Brushed Fleece

Brushing is a finishing process, not a fiber. Mills run the knit through rollers fitted with fine wire bristles that catch and pull short fibers on one face into a raised nap, then shear it to an even, plush height. The process applies to cotton/poly sweatshirt fleece, 100% polyester fleece, or blends, and heavier brushing generally means a warmer, softer hand but a little more shedding out of the dryer on brand-new garments.

On a spec sheet, "brushed" tells you the inside of a hoodie or jogger will feel closer to a blanket than a plain knit, even when the fabric weight and outer face match an unbrushed version stitch for stitch — it's why two 8 oz fleece hoodies from different mills can feel completely different against the skin. We push customers who want a premium retail feel, not just a printable surface, toward heavier brushed fleece even when it costs a few extra ounces per garment.

Because brushing only touches the inside face, it has almost no bearing on how well the garment takes screen print, embroidery, or DTF on the outside. Check the outer face's smoothness and weight on its own terms rather than assuming brushed automatically means printable or not.

A common misread is treating brushed and fleece as two words for the same thing. Not all fleece is brushed — some is left raw-faced for a flatter, more technical look — and brushing shows up on fabrics beyond classic fleece, including some heavier jersey knits used in loungewear.