For decades, thread count has dominated fabric marketing—mostly because it sounds precise and looks good on a label. But thread count is strictly a woven-fabric metric, counting horizontal and vertical threads per square inch. In knitted textiles like jersey, pique, and French terry, this concept is essentially meaningless. Since knitted fibers loop and interlock rather than cross over one another, counting individual threads tells you nothing about the fabric’s weight, durability, or hand feel.
GSM (grams per square meter) measures the actual mass of fiber in a given area. A 180 GSM cotton jersey is lightweight and perfect for layering. A 340 GSM pique has a density you can instantly feel: the structure holds its shape, the collar stays crisp, and the seams lay perfectly flat. At 520 GSM, you enter the heavyweight French terry territory—a fabric that behaves more like a structured, soft panel than a draped cloth.
What makes GSM reliable is its ability to capture the combined effect of fiber quality, yarn thickness, and knit density in a single metric. Two fabrics might use the exact same 50/2 ply combed cotton yarn, yet yield completely different GSM values depending on the gauge, loop length, and finishing tension. That is exactly why we publish the GSM for every product: it is the most honest way for a buyer to know what they are getting before they even touch it.
Next time you evaluate a knitted garment, forget the thread count. Ask for the GSM. And more importantly, ask whether it was measured before or after finishing—because washing and compacting can shift that number by 15–20%. At True Base 96, every GSM figure on our spec sheets is measured post-finish and post-wash on the actual production lot. No theoretical numbers, no pre-shrink guesswork.