CVC
Fabric — one of 56 in the glossary
Chief value cotton: a cotton and polyester blend in which cotton is the larger share by value, most commonly 60/40. It sits between a 100% cotton tee and a 50/50, keeping more of the hand and printability of cotton while gaining the heather colours, dimensional stability and reduced shrinkage that polyester brings.
Chief value cotton, literally
The name is a trade description rather than a fabric one. "Chief value" means cotton is the largest component by value, which in practice means the blend is cotton-majority — almost always 60/40 cotton to polyester.
That distinguishes it from a 50/50, where neither fibre dominates, and from a poly-rich performance blend, where polyester does.
You will see it written CVC, C.V.C. and occasionally spelled out. It means the same thing each time.
What the 40% polyester buys
Heather colours, mainly. Polyester and cotton take dye differently, so a blend yarn dyed once comes out two-toned and reads as a heather. A 100% cotton shirt cannot produce that look without a more expensive process.
It also shrinks less and holds its shape better than pure cotton, because only the cotton fraction moves in the wash.
And it costs less per pound than cotton at most points in the commodity cycle, which is part of why the blend exists at all.
What it costs you at the press
Dye migration. Polyester dye can move into plastisol ink under heat, which turns a white print pink on a red shirt days after it left the press. The darker the garment the greater the risk, and heathers are the usual offenders.
The fix is well understood — a low-bleed ink and a lower cure temperature — but the printer has to know the fabric is a blend before the run rather than after.
For DTG the calculation is different: water-based ink needs cotton fibre to bond to, so a 60/40 prints noticeably softer and less saturated than 100% cotton, and a 50/50 worse again.
Common questions
- What does CVC mean on a t-shirt?
- Chief value cotton — a cotton and polyester blend in which cotton is the larger share by value, usually 60/40. It sits between a pure cotton tee and a 50/50.
- What is the difference between CVC and a 50/50?
- The ratio, and what it does. CVC is cotton-majority, typically 60/40, so it keeps more cotton hand and prints closer to cotton. A 50/50 has more polyester, shrinks less still, and is harder to print cleanly.
- Is CVC good for printing?
- For screen printing, yes, with low-bleed ink and a lower cure to control dye migration. For DTG it is a compromise, because water-based ink needs cotton fibre to bond to and 40% of the fabric gives it nothing.
- Does a CVC shirt shrink?
- Less than pure cotton, because only the cotton fraction moves. Expect roughly half to two-thirds of the shrinkage of a comparable 100% cotton tee.
Where this comes up
See also
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