What Is Fleece Fabric? Types, GSM and EUR Costs

Fleece is the fabric that quietly replaced wool across most of the mid-layer and outerwear categories after its invention in 1979, and it now accounts for a significant share of the global synthetic knit market (Textile Exchange, 2024). Soft, warm, light, machine-washable, and cheap to produce, fleece became the workhorse insulation fabric for hoodies, jackets, mid-layers, blankets, and kids' clothing across three decades.

What this guide covers

This guide covers what fleece actually is, how it's made, the main types available at Portuguese mills in 2026, real EUR pricing per meter, garment applications, and the honest sustainability discussion around microplastic shedding. Everything below reflects the manufacturer-side view, informed by production runs coordinated across our factory group in the northern Portuguese textile cluster.

Key takeaways

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What Is Fleece Fabric?

Fleece is a soft, napped synthetic knit fabric, almost always made from 100% polyester, designed to trap air between raised fibres for insulation. Since its invention at Malden Mills in 1979, fleece has grown into one of the most-produced synthetic apparel fabrics globally, with polyester itself accounting for 59% of world fibre production, 88% of it fossil-based (Textile Exchange, 2025).

How the nap is built

Structurally, fleece is a weft-knit fabric that gets brushed on one or both sides after knitting. That brushing pulls fibre ends up out of the yarn to create a lofted nap, which is what traps air and delivers warmth. Unlike wool, fleece is hydrophobic, so it doesn't absorb sweat, dries fast, and stays warm when damp. It's also machine-washable at 30-40°C without felting, which was the original Malden Mills selling point in 1979.

Where it sits among the knits

Within the knit family, fleece sits on the warmer, softer end. French terry has unbrushed loops and cleaner drape. Fleece has raised nap, more loft, and higher warmth-to-weight. That structural difference is the entire reason both fabrics exist in modern collections.

Other names you'll see

Fleece appears in catalogues under several names: "polar fleece" (the original Malden Mills version), "microfleece", "sherpa" (long-pile double-sided), "anti-pill fleece" (finished to resist pilling), and brand-owned names like Polartec Thermal Pro and Polartec Alpha. Portuguese mills usually call it "polar" or "malha polar" in factory documentation. Whatever the label, the structural signature is the same: knitted polyester, brushed nap, hydrophobic surface.

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Is Fleece Always Polyester?

Almost always, but not by definition. "Fleece" names a construction, not a fibre: a knitted fabric brushed to raise a nap. In apparel that construction is made in polyester very nearly all of the time, because polyester is cheap, hydrophobic, holds loft and survives washing. Polyester is 59% of world fibre production (Textile Exchange, 2025), and fleece is one of the reasons.

The exceptions worth knowing

• Cotton fleece. Confusingly, "fleece-back" or "cotton fleece" on a sweatshirt means a cotton knit brushed on the reverse. It is a different fabric from polar fleece despite the shared word.

Fibres other than polyester

• Bamboo or cellulosic fleece. Viscose or lyocell brushed-back knits exist and are sold as fleece. Softer, heavier, less warm per gram, and they do not shed microplastics.
• Wool fleece. Boiled or brushed wool is sometimes called fleece, and the word originally meant the shorn coat of a sheep, which is where the whole naming confusion starts.
• Blends. Polyester-cotton and polyester-elastane fleece are both common; the polyester share is what carries the warmth and the shedding.

The practical consequence on a tech pack: writing "fleece" alone tells the mill almost nothing. Write the fibre, the construction and the GSM, or you will get whichever polyester fleece is cheapest that week.

How Is Fleece Made?

Fleece production starts with polyester chips, extruded into filament yarn, knitted into a base fabric, and then mechanically brushed to raise the surface nap. The category was invented in 1979 by Malden Mills as a synthetic, machine-washable alternative to wool, developed with Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard and sold by Patagonia as Synchilla from 1981. The commercially important detail is the one earlier versions of this article got backwards: Malden Mills chief executive Aaron Feuerstein deliberately chose not to patent polar fleece. Anyone could make it, which is exactly why it spread worldwide and became cheap. What the company did protect was the name: PolarFleece was registered as a trademark in 1981, the fabric was renamed Polartec in 1986, and the company itself became Polartec Inc. in 2007 (Polartec, 2024).

