Side seam
Construction — one of 70 in the glossary
The stitched seams running down each side of a garment, joining front panel to back panel. A side-seamed tee is cut from shaped panels, so it can taper at the waist and hold that shape; a tubular tee has no side seams and hangs straight. Side seams also stop the body twisting on the wearer after washing. Expect to pay more for side-seamed blanks and to sell them as the retail-fit option; they are the standard on fashion and ladies' styles and the exception on promotional basics.
Shaped panels against a tube
A side-seamed tee is cut from a front panel and a back panel and joined down each side. A tubular tee is knitted as a continuous cylinder with no side seams at all.
Separate panels can be shaped. That is what lets a side-seamed shirt taper at the waist and hold that taper, which a tube cannot do at any price.
The tube is cheaper: less cutting, less sewing, less waste. It is why promotional basics are usually tubular.
Twisting, and why it happens
A tubular body is knitted in a spiral, and that spiral wants to unwind. After a few washes the side of the shirt migrates towards the front — the twist people complain about on cheap tees.
Side seams stop it, because the seams anchor the fabric where it was cut.
This is the practical difference most wearers actually notice, more than the fit.
What to expect when buying
Side-seamed blanks cost more per piece and are the standard on fashion, retail-fit and ladies' styles.
Tubular is the exception on those and the rule on promotional basics, and it is not a fault — it is the right construction for a shirt that will be worn a handful of times.
Spec sheets state it, usually as "side seamed" or "seamless body". If a sheet says seamless body, it means tubular.
Common questions
- What is a side seam on a t-shirt?
- The stitched seam running down each side, joining the front panel to the back. A side-seamed tee is cut from shaped panels; a tubular tee is knitted as a cylinder with no side seams.
- Why do cheap t-shirts twist after washing?
- Because they are tubular. The body was knitted in a spiral that wants to unwind, so the side migrates towards the front. Side seams anchor the fabric and prevent it.
- Are side-seamed shirts better?
- For fit and for resisting twist, yes. They cost more. For a shirt worn a few times at an event, a tubular body is perfectly adequate.
Where this comes up
See also
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