Best Heavyweight Hoodies: The Brands, the Fabrics and GSM Explained

The best heavyweight hoodies are made from fabric of around 400gsm (about 12oz) or more, cut so they hold their shape for years. The brands that do it best are Camber USA, whose 12oz Cross-Knit hoodie is made in Pennsylvania; Reigning Champ from Vancouver; Lady White Co., made in Los Angeles; House of Blanks, made in Canada; Merz b. Schwanen, loopwheeled in Germany; and Champion's Reverse Weave, the original heavy American sweatshirt. For a streetwear take, Stüssy and Carhartt WIP both sit around the 420 to 440gsm mark, and Stone Island, Satisfy, Velva Sheen and Goldwin make more specialist versions.

What is a heavyweight hoodie?

A heavyweight hoodie is one made from a dense, heavy knit, usually 400gsm or more. The extra weight makes it warmer, gives it structure so it hangs straight rather than clinging, and makes it last: the hood stays upright, the cuffs keep their snap and the fabric resists pilling and going thin at the elbows.

GSM and ounces explained

GSM means grams per square metre: how much one square metre of the fabric weighs. Ounces, used mainly by American and Japanese makers, mean ounces per square yard. One ounce per square yard is about 34gsm, so:

• 10oz is about 340gsm
• 12oz is about 400gsm
• 13oz is about 440gsm
• 14oz is about 475gsm

Rough bands for sweatshirt fabric: under about 300gsm is lightweight, 300 to 400gsm midweight, and 400gsm and up heavyweight. Weight is not everything, though. A tight, well-knitted 380gsm can feel better and last longer than a loose, lofty 450gsm.

Heavyweight vs lightweight hoodie

A lightweight hoodie is a layer: it drapes, packs small and works under a jacket or for training. A heavyweight hoodie is closer to a jacket in its own right: warmer, stiffer when new, boxier and more durable. Lightweight suits warm weather and layering; heavyweight is the one you live in from autumn to spring.

French terry vs fleece

Most sweatshirt fabric starts the same way: a smooth face on the outside and loops on the inside.

• French terry keeps those loops as they are. It breathes better, feels drier and lighter for its weight, and softens with washing.
• Fleece has the inside loops brushed (napped) into a fluffy pile. It is warmer and softer on day one, but the pile can wear and pill over time.

Many of the best heavyweight hoodies are brushed fleece; Lady White's Super Weighted Hoodie and Reigning Champ's lighter terry pieces show the other route.

Reverse Weave, Cross-Knit and loopwheel

Reverse Weave is Champion's construction. Sweatshirt fabric shrinks mostly in length, so in the 1930s Champion turned the fabric 90 degrees and cut garments across the grain, adding stretchy side panels for movement. Champion was granted a patent for it in 1938. The result shrinks far less in length and is famously tough.

Cross-Knit is Camber's name for its heavy 12oz fleece, used on its classic made-in-USA hoodies.

Loopwheel knitting uses slow, old circular machines that knit a tube of fabric with very little tension. The cloth is softer, keeps its shape and has no side seams on the body. Merz b. Schwanen in Germany is one of the few makers still knitting on them.

The best heavyweight hoodie brands

Camber USA

Camber USA is the benchmark for plain, bulletproof American sweats. Its 12oz Cross-Knit hoodie is made in Norristown, Pennsylvania, with yarn, cloth and sewing in the USA. Boxy, thick and close to indestructible.

Reigning Champ

Reigning Champ from Vancouver built its name on premium athletic basics. Its heavyweight fleece is brushed and dense, and takes a few washes to soften; its midweight and lightweight terry are there if you want less bulk. See Reigning Champ sweats.

Lady White Co.

Lady White Co. makes its sweats in Los Angeles. The Super Weighted Hoodie uses the heaviest sweatshirt cloth the brand makes, in 100% cotton, with its distinctive rectangular pouch pocket. Refined, quiet and very well made.

House of Blanks

House of Blanks grew out of a family-run knitting mill in Ontario and makes its blanks in Canada. Its hoodie is 12oz (about 400gsm) 100% cotton fleece with flatlock seams: one of the best value heavyweight hoodies made in North America.

Merz b. Schwanen

Merz b. Schwanen was founded in 1911, later revived, and knits its Originals on loopwheel machines in the Swabian Alb in Germany. Its 12oz organic cotton loopwheel hoodie is the softest heavyweight in this list. Check the label, as not every line is made in Germany.

Champion Reverse Weave

Champion Reverse Weave is the original heavyweight sweatshirt and still the easiest way into one. Look for the Reverse Weave tag, the side panels and the C logo on the sleeve.

Carhartt WIP and Stüssy

Carhartt WIP hooded sweatshirts are brushed cotton-polyester fleece, around 420 to 440gsm depending on the style. Stüssy puts its graphics on a heavy cotton-blend fleece of about 430gsm with a relaxed, oversized cut. Both are streetwear first, but the blanks underneath are properly heavy.

Stone Island

Stone Island is famous for garment dyeing: its sweats are dyed after they are made, which gives deep, slightly uneven colour and a dense hand. Our guide is Stone Island worth it? weighs the price.

Velva Sheen

Velva Sheen dates back to 1932 in Cincinnati and now makes its vintage-style tees and sweats in the USA, the tees on tubular knitting machines. Great for an authentic, washed-in 1960s look.

Satisfy and Goldwin

Satisfy, the Paris running label, makes technical, beautifully finished hoodies in performance fabrics. Goldwin, the Japanese outdoor company, does clean, well-engineered sweats that sit between athletic and outdoor wear. Neither is the thickest here; both are about fabric and finish.

Best hoodie brands for men, by what you want

• Maximum weight for the money: Camber USA, House of Blanks, Champion Reverse Weave.
• Softest and most refined: Lady White Co., Merz b. Schwanen, Reigning Champ.
• Streetwear: Stüssy, Carhartt WIP, Stone Island.
• Vintage feel: Velva Sheen, Champion.
• Performance and outdoor: Satisfy, Goldwin.

Sizing and care

Heavyweight hoodies are usually cut boxy and slightly cropped, so take your usual size for that look or size up only for a deliberately oversized fit. 100% cotton can shrink a little on the first hot wash, so wash cool, inside out, and dry flat or hang to dry: tumble drying is what kills cuffs and makes fleece pill.

Compare prices before you buy

The same hoodie is often priced differently from shop to shop, and popular colours sell out by size. On Kounter Kulture every product shows each shop's price and which sizes are in stock. Browse men's sweats, or pair one with our picks of the best baggy jeans for men.

Questions people ask

What GSM is a heavyweight hoodie?

Around 400gsm (about 12oz) and up. 300 to 400gsm is midweight, and under 300gsm is lightweight.

Is 12oz a heavyweight hoodie?

Yes. 12oz per square yard is roughly 400gsm, the usual starting point for heavyweight.

Are heavyweight hoodies worth it?

If you wear a hoodie most days, yes. They keep their shape, resist pilling and last years longer than thin hoodies, and the best are made in small factories in the USA, Canada and Germany.

Is French terry or fleece better for a hoodie?

Fleece is warmer and softer from new; French terry breathes better and holds up well to washing. For winter, fleece; for layering and spring, terry.

Do heavyweight hoodies shrink?

100% cotton can shrink slightly on the first warm wash. Champion's Reverse Weave was designed to resist shrinking in length. Wash cool and avoid the tumble dryer.