The five production stages

The process runs through five main stages. First, polyester chips (either virgin PET or recycled rPET from bottle waste) are melt-spun into continuous filament yarn. Second, that yarn is knitted on a circular knit machine into a base fabric, typically single jersey or a modified interlock structure. Third, the fabric goes through a brushing or napping line, where rotating cylinders covered in fine metal teeth pull fibre ends up to create the lofted surface. Fourth, a shearing step trims the nap to uniform height. Fifth, an anti-pill finish is applied and the fabric is set with heat to lock the loft in place.

Two production tracks in Portugal

Portuguese mills that produce fleece typically run one of two setups: high-volume standard fleece for hoodies and blankets, or specialist Polartec-licensed lines for technical outerwear. The two production tracks use similar equipment but very different yarns, finishes, and QC standards.

Production-side observation: across runs coordinated through our factory group, we've seen that the finishing stage (brushing depth, anti-pill treatment) is the biggest driver of perceived quality on fleece. Two identical 280 GSM polyester base fabrics can feel like entirely different products after finishing, and cheap fleece failures almost always trace back to under-brushed or over-brushed nap, not the base yarn.

Recycled polyester (rPET) as the modern default

Most EU-facing fleece production has shifted to recycled polyester over the past decade. GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification is now the baseline expectation for brands selling into European retail. Be careful quoting the headline number, though: recycled polyester is about 12% of global polyester production, and that share has been falling, from roughly 12.5% in 2023 to 12.0% in 2024 and flat into 2025 (Textile Exchange, 2025). An earlier version of this article put it at 15% and rising. Portuguese mills producing for European brands almost universally offer GRS-certified rPET fleece as their standard product.

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What Is the Difference Between Fleece and French Terry?

The most common founder question when choosing a hoodie fabric is fleece versus French terry. French terry is the more common pick for streetwear hoodies and fleece the warmth-first alternative. A figure putting the split at 60/40 across European launches has been withdrawn, along with the EURATEX citation attached to it: EURATEX publishes trade, employment and output data, not the fabric composition of product launches. The two fabrics are structurally different and serve different design intents.

How the two constructions differ

French terry is a cotton weft-knit with unbrushed loops on the reverse, giving it structure, clean drape, and moderate warmth. Fleece is a polyester weft-knit with a brushed nap, giving it high warmth-to-weight, softness, and hydrophobic performance. The trade-offs run in three directions: fibre (natural cotton vs synthetic polyester), structure (unbrushed loops vs brushed nap), and end use (structured everyday wear vs warmth-first mid-layer).

Attribute	Fleece	French Terry
Composition	100% polyester (often recycled)	Cotton or cotton blends
Inside surface	Raised brushed nap	Unbrushed loops
Warmth	High	Moderate
Drape	Softer, loftier	Cleaner, structured
Weight range	100 to 400+ GSM	220 to 500+ GSM
Best for	Winter hoodies, jackets, mid-layers, blankets	Sweatshirts, joggers, dresses
Machine-washable	Yes, 30-40°C	Yes, 30-40°C
Cost per meter (Portuguese cluster)	€4 to €13 (standard)	€4 to €16
Microplastic shedding	Yes, significant	Minimal (natural fibre)

Source: PCF factory group quotes from Portuguese mills (2024-2026). An ATP fabric price survey cited in earlier versions does not exist.

When to choose which: the honest answer we give founders is that the decision often comes down to sustainability positioning. Brands positioning around organic and natural fibres almost always go French terry. Brands positioning around technical performance, price, or maximum warmth-to-weight go fleece. The middle ground (elevated basics, streetwear staples) usually lands on French terry for hoodies and fleece only for outer jackets or winter mid-layers.

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What Are the Types of Fleece?

Fleece isn't one fabric, it's a family. The main types are polar fleece, sherpa, microfleece, high-loft fleece, and technical Polartec constructions. Together these five categories cover roughly 95% of fleece production for apparel, with polar fleece alone accounting for the majority of hoodie and mid-layer applications globally (Polartec, 2024).

