Crew neck

A crew neck is the round, close-fitting neckline finished with a ribbed collar band — usually a 1x1 or 2x2 rib — stitched into the vast majority of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies on the market. The collar sits at the base of the throat, cut high enough to stay put through a wash cycle but not so high it feels restrictive, which is exactly why it's the default most manufacturers build around first.

The Gildan G500 and just about every basic tee in the Next Level and Bella+Canvas lines start from a crew neck before any fashion-fit variation gets added — v-neck, scoop, or henley versions are all built as a departure from this baseline, not the other way around. When a buyer asks for 'just a regular tee' with no other spec, a crew neck is what we pull every time.

Because it's the reference point, pros use a crew neck as the control when comparing collar options — how much a v-neck opens up, how deep a scoop drops, all of it gets measured against the crew's collar height and width. It's also the safest default for a mixed order where sizing or fit preference is unknown.

Buyers sometimes assume crew neck means a specific fabric weight or fit, when really it only describes the neckline — a crew neck shows up on lightweight 4.3 oz tees and heavyweight 10 oz fleece alike, with no bearing on the body of the shirt at all.