Gildan 18500 vs 18000: Hoodie or Crewneck?
Same fleece, same price tier — one has a hood, one doesn't. Specs and demand data to decide whether to stock the 18500, the 18000, or both.
The Gildan 18500 vs 18000 question is the rare POD comparison where the fabric, the price tier, and the print behavior are basically identical — because they’re the same blank in two body styles. The 18500 is the pullover hoodie; the 18000 is the crewneck sweatshirt. Both are 8.0 oz Heavy Blend fleece in a 50/50 cotton/poly mix. So the decision isn’t “which is better” — it’s “hood or no hood,” and for most sellers the real answer is stock both. Here’s how to decide.
Quick verdict
The 18500 (hoodie) and 18000 (crewneck) share the same fleece, same construction philosophy, and the same low price tier — the hoodie just costs a few dollars more because it has a hood and pocket. Stock the 18500 if you sell one fleece SKU and want the higher-converting, higher-retail item. Stock the 18000 if your niche skews crewneck (comfort-core, collegiate, minimalist). Stock both if you’re listing the same design across a product line — they’re the easiest cross-sell in POD.
How do the two compare?
| Spec | Gildan 18500 (Hoodie) | Gildan 18000 (Crewneck) |
|---|---|---|
| Body style | Pullover hoodie | Crewneck sweatshirt |
| Weight | 8.0 oz | 8.0 oz |
| Fabric | 50% cotton / 50% polyester | 50% cotton / 50% polyester |
| Fit | Classic, tubular | Classic, tubular |
| Hood | Double-lined, drawcord | None |
| Front pouch | None | |
| Sizes | XS–3XL | S–5XL |
| Price tier | Budget+ (hoodie premium) | Budget (lowest) |
Note the two real spec differences beyond the hood: the crewneck runs to 5XL while the hoodie tops out at 3XL, and the hoodie carries a few dollars of base-cost premium for the extra fabric, hood, and pocket. Everything else — fleece weight, blend, classic tubular cut, print compatibility — is the same.
When the Gildan 18500 (hoodie) is the better pick
Higher retail and higher conversion. Hoodies command more at retail than crewnecks across almost every POD niche, and they convert better as gift purchases. If you can only carry one fleece SKU, the 18500 generally earns more per listing.
Q4 and gifting season. Hoodies dominate holiday POD sales. The pouch pocket and hood make it the default “cozy gift” item from October through December.
Streetwear and casual niches. Hood-up styling is part of the look. If your designs lean streetwear, gaming, or youth-casual, the hoodie is the expected canvas. (If you’re going truly premium, it’s worth comparing against heavier blanks — see Gildan 18500 vs Independent SS4500.)
More print real estate isn’t the win you’d think. The hood and pocket actually interrupt large back-and-front prints, but the front pouch area gives you a natural spot for small-logo or pocket-print placements the crewneck can’t offer.
When the Gildan 18000 (crewneck) is the better pick
Lowest base cost. The 18000 is the cheapest fleece in our supplier directory, in roughly the $17.25–$17.99 band — a few dollars under the hooded 18500. On thin-margin or high-volume programs, that gap matters.
Extended sizing. The crewneck runs S–5XL versus the hoodie’s XS–3XL. If your audience needs 4XL–5XL, the 18000 is the only one of the pair that covers it.
Clean, uninterrupted print area. No hood, no pocket — the crewneck gives you a flat, unbroken front and back for large center-chest or full-front designs. For bold lettering and big graphics, it’s the better canvas.
Comfort-core, collegiate, and minimalist niches. Crewneck sweatshirts are having a moment in vintage-lettering, “in my era,” and clean-minimal designs. Some audiences specifically don’t want a hood.
Should you stock one or both?
For most sellers: both. They’re the same fleece, the same print files work on each with minimal adjustment (watch hood/pocket placement on the 18500), and listing a design on both the hoodie and the crewneck is the cheapest catalog expansion you can make. You double your SKUs without sourcing a new blank or re-proofing the fabric.
The one reason to stock a single style: SKU discipline. If you’re keeping your catalog tight, lead with the 18500 for higher per-unit revenue in broad and gifting niches, or the 18000 if your specific audience leans crewneck and price-sensitive. There’s no fabric or print-quality reason to favor one — the choice is purely about your customer’s body-style preference and your retail price target.
Print and fabric notes
Because both are the same 8.0 oz 50/50 Heavy Blend, they print identically. DTG and screen print can halo faintly on dense, detailed art the way any 50/50 blend does; DTF and embroidery perform cleanly on both. The 50/50 blend also takes sublimation accents better than cotton-heavy premium fleece — true for the hoodie and crewneck equally.
The only print difference is physical layout: the 18500’s hood seam and front pouch constrain placement near the upper chest and lower front, while the 18000 gives you a flat, open canvas top to bottom.
How much more does the hoodie cost, and is it worth it?
The 18000 crewneck sits in roughly the $17.25–$17.99 base band — the lowest fleece in our directory. The 18500 hoodie carries a few dollars of premium on top for the extra fleece, the double-lined hood, and the pouch pocket. That premium is normal and expected: a hood and pocket cost more to make.
Whether it’s worth it depends entirely on retail. Hoodies sell for meaningfully more than crewnecks across nearly every POD niche, so the few dollars of extra base is usually more than recovered at the price point — and hoodies convert better as gifts, especially in Q4. The crewneck’s advantage isn’t a better margin percentage; it’s a lower entry price that suits volume programs and price-sensitive niches, plus the 4XL–5XL sizing the hoodie can’t match.
A quick decision framework
- One SKU, broad/gifting niche, $40+ retail? Lead with the 18500 hoodie — higher revenue per listing.
- One SKU, comfort-core/collegiate/minimalist, price-sensitive? Lead with the 18000 crewneck.
- Need 4XL or 5XL? The 18000 is your only option of the two.
- Already selling a design well? List it on both — the print files transfer with only hood/pocket placement to adjust, and you double your catalog for almost no added work.
- Streetwear or youth-casual? The hoodie is the expected canvas; hood-up styling is part of the look.
The bottom line
The 18500 and 18000 are the same blank with and without a hood — so don’t agonize over fabric or quality, because there’s no difference. Lead with the hoodie for higher retail and gifting conversion, lead with the crewneck for lowest cost and 4XL–5XL coverage, and stock both when you want the cheapest possible catalog expansion on a design that’s already selling.
See live base prices for both in our product catalog, or open the Gildan 18500 hoodie page and the Gildan 18000 crewneck page to compare suppliers right now.