Polar fleece (200-260 GSM)

Polar fleece is the original Malden Mills invention and still the volume category. It's a mid-weight, double-sided brushed polyester fabric used for hoodies, mid-layer pullovers, blankets, and cold-weather kids' clothing. Nearly every Portuguese fleece mill offers polar fleece as its standard product, in both virgin and GRS-certified rPET variants.

Sherpa fleece (300-400 GSM)

Sherpa fleece has a long, curly pile designed to mimic shearling. It's most commonly used as a lining for denim jackets, coats, and vests, and as a body fabric for cozy pullovers and kids' garments. Sherpa is heavier and warmer than polar, but bulkier and harder to sew cleanly on its own.

Microfleece (100-150 GSM)

Microfleece uses very fine polyester filaments to create a lightweight, tightly napped fabric. It's used for base layers, technical mid-layers, activewear pullovers, and light spring jackets. It's the closest fleece variant to being packable and low-profile enough for layering.

High-loft fleece (400+ GSM)

High-loft fleece is used for the warmest winter garments: heavy jackets, cold-weather mid-layers, and blankets. It's bulky, very warm, and typically finished with anti-pill treatment because heavier lofts pill faster under friction.

Polartec technical fleeces

Polartec produces licensed technical fleeces used in serious outdoor apparel. Polartec Thermal Pro (250-350 GSM) is used by outdoor brands for premium mid-layers with high warmth-to-weight and durability. Polartec Alpha (150-250 GSM) is an insulation fleece originally developed for military applications, designed to work as active insulation inside outer shells. Both require licensed mills and add a substantial cost premium.

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What Are the Properties of Fleece?

Fleece delivers a specific bundle of properties that explains its dominance in mid-layer and outerwear categories. Its warmth-to-weight ratio comfortably beats cotton, which is why a 260 GSM fleece pullover can out-warm a much heavier cotton sweatshirt. The mechanism is air trapped in the brushed nap plus polyester's hydrophobic surface, which keeps the fabric insulating when damp where cotton stops. We have withdrawn a "3 to 4 times per gram" multiple and the CITEVE citation attached to it: CITEVE publishes no such comparison.

The eight properties that matter

The core property set covers eight attributes: warmth (high, from trapped air in the nap), weight (light for the warmth delivered), moisture behaviour (hydrophobic, so it doesn't absorb sweat), drying speed (fast, often under an hour), stretch (moderate, from the knit structure), washability (machine-washable at 30-40°C, no felting), durability (moderate, pills with heavy friction), and cost (low relative to natural insulation alternatives).

The trade-offs

The trade-offs are equally clear. Fleece is not breathable in high-exertion aerobic activity like a merino base layer. It builds static electricity in dry conditions. It pills with friction over time unless anti-pill finished. And it sheds microplastic fibres in the wash, which we cover in detail in a later section.

Types comparison at a glance

Fleece type	Warmth	Weight	Cost tier
Microfleece	Moderate	100-150 GSM	Low
Polar fleece	High	200-260 GSM	Low-mid
Sherpa	Very high	300-400 GSM	Mid
High-loft	Very high	400+ GSM	Mid-high
Polartec Thermal Pro	Very high, technical	250-350 GSM	Premium
Polartec Alpha	High, breathable	150-250 GSM	Premium

Source: PCF factory group quotes from Portuguese mills (2024-2026). An ATP fabric price survey cited in earlier versions does not exist.

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What Garments Are Made with Fleece?

Fleece dominates a specific set of garment categories: mid-layer pullovers, casual hoodies, winter jackets and vests, blankets and throws, and kids' clothing across seasons. Roughly 30% of PCF's factory group works with fleece, and within that group the most common product programmes are hoodies, mid-layer jackets, blankets, and kids' pieces.

