How to Choose the Best Fleece Hoodie: A Complete Guide for Hoodie Fleece Fabric

Is your fleece hoodie durable? Some fleece hoodies pill after just a few wears. Do you know why? The right hoodie fleece fabric is crucial for selecting a high-quality fleece hoodie, as it directly affects the comfort, warmth, and durability of the fleece hoodie. There are many hoodie fabrics on the market. Let’s explore how to choose the right one to help you make a smart decision when buying a fleece hoodie.

What Is Hoodie Fleece Fabric?

Fleece is a common type of hoodie fabric made from polyester fiber, which is a synthetic material. Polyester fibers go through drawing, knitting, and brushing, followed by surface pilling to create a soft, fluffy fleece texture.

Additionally, different treatments create various types of hoodie fleece fabric. Fleece is a cost-effective alternative to wool, which is a natural animal fiber that offers more warmth, breathability, and moisture-wicking properties. However, high-quality wool can be expensive, and its care requires more effort, typically involving hand washing or dry cleaning. In contrast, the fleece hoodie combines warmth with ease of care and is easy to clean, just machine wash and hang to dry in a ventilated area.

Different Types of Hoodie Fleece Fabric

The GSM (grams per square meter) of hoodie fleece fabric is related to the warmth of the hoodie; the higher the GSM, the thicker the fabric, and the stronger the warmth.

Ultra-Light Fleece: 100-150GSM, very light and thin, wear it without a burden, and move freely. Suitable as innerwear or in summer. This fleece hoodie is suitable for casual summer wear.

Lightweight Fleece: 150-200GSM, this hoodie fleece fabric is lightweight and warm at the same time, often used in the casual style fleece hoodie.

Midweight Fleece: 200-300GSM, it is the most common hoodie fleece fabric, suitable for fall wear, warmer but not too bulky, and can balance the warmth and flexibility of the fleece hoodie.

Heavyweight Fleece: 300+GSM This fleece hoodie has a high GSM and is very warm, so it can protect you from the cold in winter or extreme cold conditions. But accordingly, this hoodie fleece fabric will make your fleece hoodie less flexible. If you want to add a jacket on top of it, the whole thing may look a bit bulky.

In addition to categorizing the fleece hoodie based on gram weight, we can also categorize it based on its manufacturing process:

Polar Fleece: It is a very classic hoodie fleece fabric, which is most widely used. Because of mass production, the price is not as high as other hoodie fleece fabrics, and the technology is more mature. However, if you need to wear it frequently, it will be prone to pilling.

Micro Fleece: This hoodie fleece fabric, true to its name, is made of microfiber. It creates a fleece hoodie with a smooth surface and a delicate hand feel. However, the fabric is thin. Choose it if you prefer a close-to-skin comfort rather than extra warmth.

Sherpa Fleece: It has a longer fleece surface that mimics the texture of wool, making your fleece hoodie soft and fluffy. This hoodie fleece fabric not only has the texture of wool, but also has the warmth of wool. However, the fleece hoodie made from it is more prone to pilling because of the longer pile.

Tech Fleece: Developed by sports brand Nike, this hoodie fleece fabric combines the advantages of fleece and functional fabrics, and the fleece hoodie made from it is windproof, breathable and warm. It is suitable for outdoor sports and cycling.

In addition, there are some hoodie fleece fabrics with special performance, which are widely used in outdoor brands such as Patagonia, The North Face, etc. These fleece hoodies have outstanding performance but are more expensive.

Anti-Pill Fleece: Pilling is the pain point of ordinary hoodie fleece fabric. Special treatment makes this hoodie fleece fabric more resistant to pilling and more durable. It also helps the fabric keep its shape after frequent use and washing. For a polished look during your commute, choose an anti-pill fleece hoodie—combining style with lasting quality.

Recycled Fleece: If sustainability matters to you, choose the recycled fleece hoodie. Made from recycled polyester, it reduces environmental impact while delivering the same performance as a traditional fleece hoodie.

Key Factors in Choosing the Best Hoodie Fleece Fabric

Warmth

The key factor that determines the warmth of a fleece hoodie is its GSM. Below is the GSM reference for your fleece hoodie:

100-200 GSM: Light and breathable, suitable for spring and fall wear.

200-300 GSM: The most common weight of fleece hoodie, preferred for daily wear.

300+ GSM: For extreme cold environments, but with less flexibility.

Besides GSM, it's also important to consider the fleece hoodie's design:

Single-layer fleece: light and breathable, ideal for layering

Double layer fleece: The fleece on both sides increases the warmth of your fleece hoodie by more than 30%.

Windproof sandwich: a windproof membrane, such as that included in the Nike tech fleece, protects against high winds and reduces heat loss.

Weight & Flexibility

Micro fleece: 100-150 GSM, can be folded and stored, suitable for you to wear when traveling or sports.

Tech fleece: Reduces the thickness of the fleece hoodie by using compression fiber technology to optimize your wearing experience, lightweight and flexible.

Durability

Fiber density: high-density hoodie fleece fabric is more resistant to friction.

Anti-pilling process: Brushing fleece more than three times helps keep pilling to a minimum. Choosing short fibers, like those in anti-pill fleece, also makes a difference—it's much more resistant to pilling than Sherpa fleece.

Stitching and Reinforcement: The seams of the fleece hoodie are made with a Flatlock Stitching process, which can reduce the friction of the garment.

Cost & Value

The choice of hoodie fleece fabric varies with different budgets.

Cheaper fleece prices usually range from $5-10 / yard. If you are on a budget, you can choose to buy a fleece hoodie in the opposite season or take advantage of holiday sales.

Medium-priced fleece typically ranges from $10 to $20 per yard. It's the most common price bracket for everyday fleece hoodies, like those in Uniqlo's Blocktech collection.

High-end fleece price is at $ 20-50+/yard. This hoodie fleece fabric made by fleece hoodie usually has technical support, applied to the outdoor brand's fleece hoodie, suitable for consumers who want to participate in outdoor sports, camping, hiking, and cycling.

Tips for You

(1) GSM is not the higher the better, high GSM, although warm, will sacrifice the flexibility and breathability of the fleece hoodie, it will be heavier than the average fleece hoodie, so washing and drying are also more inconvenient.

(2) “Anti-pilling” ≠ “never pilling” . Even fleece hoodies that are resistant to pilling require proper care. Proper care will make your fleece hoodie less prone to pilling.

(3) Not all fleece hoodies can be machine-washed. When you buy a new fleece hoodie, check the washing label, which will indicate the washing precautions. If the washing label states that machine washing will shrink and distort the fabric, then it is best to hand wash or dry clean it.

Final Word

The key to choosing a perfect fleece hoodie is to understand the characteristics of each type of hoodie fleece fabric and how well it matches your needs. First, define its purpose - is it for everyday wear or sportswear? Then focus on how well it balances performance - how warm is it? Is it breathable? You can also verify its details multiple times, checking for eco-friendly certifications, advanced technology, and so on. Finally, optimize the way you care for your fleece hoodie.

There are many styles of fleece hoodies around the world and hoodie fleece fabric is constantly progressing and updating. Hope this guide can help you pick the best fleece hoodie for you.