Single Jersey vs Double Jersey Explained

Single jersey is knitted on one set of needles, so it has a smooth face, a looped back, and a strong tendency to curl at any raw edge. Double jersey is knitted on two sets of needles working against each other, which gives it the same appearance on both sides, more weight, more stability and no curl. Nearly all t-shirts are single jersey. Polos, heavier premium tees and most structured knitwear are double.

One Needle Bed or Two

The distinction is mechanical. A single jersey machine has one bed of needles pulling loops through in one direction, which is why the faces look different: neat vertical Vs on the front, horizontal loops on the back. A double jersey machine has two beds, and the loops interlock between them. That puts more yarn into a given area, locks the structure against itself, and produces a fabric whose front and back look and behave the same.

Curl Is the Giveaway

Cut a strip of single jersey and the edges roll within seconds, the top and bottom rolling one way and the sides the other. It happens because the loops are under uneven tension through their depth and there is nothing on the opposite face to balance them. Double jersey has that balance built in, so a cut edge lies flat.

This is not trivia. It is why single jersey needs a properly folded and stitched hem at cuff and body, why an unhemmed raw-edge tee always looks slightly unfinished, and why a badly hemmed cheap tee flips its sleeve cuffs up after washing.

Weight, Drape and the Opacity Problem

Single jersey usually sits in the lighter range for tees, and its drape is soft and fluid. That is a strength on a fashion-fit tee and a liability in white. A light white single jersey can be noticeably see-through, which matters enormously for staff uniform, for event kit worn under lights, and for anything issued to a mixed group of people who will each form their own opinion of it.

Double jersey covers better at a similar visual weight because there is simply more yarn in the same square metre. It also hangs with more body and less cling. When somebody says a heavier tee feels like a proper product while a lighter one feels like a giveaway, the structure is doing as much of that work as the GSM figure is.

The Double Jersey Family

Double jersey is a category rather than a single fabric, and the members behave quite differently from one another.

• Interlock: smooth, dense and identical on both sides, used for premium tees, childrenswear and better base layers. Soft in the hand but dimensionally well behaved.
• Pique: the textured waffle-look knit that most polo shirts are made from. The texture is deliberate, hides creasing and breathes well.
• Rib: alternating columns of face and back stitches giving strong lateral stretch, used for collars, cuffs and waistbands rather than whole bodies.
• French terry and fleece: loop-back and brushed-back constructions for sweatshirts and hoodies, built on a double-face principle with an extra yarn forming the back.
• Ponte and other stabilised doubles: firmer fabrics used where a knit needs to behave a little like a woven, typically in tailored-looking pieces.

“"Fabric weight tells you what a garment costs to ship. Fabric structure tells you what it will look like in June."”

Printing on Each Behaves Differently

Single jersey is the easier print surface. It is smooth, it takes ink evenly, and it is what most decorators handle every day. The one thing to watch is that it stretches easily, so on a multi-colour screen print the garment has to be held properly on the platen or registration between colours can drift across a large design.

Pique is the awkward one. Its raised waffle texture physically breaks up fine lines, so thin lettering and delicate detail come out looking nibbled at the edges. That is the real reason polo shirts are so often embroidered rather than printed: stitching sits on top of the texture instead of fighting it. If you do want print on pique, simplify the artwork, avoid hairline strokes and very small text, and expect a slightly softer edge than you would get on a tee. Interlock, by contrast, prints beautifully because it is smooth and stable, which is part of why premium retail tees are often built on it.

Shrinkage and How the Fabric Settles

Knits shrink mainly by relaxing back from the tension they were knitted and finished under. Single jersey, being the looser and less stable structure, generally has more of that relaxation still to give up, particularly in length. Double jersey holds its dimensions better because the two faces lock each other in place. Neither is immune, and a compaction or preshrink finish makes more difference than the structure alone does. If a specific finished measurement matters to you, wash a sample before you sign off on sizing rather than after.

Choosing Between Them

For most printed tees, event kit and merch, single jersey is the right answer and the cheaper one. Choose double jersey when you need opacity in pale colours, a more structured hang, better dimensional stability, or a polo. Choose interlock specifically when you want a tee that reads as premium in the hand without going heavyweight. Velocity Wear's instant price calculator shows how those garment choices move the cost as quantity rises, and the free Design Studio lets you preview artwork on the garment before anything goes to production.