Category breakdown by weight

The category breakdown by typical GSM:

• 100-150 GSM microfleece: technical base layers, activewear pullovers, lightweight kids' pieces, packable travel layers
• 200-260 GSM polar fleece: casual hoodies, mid-layer pullovers, blankets, kids' hoodies, throws, dog beds
• 300-400 GSM sherpa: jacket linings, denim jacket linings, cozy pullovers, teddy jackets, kids' coats
• 400+ GSM high-loft: heavy winter jackets, cold-weather mid-layers, structured teddy coats, premium blankets
• Polartec Thermal Pro and Alpha: premium outdoor mid-layers, technical jackets, hybrid insulation for outer shells

At the factory-group level, we've observed that fleece programmes tend to fall into two very different founder categories. First, technical outdoor brands or performance-focused streetwear labels that pick fleece for warmth and price. Second, cozy home-goods and kids' brands that pick fleece for softness and washability. The two markets rarely overlap, and MOQ patterns differ: outdoor brands usually place 500+ unit orders on fewer SKUs, while kids' and home-goods brands run smaller MOQs across broader colour ranges.

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What Does Fleece Cost per Meter in Portugal?

Fleece prices in Portugal in 2026 range from €4 per meter for standard polar fleece to €32 per meter for Polartec Alpha technical insulation. Composition (virgin vs recycled), GSM, and licensing (standard vs Polartec) are the three largest cost drivers, together explaining most of the price variance we see. For context, Portugal has 11,965 textile and clothing companies; the ATP citation attached to the pricing in earlier versions has been withdrawn, because ATP publishes no fabric price survey and every euro figure on this page is a PCF quote from a Portuguese mill.

Understanding these tiers helps founders budget accurately during tech pack preparation, especially when choosing between standard polar fleece for a hoodie and a Polartec technical fleece for a premium mid-layer jacket.

Portuguese fleece pricing (EUR per meter, 2026):

• Standard polar fleece (200-260 GSM): €4 to €8/m
• Microfleece (100-150 GSM, light): €4 to €7/m
• Standard sherpa fleece (300-400 GSM): €6 to €11/m
• High-loft fleece (400+ GSM, winter): €7 to €13/m
• Recycled polyester fleece (GRS-certified): €5 to €10/m
• Bonded fleece with membrane: €10 to €20/m
• Polartec Thermal Pro (technical): €14 to €26/m
• Polartec Alpha (insulation fleece): €18 to €32/m

Composition drives base cost

Standard virgin polyester fleece is the cheapest base construction. GRS-certified recycled polyester (rPET) fleece adds a modest premium of roughly 10-25% over virgin, and is now the default for European retail. Polartec-licensed fleeces sit in an entirely different tier because of the licensing fee, patented yarn structures, and QC standards.

GSM adds cost proportionally

Doubling the GSM roughly doubles the yarn consumption. A 400 GSM high-loft fleece uses about 2x the polyester of a 200 GSM polar fleece, and the fabric price typically increases 60-80% between those two tiers.

Bonded and membrane constructions add a bigger jump

Bonded fleece (fleece laminated to a membrane like a wind-block or waterproof layer) roughly doubles the base cost because of the second material and the bonding process. These constructions are used for premium outerwear where a single-layer fleece isn't windproof enough.

Practical planning: for a mid-layer fleece pullover using 1.5 meters of 240 GSM standard polar fleece, fabric cost lands at €6 to €12 per garment. The same pullover in Polartec Thermal Pro would run €21 to €39 in fabric alone, a difference that has to be planned into the retail price from day one.

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Does Fleece Shed Microplastics, and Does Recycling Help?

The sustainability picture for fleece is genuinely mixed, and this is the section where we try to be honest rather than promotional. On the positive side, recycled polyester (rPET) fleece diverts PET waste from landfills and reduces virgin polymer demand. On the negative side, every polyester fleece garment sheds microplastic fibres in the wash. The figure most often quoted, more than 1,900 fibres from a single garment per wash, comes from Browne et al. (2011), not from Napper and Thompson; it is a reported minimum from one experiment rather than an average.

The study that put numbers on the problem at load scale is Napper & Thompson (2016), at the University of Plymouth, which measured a 6 kg wash load rather than a single garment: roughly 496,000 fibres for polyester, about 730,000 for acrylic and 138,000 for a poly-cotton blend. Earlier versions of this article credited that paper with the 1,900 figure, which belongs to Browne et al. (2011). Neither study distinguishes virgin from recycled polyester, and recycled fleece sheds the same microfibres as virgin fleece.

