Hoodie manufacturers: fleece, pullover or zip, and what to check

What a hoodie manufacturer does

A hoodie is a cut and sew knit. The factory cuts the body, sleeves and hood panels from fleece, sews them together, sets rib at the cuffs and hem, and adds the pocket, drawcord, zipper and labels. Some hoodie factories knit and dye their own fleece; others buy it from a knitting mill. Ask which, and how long the fleece takes to arrive, because cutting cannot start until it does.

Custom hoodie sites that print your artwork are decorating hoodies another company sewed. That is a quick way to test a design. It does not give you your own fleece, fit or construction, which is what a cut and sew maker is for.

What changes a hoodie quote

Two hoodies that look alike in a photo can be priced far apart. These are the choices that move the number, so name each one before you ask for prices.

Write every choice into your tech pack and send the same file to each maker, so the quotes price the same hoodie. A quote that does not state the fleece weight and blend cannot be compared with one that does. Before bulk, approve a pre-production sample sewn in the production fleece and trims, and keep it as the standard.

Pullover or zip: how customs sees a hoodie

CBP's heading for knit sweatshirts is heading 6110, sweaters, pullovers, sweatshirts, waistcoats (vests) and similar articles, knitted or crocheted^[1]. Its guide to apparel terminology describes sweatshirts as pullovers with a snug bottom and cuffs, in a close-knit fabric napped on the inside only, whose neckline can include a hood^[2]. The same guide adds that sweatshirts with full frontal openings are classified as jackets^[2].

Rulings show how that plays out, one set of goods at a time. One ruling classified a men's hooded pullover as a sweatshirt of heading 6110, but a full-zip style of the same napped knit under heading 6101, with anoraks (ruling N038836, 2008)^[3]. For women's and girls' styles, the matching jacket heading is heading 6102, women's or girls' overcoats, anoraks, windbreakers and similar articles, knitted or crocheted^[4].

The zipper alone does not decide it. A later ruling placed a women's full-zip hoodie of rayon and spandex jersey knit, with a hemmed bottom, under heading 6110 (ruling N341320, August 2024)^[5]. That garment was an unbrushed jersey with a hemmed bottom, not a napped fleece with a rib hem. So it does not show that a fleece zip hoodie stays in the sweatshirt heading.

A ruling binds only the goods it describes. Give your customs broker the fabric, whether it is napped inside, the front opening, the hem finish and the stitch density, and ask for the classification before you order. For a style you will reorder, you can ask CBP for a binding ruling of your own.

Ask your broker for the duty line that matches the heading, the fiber that makes up most of the fleece and the country of origin. The import duty guide shows how to carry that rate into landed cost.

Cotton fleece and forced-labor rules

Most hoodie fleece is cotton or a cotton blend, so the forced-labor rules apply. Under CBP's rule, goods made wholly or in part in Xinjiang, or by an entity on the UFLPA Entity List, are presumed barred from U.S. importation^[6]. The words "in part" matter: fleece knitted in another country from Xinjiang cotton is still covered. Ask each maker which spinner made the yarn and where its cotton was grown, and get that in writing with every order.

Brushed fleece and the flammability standard

The federal flammability standard for clothing textiles has its own rules for napped fabrics. 16 CFR Part 1610 defines a raised surface textile fabric as any fabric with an intentionally raised fiber or yarn surface, such as a pile, nap or tufting^[7]. Brushed fleece is napped, so it falls in that group. A looped back such as French terry is less clear cut, so ask the test lab how it will classify yours.

Raised surfaces have their own burn-time criteria, and one class applies only to them. The standard includes Class 2, intermediate flammability, a class that applies only to raised-fiber surface textiles and may still be used for clothing^[8]. At the other end is the class barred from clothing. Class 3 for a raised surface fabric means flame spread under 4.0 seconds that sets the base fabric burning; Class 3 textiles shall not be used for clothing^[8].

The standard grants a testing exemption for any fabric, of any weight, made only from acrylic, modacrylic, nylon, olefin, polyester or wool, alone or combined^[9]. Cotton is not on that list, and the weight exemption in the clothing brand guide is for plain surface fabrics. So a brushed fleece of cotton, or of cotton and polyester, gets no testing exemption. An all-polyester fleece is exempt; if you switch fiber for that reason, have your broker check the duty line again.

For cotton blends, ask the maker for a flammability test report on the production fleece, as received and after refurbishing, from a lab you can contact. Your brand is responsible for the certificate that backs the hoodie's compliance; the clothing brand guide explains which certificate applies.

Kids' hoodies: no drawstrings at the hood

The CPSC staff bulletin on drawstrings covers upper outerwear, defined as clothing such as jackets, ski vests, anoraks, and sweatshirts that generally are intended to be worn over other garments^[10]. For those garments it calls for no hood or neck drawstrings on children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12, with snaps, buttons or elastic instead^[10]. The rule behind it lists children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 with drawstrings that do not meet ASTM F1816-97, as a substantial product hazard^[11]. That means recall risk.

Letter sizes do not get around the size range. Under the rule, the Commission may treat a children's size Large as size 12, and a style labeled above Large is not necessarily outside sizes 2T to 12^[12]. The simplest spec is no cord at the hood, neck, waist or hem on any youth size. Put that on the construction page and check it on the first youth sample. A children's hoodie also brings children's product testing and tracking labels, which the clothing brand guide and the tech pack guide cover.

Maker, decorator or trading company

A few questions sort hoodie makers from resellers:

• Where is the fleece knitted and dyed? Will you share the fabric test for weight and shrinkage?
• Are cutting and sewing done in your own building? Which steps, such as printing, embroidery or washing, go to other plants?
• Can you show hoodies like mine on your line now, not only catalog photos?

A company appears on this page when its own website says it makes hoodies. The listing does not show whether it knits or sews in-house, so ask every listed company these questions.

A trading company can give a clean quote without controlling the sewing line, and each step it passes on is a place where quality can slip. Before the balance is paid, book a quality inspection at an agreed AQL. Have the inspector weigh a bulk fleece swatch against your weight tolerance, wash one garment for shrinkage, and compare the goods with the approved pre-production sample. Hood symmetry, zipper function, rib recovery and print placement across sizes belong on the same checklist.

Questions buyers ask

Who manufactures hoodies?

Cut and sew knitwear factories make hoodies: they knit or buy the fleece, cut the panels and sew the garment. Blank makers sew stock hoodies for decorators to print. A brand that wants its own fleece and fit works with a cut and sew maker.

How much does it cost to get hoodies made?

Fleece is bought by weight, so the fleece weight times the size of the panels drives the fabric cost. Brushed or looped fleece, a zip front and the rib and trims add to it. A custom color needs its own dye lot, so ask for that minimum in kilograms and convert it to hoodies at your weight. Minimums are set per manufacturer; where a listed company publishes its minimum, this page shows it with the date it was checked.

How can I create my own hoodie?

Measure a hoodie whose fit you like, and note the hood depth, body length, sleeve length and rib width you would change. Turn that into a tech pack with the fleece, trims and artwork. Correct the fit on a first sample, then approve a sample in the production fleece before the bulk order.

Getting matched with hoodie manufacturers

Send one request with your tech pack or a reference hoodie. Say which fleece weight and blend you want, brushed or French terry, pullover or zip, the trims, the decoration and the units per color. Ask each maker where its cotton was grown. We read your request for garment type, fleece, quantity and location, and introduce you to hoodie manufacturers that fit, each one named. Once we offer it, manufacturers can pay for a Featured placement, labelled as paid. Paying for placement does not change who we shortlist, though a Featured manufacturer may receive your details sooner if you agree to share them, as how it works explains.