Today, we – Aung Crown, a professional custom hat & clothing manufacturer founded in 1998, will introduce the differences and characteristics between sweat cloth and ribbed cloth and hope this can help you understand them better.

Sweat Cloth

What’s sweat cloth?

Sweat cloth is usually made from pure cotton or cotton blended with other fabrics. Sweat cloth is a single-sided weave and its structure is quite simple – it consists of continuous interlocking thread circles.

Appearance features:

Smooth and flat surface without obvious textures or crenelation.

Even in color, it is better in the dying effect and can show rich colors.

Functional characteristics

1. Great in moisture wicking and breathability: Because of this characteristic, sweat cloth is very suitable for making intermediate clothing that can quickly absorb sweat and release it into the air to keep the skin dry and comfortable.
2. Soft and comfortable touch: Sweat cloth is soft, gentle, and skin-friendly, which won’t irritate the skin or cause discomfort.
3. Little poor in stretch: Compared to ribbed cloth, sweat cloth is a little less stretchy. However, Sweat Cloth is still malleable and able to accommodate slight body movements.
4. Easily deformed: During dressing or washing, if the sweat cloth bears a lot of pulling or twisting, it’s very prone to deformation. Therefore, attention needs to be paid to care and washing methods.

Suitable applications:

Sweat cloth is suitable for making T-shirts, underwear, pajamas, and intimate apparel. Also, can be used to make summer thin outfits, such as shirts, dresses, etc.

Ribbed Cloth

What’s ribbed cloth?

Ribbed fabric can be composed of multiple fibers such as cotton, wool, polyester, etc. Ribbed fabric is a double-sided woven textile and has a surface with obvious vertical or horizontal crenellation textures. This is because its crimp structure is formed by alternating the front and back sides.

Appearance features:

Ribbed fabrics have obvious rib textures, and according to different weaving methods, there are different rib textures in different widths and tenses.

The colors of the ribbed fabric are quite single and the main color is plain and it’s hard to dye with ribbed fabric.

Functional characteristics

1. Great in the stretch: Ribbed fabric is great in the stretch, which is close to the body curves and it’s not easy to deform and comfortable to wear.
2. Better warmth: Due to the taut structure, the ribbed fabric can effectively block the flow of air. That’s why the ribbed fabric has a better warmth.
3. Strong wear resistance: Compared with sweat cloth, ribbed cloth is more wear-resistant and more suitable for making wear-resistant parts of garments such as cuffs, necklines, etc.
4. Good stability: Ribbed cloth is not easily deformed and can keep its shape great for a long time no matter for washing or caring.

Suitable applications:

Ribbed cloth is usually used to make sportswear, such as sports shirts, sports pants, etc., which can meet the sports requirements of stretch and comfort. It can also be used to make necklines, cuffs, hems, and more to decorate and secure garments.

As we mentioned above, there are obvious in composed fabrics, appearances, and functional characteristics. According to different needs and uses, choose different fabrics. When making cozy intimate clothing and moisture-wicking garments, it’s better to choose sweat cloth. When making stretchy and better warm clothes, it’s better to choose ribbed cloth.

Different Caring Ways

Due to the differences between sweat cloth and ribbed cloth, there are some different caring ways.

Caring ways for sweat cloth

Hand wash

1. Prepare a suitable neutral detergent and dissolve it in warm water.
2. Place sweat-cloth garments in the water and scrub gently to avoid deformation from overuse. Pay special attention to the parts that tend to get dirty, such as necklines, cuffs, etc. You can use a soft brush to lightly brush these parts.
3. The soaking time should not be too long. In general, soak garments in water for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Rinse well with water to remove any remaining detergent.
5. Gently press the garments to remove the extra water, but don’t wring them out.

Machine wash

1. If you choose to machine wash garments made of sweat cloth, please put it in a laundry bag to prevent it from twisting or deforming during the washing process.
2. Please choose a gentle wash cycle and the water temperature should not be too high. Generally, 30℃/86℉is the right temperature.
3. Please use neutral detergents and avoid using bleach or alkaline detergents.
4. After washing, please take the garment out immediately, lay it flat to dry, and avoid stacking it in the washing machine for a long time.

Dry

Garments made of sweat cloth should be kept out of the sunlight to prevent fading and hardening. It’s better to dry in a place with better ventilation.

Please flatten garments evenly to avoid deformation caused by hanging.

Caring ways for ribbed cloth

Hand wash

1. Prepare a suitable neutral detergent and dissolve it in warm water, then place ribbed garments in the water.
2. Since the ribbed fabric is very stretchy, you can rub it a little harder when washing, but be careful not to overstretch it so as not to damage its elasticity.
3. For dirtier parts, it can be paid more attention to them, but please do not use a hard brush to wash in case of scrubbing the fabric.
4. Soaking time should be controlled in 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Rinse well and gently squeeze to remove water.

Machine wash

1. It’s also better to put ribbed clothing in a laundry bag.
2. Choose the standard model, but the water temperature should not be high. Generally, the water temperature should not exceed 40℃/104℉.
3. Please use neutral detergent to avoid strong mixing and excessive shaking to avoid affecting elasticity.
4. After washing, please take the garments out immediately and flatten them.

Dry

Ribbed cloth should also be kept out of the sun and dried in a well-ventilated place.

While drying, please maintain the shapes of the garments to avoid pulling or twisting, which can prevent the stretch and version of the garments.

In a world, whether it’s sweat cloth or ribbed cloth, when washing, please choose the appropriate detergents and washing methods to avoid deforming the fabrics. At the same time, please wash according to the washing tips of the outfits.