What brands can actually do about it

The honest response has three parts. First, GRS-certified rPET fleece is still a material improvement over virgin polyester at the input side, because it reduces demand for new fossil-derived polymer. Second, brands can reduce shedding at the consumer side by shipping garments with a microfibre wash bag, though the size of the benefit depends on who measured it. Guppyfriend cites Fraunhofer UMSICHT testing showing 79 to 86% less shedding, while peer-reviewed studies put the reduction in fibres actually reaching wastewater closer to 39 to 54% (Napper et al., 2020; Kärkkäinen and Sillanpää, 2021). Quote the lower range if you put a number on a hangtag. Third, fleece is not the right fabric for brands positioning primarily around zero-microplastic or fully natural-fibre stories. Those brands should probably choose French terry, wool, or hemp.

Our view

Our view: the microplastic conversation shouldn't be a reason to avoid fleece entirely, but it should be a reason to be honest about it. Brands running fleece programmes at scale have three practical options. Include Guppy Friend bags in packaging. Publish a care guide recommending short, cool washes. Or design fleece into outer layers where the fabric is washed less often. What we don't recommend is claiming a recycled fleece programme is "microplastic-free" or environmentally neutral, because it isn't.

Certifications worth understanding

For fleece specifically, the certifications that matter are GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for verified recycled content and chain of custody, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for chemical safety on the finished fabric. Nearly all Portuguese fleece mills producing for European retail hold OEKO-TEX Standard 100 as a baseline. GRS is the certification that separates a genuine recycled programme from marketing claims.

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Which Portuguese Mills Actually Knit Fleece?

Around 25 Portuguese knitting mills run fleece as a regular programme, concentrated in the Barcelos and Guimarães clusters. That is our own count from booking fabric across the cluster, not an ATP dataset. Impetus (Barcelos) is the reference name for technical knitted fleece and activewear. Lameirinho (Guimarães) is the volume producer for home textile fleece and blankets. Coelima (Guimarães) runs standard hoodie-weight polar fleece. Tintex (Vila Nova de Cerveira) handles cellulosic-fleece hybrids and closed-loop dyeing.

Portuguese mills routinely knitting fleece:

Mill	Region	Fleece speciality	Certifications
Impetus	Barcelos	Technical polar, microfleece, activewear brushed jersey	OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS, bluesign, STeP
Lameirinho	Guimarães	Home textile fleece, blankets, plush	OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS
Coelima	Guimarães	Standard polar fleece for hoodies, kids	OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS
Tintex	Vila Nova de Cerveira	Cellulosic-fleece hybrids, low-impact dyeing	OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I, EU Ecolabel, GOTS, bluesign
Riopele	Famalicão	Fleece-back jersey for outerwear linings	OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS

Source: PCF factory group documentation (2024-2026), mill capability sheets.

What the mill certifications mean

Impetus and Tintex publish bluesign partner status; both mills document GRS certification for recycled polyester content. Impetus additionally publishes OEKO-TEX STeP (Sustainable Textile Production) certification for the whole facility, a heavier commitment than OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on finished fabric alone.

French terry vs brushed back vs polar: three constructions with different economics.

Construction	GSM	Structure	Best application	Cost/m at 500 m (2026)
French terry (unbrushed)	220-320	Cotton, loops on reverse	Sweatshirts, joggers	€5.80-9.20
Brushed-back jersey	240-320	Cotton or blend, brushed reverse	Elevated hoodies, mid-layer	€6.90-10.80
Polar fleece (both sides brushed)	200-260	100% polyester (often rPET)	Warmth-first hoodies, kids	€4.90-7.80
Microfleece	100-150	Fine polyester, tight nap	Base layers, activewear	€5.20-8.10
Sherpa	300-400	Long-pile polyester	Linings, teddy jackets	€7.40-11.20
High-loft fleece	400+	Thick polyester nap	Winter jackets, blankets	€8.60-13.40
Polartec Thermal Pro	250-350	Licensed technical	Premium outdoor mid-layer	€16.20-25.80

Source: PCF factory group quotes, mill pricing surveys (2024-2026).

