FabricIQ
Reading the label…
01Verdict
Strong across the board — well-made, safe to wear, and low planet cost.
Best for Daily wear, no caveats.
Material B · 72Health B · 80Eco · 76Label · low
Why this material grade?
This product scored 72/100 on the material-quality rubric (durability, comfort, breathability, warmth, moisture-wicking, care-ease), based on its composition of 55% Organic Cotton, 26% Recycled Polyester, 19% Tencel. Sustainability is scored separately as the Eco Rating. Blended from 55% Organic Cotton, 26% Recycled Polyester, 19% Tencel — the score is a weighted average based on each material's proportion.
B (70-84): Good material composition — above average across most axes.
Good quality, eco-friendly
Solid fabric with strong environmental credentials. Organic Cotton (55%) is doing the heavy lifting. This is a smart buy.
Great fabric value
$98Better-than-typical fabric for this category, at a below-median price.
$1.36 per quality point Category median: $115 · grade C
Fabric value only — compares material quality to price vs other sweaters. Construction, fit, and brand aren't measured.
02Breakdown
Composition
55% Organic Cotton, 26% Recycled Polyester, 19% Tencel
Blend — recycled synthetic + natural
Added Apr 6, 2026 · Data last updated Apr 6, 2026
Sustainability is scored separately — see the Eco Rating below.
🔬
Every wash of synthetic fabric releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibers into waterways. Use a Guppyfriend bag to catch them.
🌍
This fabric will take 200+ years to decompose. That means a shirt you buy today will still exist in the year 2226.
⚖️
Tencel (score 82) is carrying this blend. Recycled Polyester (score 62) is pulling it down.
03Network
Cost per wear
rough estimate98¢/wear · 100 expected wears
Reasonable cost-per-wear
How we got there
Base for Sweaters: 100 expected wears.
× 1.00 for Organic Cotton (mid-durability fiber, durability 68).
= 100 expected wears. $98 ÷ 100 ≈ 98¢/wear.
Missing GSM — this is a category-level estimate, not garment-specific. Expect ±30% variance.
Real life is messier than a formula: how often you wash, how you wash, whether you wear it inside-out, dry on low — all of it shifts the number. This is the ceiling under reasonable care.
Care Guide
Decode symbolsWash
cold (30°C)
Bleach
Do not bleach
Dry
line dry
Iron
Best For
🏃Athletic Wear
GoodGood breathability (71) and moisture wicking (50) for light activity
👕Everyday Casual
GoodGood comfort (73) and care ease (76) for casual wear
👔Formal/Office
GoodGood durability (68) and comfort (73) for office wear
😴Sleepwear
GoodGood comfort (73) and breathability (71) for sleeping
🩲Underwear
GoodGood breathability (71) and comfort (73) for undergarments
⛰️Outdoor/Hiking
GoodGood durability (68) and breathability (71) for outdoor activities
Better Alternatives
Higher-rated sweaters products — each card shows how much better this alt scores vs your current product.
04Tradeoffs
Health Impact
Microplastic shedding · skin-contact synthetic load · likely chemical treatments
B80/100
Low health impact — predominantly natural fibers with no major treatment flags.
Microplastics MEDIUM
600,000 fibers/wash
Skin contact LOW
26% synthetic
Chemicals LOW
No flags
26% synthetic content (recycled polyester). Moderate microplastic shedding — a washing bag catches 86% of fibers. Counter-intuitively, recycled polyester is not cleaner here: mechanically recycled PET fibers are shorter and more brittle, so they can shed as much as — or more than — virgin polyester. The recycled label improves sustainability, not microplastic shedding.
Biodegradability
Not BiodegradableMaterials will persist in the environment for decades.
Label Confidence
LOWLabel confidence low — multiple signals suggest the composition may be incomplete, vague, or hard to verify. Treat scores as directional.
- ⚠Organic cotton claim without explicit certification (GOTS, OCS). Check brand's certification disclosures separately.
- ⚠Recycled-fiber claim without explicit certification (GRS, RCS). Chain-of-custody for recycled materials is hard to verify without one.
What this score doesn't measure
- ×Fiber grade. Staple length, micronaire, strength. "100% cotton" could be short-staple upland or long-staple Pima — same label, very different fabric.
- ×Yarn processing. Singles count, ply (single vs two-ply), spinning method (open-end vs ring-spun vs compact), mercerization. Invisible from any label.
- ×Knit / weave structure. Single jersey vs interlock, knit tightness. A loose knit pills; a tight knit lasts.
- ×Fabric weight (GSM). One construction signal among several — and high GSM can come from loose cheap yarn just as easily as from fine tight yarn. We have it for blank manufacturers, rarely for retail.
- ×Pre-shrink processing. Sanforized cotton shrinks ~1%; non-sanforized can shrink up to 10%. Not visible from the composition tag.
- ×Construction quality. Stitch density (SPI), seam types, collar geometry, manufacturing tolerances (AQL). These often matter more than the fiber itself.
- ×Specific chemical loads. Health Impact flags "likely PFAS / possible formaldehyde" from composition × category — we don't lab-test individual SKUs.
We rate the fabric, not the garment. Composition is the floor of what you're guaranteed to be getting — most shoppers don't have that.
05Action
