Gildan 2400 Review: Is This the Right Blank for Your Screen Printing Project?

The Gildan 2400 Ultra Cotton Long Sleeve T-Shirt is one of the most widely used long sleeve blanks in custom apparel decoration. It's a 6 oz, 100% cotton (18 singles) long sleeve tee available in 28 colors from size S to 5XL — a range that covers most team, corporate, and brand programs without special ordering.

If you're evaluating the 2400 for a screen printing, embroidery, or specialty printing project, here's what the blank actually delivers and where it fits best.

What the Gildan 2400 Is

• Weight: 6 oz/yd² — midweight for a long sleeve tee, heavier than a standard jersey short sleeve
• Fabric: 100% cotton, 18 singles ring-spun construction (Ash Grey is 99/1 cotton/poly; Dark Heather is cotton/poly blend)
• Fit: Classic, relaxed unisex cut with full-length sleeves and ribbed cuffs
• Colors: 28 colorways across standard, heather, and fashion tones
• Sizes: S through 5XL
• Construction: Taped shoulder-to-shoulder, double-needle stitching at collar, sleeves, and hem

The 2400's 100% cotton construction is the key fact for decoration decisions. Cotton is the most decoration-compatible fabric — it holds screen printing ink cleanly, accepts embroidery thread naturally, and doesn't require the pretreatment or backing adjustments that synthetics demand.

Screen Printing on the Gildan 2400

The 6 oz cotton surface is stable, flat, and consistent across colors — which is exactly what screen printing on a long sleeve tee requires. The longer print area of a long sleeve means garment placement and registration matter more than on a short sleeve tee, because any drift in screen registration becomes more visible across a larger garment panel.

• Standard spot color: The 2400 prints cleanly with plastisol inks. Bold logos, wordmarks, and graphic tees are all natural applications. The 100% cotton construction holds ink without bleed, and the midweight fabric supports dense ink deposits without the fabric pulling under the squeegee.
• Simulated process: For designs with gradients, vintage aesthetics, or photorealistic color complexity, simulated process works well on the 2400's smooth cotton face. The stable surface holds halftone dot registration across the full back print area.
• Jumbo printing: The 2400's full front and back panels accommodate jumbo-scale designs up to 17" × 23" when the artwork calls for it. A long sleeve tee with a full-front or full-back jumbo graphic reads differently than a short sleeve — the sleeve length adds visual weight to the piece that can complement an oversized design.
• Puff screen printing: The 100% cotton construction makes the 2400 a suitable substrate for puff work. Cotton-based fabrics hold puff ink more consistently than synthetics, and the 6 oz weight provides enough surface stability for the foam expansion to activate evenly. Bold wordmarks and thick graphic elements translate cleanly to puff on this blank.
• Digital screen printing: Full-color CMYK output via digital screen printing works on cotton at this weight with a water-based result and soft hand feel. For multi-color or photorealistic designs at 50+ pieces, this is the method that makes full-color output economically viable on the 2400.

Embroidery on the Gildan 2400

The 18-singles ring-spun cotton construction is stable enough for standard left-chest embroidery — logo placements at 3.5 to 4.0 inches translate cleanly with the right backing. The 100% cotton face doesn't require the cutaway backing adjustments that performance synthetics demand; tearaway backing is typically correct for standard placements on this blank.

For heavier embroidery designs or placements with dense fill stitching, the 2400's 6 oz weight provides more surface stability than a lightweight jersey would, reducing the risk of fabric puckering around the embroidery area.

Where the Gildan 2400 Fits Best

• Team and athletic programs — long sleeve tees are a practical choice for cool-weather practice and game uniforms. The 100% cotton construction (Ash Grey and Dark Heather excepted) is comfortable for extended wear, and the size range through 5XL covers most roster needs.
• Corporate and promotional programs — the 2400 is a cost-effective long sleeve option for branded staff apparel, event programs, and seasonal corporate merchandise. The 28-color range covers most brand palettes.
• Streetwear and brand drops — brands building seasonal apparel programs often reach for the 2400 when the project calls for a long sleeve without the premium price point of a fashion-forward blank. For oversized or jumbo graphic work, the full torso coverage reads well.
• Merch and event tees — concerts, festivals, and events that run across weather windows often include a long sleeve in the merch mix. The 2400 hits a price point that makes it viable for large-volume event programs.

Where It Has Limits

The 2400 is a mid-tier utility blank. It's not the softest or most fashion-forward option — brands positioning at a premium retail price point often step up to a ring-spun fashion long sleeve with a more tailored cut and softer hand feel. The classic unisex fit also runs slightly boxy by modern standards, which matters for brands where silhouette is part of the product identity.

For most functional programs — team uniforms, corporate merch, event apparel, and brand drops where the decoration is the focus — these trade-offs are easy to absorb.

Ready to Print on the Gildan 2400?

We carry the Gildan 2400 and decorate it in-house across screen printing (spot color, simulated process, jumbo, puff), digital screen printing, and embroidery — starting at 50 pieces with tiered pricing at volume.

View the Gildan 2400 → or Request a quote — we respond within two hours.