Sherpa vs microfleece

Sherpa vs microfleece is a common founder confusion. Sherpa has a long curly pile of 8-15mm, designed to mimic shearling for linings and teddy jackets. Microfleece has a very short dense nap (roughly 1-2mm) designed for base layers and packable pullovers. The two fabrics look nothing alike in the hand but often get bundled under "fleece" on tech packs, which invites mill substitution.

Cost per metre by volume

Cost per meter at 100 / 300 / 500 / 1000 m MOQ (EUR, 2026):

Construction	100 m	300 m	500 m	1000 m
Standard polar fleece (240 GSM, GRS rPET)	€7.60	€6.40	€5.60	€4.90
Microfleece (140 GSM, GRS rPET)	€8.20	€6.90	€6.10	€5.30
Sherpa fleece (360 GSM)	€10.80	€9.10	€8.10	€7.10
High-loft fleece (450 GSM)	€12.60	€10.70	€9.40	€8.20
Polartec Thermal Pro (300 GSM)	€26.80	€22.40	€19.60	€17.10

Source: PCF factory group quotes (2024-2026). Polartec pricing carries the licensing fee at the mill level.

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What Mistakes Do Founders Make With Fleece?

Where the specs go wrong

Around 65% of the fleece tech packs we review contain at least one gap serious enough to force a substitution or produce a pilling complaint within the first 5 wears (PCF factory group data, 2024-2026).

The spec lines that prevent a complaint

1. Not specifying anti-pill finishing. Fleece pills dramatically without anti-pill treatment. Specify "anti-pill finish, ISO 12945-2 grade 4 minimum after 5000 cycles" on the tech pack for anything sold above €40 retail.
2. Confusing fleece with french terry on a tech pack. French terry has unbrushed loops. Fleece has brushed nap. Mixing them up leads to the wrong hand and wrong warmth profile. Specify the construction explicitly.
3. Under-spec on GSM. A 200 GSM fleece and a 300 GSM fleece produce entirely different garments. Specify GSM with a tolerance of ±10 GSM per EN 12127.
4. Missing GRS chain-of-custody on rPET claims. A "made from recycled bottles" claim without GRS certification fails the evidence thresholds in Directive (EU) 2024/825. Always specify GRS on the tech pack for recycled fleece.
5. Ignoring microplastic mitigation. Modern EU retailers increasingly ask brands to include Guppy Friend bags or specify low-shed constructions. Address this at the spec stage rather than after retailer feedback.
6. Skipping wash-durability testing. Fleece pilling and loft-loss both accelerate after 20 wash cycles. Specify ISO 6330 wash testing at 20 cycles with pilling and thickness measurement.

Decision matrix: when to choose fleece

The matrix below maps the call to the commercial situation rather than to the fabric.

Choose fleece when...	Consider a different fabric when...
Warmth-per-gram is the design priority (mid-layers, jackets)	Sustainability positioning around natural fibres (choose wool or french terry)
Machine-washability at 30-40°C is required	Formal or dressy garment (choose brushed cotton or wool)
Retail supports €40+ hoodie or €80+ mid-layer	Ultra-budget hoodies (choose cotton fleece-back at €25-35 retail)
MOQ 200+ units per style (polar) or 500+ (Polartec)	Micro-batch under 100 units (use stock polar fleece)
Kids or homewear where softness and washability lead	Zero-microplastic claim is essential (choose merino or french terry)
Outdoor or technical positioning (Polartec Thermal Pro/Alpha)	Premium heritage look (choose brushed wool or boiled wool)

The pattern across fleece pushbacks: founders spec "fleece 300 GSM" and leave every other choice to the mill. The result is standard virgin polar fleece with no anti-pill finish and no GRS documentation, which lands at the QC stage as pilling complaints and a stalled recycled-content marketing story.

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Where Does Fleece Fit in Your Range?

