T-Shirt GSM Explained: 230 vs 300 vs 400 gsm

When a t-shirt page says "300 gsm", it is giving the weight of the fabric in grams per square metre. A higher number means more fabric in the same area of cloth, which changes how the shirt hangs and how much it holds its own shape. It does not tell you the fit. Cut and shoulder drop do that, so this guide covers both, using the tees KND makes.

The quick chart

To convert, multiply gsm by 0.0295 to get oz/yd². KND's tee pages list both numbers.

What gsm counts as heavyweight?

There is no single cut-off. On KND's product pages, the 230–260 gsm tees are described as midweight and the 300 gsm tees as heavyweight, while the 350 and 400 gsm tees are described by their structure: they hold their shape rather than drape. The Heavyweight Graphic Tees collection starts at 280 gsm.

230 gsm: midweight, the easiest hang

This is the lightest band covered in this guide, and the product pages describe it as midweight.

• Take a Break Tee and Find Your Break Tee are cut regular and straight-hanging, with a ribbed collar and a clean straight hem.
• Wave Logo Tee has dropped shoulders and a loose cut that hangs instead of clinging.
• The two colour-block tees, Good Things Take Time and Archangel, are cut loose with dropped shoulders and a seam across the upper chest.

Our pick if you want less body and more drape.

250 and 260 gsm: midweight with a washed finish

The snow-wash tees are 250 gsm. The wash pulls the colour back into a soft, faded, lived-in finish, and the pages describe the body as midweight, draping easy without feeling thin. Examples: Keep Going Washed Tee and Better Days Ahead Washed Tee.

The two vintage-wash tees, Take Your Time and Daybreak, are 260 gsm. They are described as substantial without feeling stiff, with a soft, lived-in feel from the first wear. All of these are oversized with a drop shoulder. See them all in Vintage Wash Graphic Tees.

300 gsm: heavyweight, wide and relaxed

This is the most common weight in the Heavyweight Graphic Tees collection. On tees such as San Diego Beaches and Take the Long Way, the product page describes the body as heavyweight: it holds its shape, with a wide, relaxed drape. Every tee below is cut oversized with a drop shoulder.

Tees at 300 gsm include the San Diego Beaches Tee, Take the Long Way Tee, the Signature Oversized Tee, the Good Vibes Oversized Tee, and the "Heavyweight" tees such as Wolf Moon.

Our pick if you want a heavyweight feel with room to move.

350 and 400 gsm: structured and boxy

At the top of the range, the tee stops draping and starts holding a shape.

• The At the Beach Sun-Fade Tee is 350 gsm. Its page calls the cotton heavy and structured, and the body is cut wide and short with dropped shoulders.
• The 400 gsm tees are boxy, oversized and drop-shouldered, and their pages describe them as holding their shape rather than draping. Deep Blue and Surf Donkey are called heavy and structured. This is the weight of the four Break Series tees, Trestles, Swami's, Black's Beach and Cardiff Reef, and of Deep Blue and Surf Donkey. Browse them in Surf Graphic Tees.

Our pick if you want the most structure and are happy with a boxy cut.

Choosing, in one line each

• Lighter body, more drape: 230 gsm.
• Soft and worn-in from the first day: 250–260 gsm washed tees.
• Heavyweight with room to move: 300 gsm.
• Maximum structure, boxy cut: 350–400 gsm.

Check the fit, not just the weight

Each product page lists the weight, the fit and a size chart measured with the garment laid flat, in inches and centimetres. Boxy and oversized cuts run wide by design, so compare the chart against a tee you already like rather than relying on the size label alone. The size guide explains how each chart is measured.

Shop the full range in T-Shirts.