Does Bella Canvas 3001 run small?

Not in the measurements — laid flat it matches a Gildan 5000 from S upward. It runs slimmer because it is side seamed and cut for a closer fit, and because Bella's own body chart puts a size S on a 34″–37″ chest against Gildan's 36″–37″. If someone is between sizes and wants room, size up.

What is the difference between Bella Canvas 3001 and Gildan 5000?

Weight, construction and cut. The 3001 is 4.2 oz combed ring spun with side seams and a retail fit; the 5000 is 5.3 oz with a seamless tubular body and a classic fit. Flat chest and body length are identical from S up, so the difference is how the shirt hangs, not how much fabric is in it.

What does Airlume cotton mean?

It is Bella+Canvas's name for their combed and ring spun cotton, which they comb further than the usual standard to remove more short fibre. It is a fibre preparation, not a separate material — the practical result is a smoother surface that takes fine print detail well.

Is the 3001 good for printing?

It is one of the most printed blanks in the trade, because the smooth combed ring spun face holds detail. Watch the heather and specialty colours, which are blends and behave differently under heat from the 100% cotton solids.

Home Resources Size Charts Bella+CanvasBella+Canvas 3001 Size Chart

Bella+Canvas 3001 Size Chart

Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. Brands publish two different tables and call both a size chart, so both are below and each says which it is.

Garment measurements

The shirt itself, laid flat on a table. Chest is measured across, one inch below the armhole, so it is half the way round.

Size	Body length at back	Chest
XS	27"	16 1/2"
S	28"	18"
M	29"	20"
L	30"	22"
XL	31"	24"
2XL	32"	26"
3XL	33"	28"
4XL	34"	30"
5XL	35"	32"

Body length at back: Measured from high point shoulder to finished hem at back.
Chest: Measured across the chest one inch below armhole when laid flat.

Body measurements

The person, not the shirt. Chest is measured all the way around the fullest part with the tape horizontal.

Size	Chest
XS	31" – 34"
S	34" – 37"
M	38" – 41"
L	42" – 45"
XL	46" – 49"
2XL	50" – 53"
3XL	54" – 57"
4XL	58" – 61"
5XL	62" – 65"

Chest: Measure under the arm and around the fullest part of the chest with arms down, keeping the tape horizontal.

Transcribed from the BELLA+CANVAS Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee BC3001 spec sheet, read September 16, 2026. Brands revise their specs; measure a sample before a large run.

Fabric and construction

4.2 oz, 100% Airlume combed and ring spun cotton, 32 singles
99/1 Airlume combed and ring spun cotton/poly in Ash
Retail fit, side seamed, shoulder taping
Tear-away label

What the numbers mean in practice

Laid flat, the 3001 measures the same as a Gildan 5000 from S upward — 18″ chest at S, 22″ at L. The two shirts do not wear the same, and the reason is in the second table, not the first.

Bella's body chart claims a size S fits a 34″–37″ chest where Gildan's claims 36″–37″. Bella is telling you the same garment covers a wider and lower range, which is what people mean when they say Bella+Canvas runs small: it is sold to a slimmer wearer, not cut narrower.

The construction is the other half. Side seams and a retail cut give the shirt shape through the waist that a tubular, seamless-body blank cannot have at any measurement.

At 4.2 oz it is a light shirt. That is the point of it, and it is also why a heavy ink deposit reads stiffer on a 3001 than on a 6 oz blank.

The 60 colours we stock

A distributor carries a subset of what a mill offers, so this is our range rather than the brand’s full palette — 60 colours in XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL.

Aqua
Army
Ash
Asphalt
Autumn
Baby Blue
Berry
Black
Brown
Burnt Orange
Canvas Red
Cardinal
Charity Pink
Columbia Blue
Coral
Dark Grey
Dark Olive
Deep Teal
Evergreen
Forest
Fuchsia
Gold
Kelly
Leaf
Light Blue
Lilac
Maize Yellow
Maroon
Mauve
Military Green
Mint
Mustard
Natural
Navy
Ocean Blue
Olive
Orange
Oxblood Black
Pebble Brown
Pink
Poppy
Red
Rust
Sand Dune
Silver
Soft Cream
Soft Pink
Steel Blue
Storm
Sunset
Tan
Teal
Team Navy
Team Purple
True Royal
Turquoise
Vintage Black
Vintage White
White
Yellow

From our catalogue export of September 15, 2026. Colours come and go; the store is the live answer.

Common questions

Does Bella Canvas 3001 run small?: Not in the measurements — laid flat it matches a Gildan 5000 from S upward. It runs slimmer because it is side seamed and cut for a closer fit, and because Bella's own body chart puts a size S on a 34″–37″ chest against Gildan's 36″–37″. If someone is between sizes and wants room, size up.
What is the difference between Bella Canvas 3001 and Gildan 5000?: Weight, construction and cut. The 3001 is 4.2 oz combed ring spun with side seams and a retail fit; the 5000 is 5.3 oz with a seamless tubular body and a classic fit. Flat chest and body length are identical from S up, so the difference is how the shirt hangs, not how much fabric is in it.
What does Airlume cotton mean?: It is Bella+Canvas's name for their combed and ring spun cotton, which they comb further than the usual standard to remove more short fibre. It is a fibre preparation, not a separate material — the practical result is a smoother surface that takes fine print detail well.
Is the 3001 good for printing?: It is one of the most printed blanks in the trade, because the smooth combed ring spun face holds detail. Watch the heather and specialty colours, which are blends and behave differently under heat from the 100% cotton solids.