The practical takeaway across the sections above: match fleece to the product categories where its properties actually matter, specify it clearly on the tech pack (name the branded fibre or exact composition), and place production with a Portuguese factory in the subset that stocks the yarn or has the finishing lines built for it.

Get the spec right and the fabric becomes a repeatable, reliable choice. Leave it vague and you invite substitution, wash-cycle problems, and margin surprises.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is fleece the same as polar fleece?

Polar fleece is one specific type of fleece, the original mid-weight double-sided brushed polyester fabric invented at Malden Mills in 1979. In everyday use the words are often interchanged, but "fleece" is the umbrella category and includes microfleece, sherpa, high-loft, and Polartec technical variants that aren't strictly polar fleece.

Is fleece made from plastic?

Yes. Modern fleece is almost always 100% polyester, which is a plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) derived from petroleum or from recycled PET bottles. GRS-certified recycled fleece uses rPET from post-consumer bottle waste, which reduces virgin polymer demand but still produces a polyester-based fabric that sheds microfibres.

Does fleece shed microplastics?

Yes. The most-quoted figure, more than 1,900 fibres from a single garment per wash, comes from Browne et al. (2011); Napper and Thompson (2016) measured roughly 496,000 fibres from a 6 kg polyester load. Recycled polyester fleece sheds the same fibres as virgin polyester. Microfibre wash bags help, but by how much depends who is measuring: the Guppyfriend manufacturer cites 79 to 86% less shedding from Fraunhofer UMSICHT testing, while peer-reviewed work puts the reduction in fibres reaching wastewater nearer 39 to 54%.

Is fleece warmer than cotton?

Yes, at the same weight, though be wary of precise multiples. We have withdrawn a 3 to 4 times figure that earlier versions credited to CITEVE, which publishes no such comparison. The mechanism is sound: air trapped in the brushed nap insulates, and polyester is hydrophobic, so fleece keeps working when damp while cotton loses most of its insulation when wet.

What's the difference between fleece and sherpa?

Sherpa is a specific type of fleece with a long, curly pile designed to mimic shearling. It's heavier (300-400 GSM), warmer, and bulkier than standard polar fleece (200-260 GSM). Sherpa is most often used as a lining for denim jackets and coats, while polar fleece is used as a body fabric for hoodies and pullovers.

What's the MOQ for fleece production in Portugal?

At the Portuguese factories in our documented group, MOQs for fleece production typically run 200-500 units per style, with lead times of 5-8 weeks and two sample rounds as the standard cycle. Polartec-licensed fabrics require higher minimums (usually 500+ units) because of the fabric booking requirements.

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Related reading

• GSM guide: what fabric weight actually means
• What is jersey fabric?
• What is rib knit?
• Recycled fibres and circular fashion
• Sustainable fabrics guide
• OEKO-TEX vs GOTS vs bluesign
• Fabric sourcing in Portugal
• MOQ minimums in Portugal

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Sources used in this article

• Napper & Thompson (2016), "Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines", Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Textile Exchange, Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report (2024)
• Polartec, fabric specifications and history (2024)
• EURATEX, European Apparel and Textile Confederation - Facts & Key Figures, cited for European industry context only. EURATEX does not publish the fabric composition of product launches; a claim credited to it in earlier versions has been withdrawn
• ATP, Associação Têxtil e Vestuário de Portugal - sector association, cited for cluster context only. ATP publishes no fabric price survey; earlier versions credited one for the EUR figures on this page, which are PCF quotes from Portuguese mills
• CITEVE, Centro Tecnológico das Indústrias Têxtil e do Vestuário de Portugal - cited for general finishing and knitting context. CITEVE publishes no fleece-versus-cotton thermal comparison; a "3 to 4 times" figure credited to it has been withdrawn

First-party data

• Browne et al. (2011), "Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Worldwide: Sources and Sinks", Environmental Science & Technology: the origin of the widely quoted "more than 1,900 fibres per garment per wash"
• Fraunhofer UMSICHT testing cited by Guppyfriend, alongside Napper et al. (2020) and Kärkkäinen & Sillanpää (2021) on wash-bag effectiveness
• PCF internal factory documentation (2024-2026), fleece MOQ, pricing, and lead time observations across the factory group

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