Rayon proved to be the missing ingredient. Rayon is a silky material made from cellulose fibers, but by itself, Rayon doesn’t work well as a T-shirt material. The fabric is too light and thin, and if anything, drapes too much. Combine it with cotton and polyester, however, and you’ve got a winner.

Advantages of Tri-blend T-Shirts

A tri-blend T-shirt is typically made from a 50 percent polyester, 25 percent cotton, and 25 percent rayon blend. This blend gives you the advantages of each fabric:

• Cotton makes the T-shirt breathable and durable.
• Polyester also adds to the shirt’s durability and is fast-drying.
• Rayon is super soft and moisture absorbent and lets the shirt drape over the body naturally. 

A tri-blend T-shirt is less likely to shrink when washed than cotton shirts. If you wash it in cool or lukewarm water it will last and fit well throughout its life.

Tri-blend T-Shirts and Athleisure Wear

Triblend apparel stretches as the wearer moves, making them excellent for active lifestyles. The fabric’s ability to absorb moisture and dry quickly, while remaining breathable makes tri-blend shirts popular gym wear.

Tri-blend T-Shirts as Promotional Items

Tri-blend T-shirts also take and hold color well, making them popular choices for promotional apparel. The fabric blend sometimes gives the shirt a slightly dappled look, but this doesn’t affect screen printing. If anything, it gives the shirt a more distinctive look. 

Triblend shirts are especially well-suited for active people. Their affordability and comfort makes them excellent for team uniforms or participants at marathons or other large-scale events.

Five of the Best Tri-blend T-shirts

The best tri-blend T-shirts come from leaders in the garment business, including such clothing giants as Bella + Canvas, J America, American Apparel, Next Level, US Blanks, Anvil, and Jerzees.

Check out a few of our favorites:

• Bella + Canvas’ Unisex Triblend Tee,
• American Apparel’s Women’s Triblend T-shirt,
• Anvil’s Youth Tri-Blend Tee,
• Next Level’s Men’s Triblend Crew Shirt, and
• Champion’s Premium Fashion Ringer T-Shirt.

More than T-Shirts

Tri-blend is used for more than just T-shirts. At Triple Crown Products, we carry a wide range of tri-blend promotional garments, all ready for your customization. If t-shirts aren’t right for your brand, what about sweatshirts? We also carry tri-blend tank tops, pullovers, hoodies, jogging pants, fleece zip-ups, baseball shirts, and even beanies. 

Check out our inventory of promotional tri-blend clothes, and choose the style and color that best suits your brand. Or call us today, and we’ll help you design a promotional campaign focused on the comfort and versatility of tri-blend T-shirts.