The White T-Shirt Experiment is White Tee Lab’s long-term comparison of white T-shirts through documented product research, standardised measurements, repeated washing, controlled photography and everyday wear.
The aim is not to reproduce a laboratory textile test. It is to examine how different T-shirts perform under consistent but realistic conditions – and to make the process transparent enough for readers to understand how each conclusion was reached.
On this page:
Test rounds
The White T-Shirt Experiment is organised into comparison rounds of typically eight T-shirts. Each round is built around a particular question about the everyday white T-shirt while using the same core testing method.
The first round establishes a broad baseline. Later rounds introduce a more specific focus – revolving around for example fabric weight, alternative cotton sources, premium fibres and construction, or textile technologies. The aim is not to create laboratory-controlled groups, but to make each comparison sufficiently focused to reveal useful differences.
Product research
Before testing begins, I collect publicly available information for each T-shirt. This may include:
- Fibre composition and cotton claims
- Fabric weight and construction
- Country of production
- Cotton origin
- Certifications
- Manufacturing facilities
- Finishing treatments
- Care instructions
- Retail price
As I live in Denmark, I record the regular retail price available to Danish consumers at the time of purchase. Where no Danish price is available, I use the regular European retail price and convert other currencies to euros for comparison. Shipping, import charges, temporary sales and discount codes are not included.
When relevant information is not publicly available, I contact the brand’s customer service with product-specific questions. If the initial response is incomplete, I send one follow-up requesting that the enquiry be forwarded to the relevant team. Where an official press or sustainability contact is readily available, I may also make one final enquiry there. I do not undertake extensive searches for individual employees or unpublished contact details. The assessment therefore reflects the information reasonably available to a persistent consumer, including any documentation the brand chooses to share.
I record information stated by a brand as a brand claim unless it is supported by certification, supply-chain documentation or another independent source.
Brand transparency
The brand transparency rating considers whether the brand responds to my inquiry, how directly and specifically it answers questions, and whether it provides meaningful information beyond what is already available on the product page. Questions may concern cotton origin, certification, manufacturing locations, suppliers, fabric production and finishing processes.
Three scores are used:
● High — The brand responds substantively and provides specific, useful product-level information beyond its published material. This may include documentation, but can also include clear and detailed clarification of supply-chain, production or finishing details.
● Medium — The brand responds and provides some useful product-specific information, but important questions remain unanswered, documentation is not provided, or the information remains limited.
● Low — The brand does not respond, or its response provides little or no meaningful additional product-specific information.
The rating is not a sustainability score. A highly transparent brand is not necessarily more sustainable, and a low rating does not mean that a product was made irresponsibly. Nor does a high transparency rating mean that every claim has been independently verified. Supporting documentation, certifications and supply-chain traceability are considered separately.
In simple terms, the score asks: how much more can a consumer actually find out when they ask?
Traceability assessment
Information about materials and production becomes more meaningful when the underlying supply chain can be identified and evidenced. This is why traceability matters. It does not show whether a T-shirt is sustainable; it shows how much we can know about where and how it was made.
Based on information on the T-shirt’s product page and additional information provided by the brand in response to my enquiries, I assess five stages of the supply chain for each T-shirt:
- Cotton origin — where the cotton was grown.
- Spinning — where the cotton fibres were spun into yarn.
- Knitting — where the yarn was knitted into fabric.
- Dyeing / finishing — where the fabric or garment was dyed and any finishing processes were carried out.
- Garment manufacturing — where the fabric was cut, sewn and assembled into the finished T-shirt.
Each of the five stages is scored 0, 0.5 or 1 point:
A disclosed country of manufacture is useful context, but does not by itself identify the garment factory or earn points for stage 5.
Selecting the size
I focus on white T-shirts marketed primarily to men. Large is my default size, but I choose a different size when a brand’s sizing or intended fit makes that more appropriate. Where a “long” or extended version is available, I generally prefer that.
The size tested is reported for every T-shirt.
Baseline measurements
Each T-shirt is measured before it is worn or washed. The full baseline assessment records garment weight and key dimensions, while selected measurements are repeated after the first wash and the full set again after ten washes.
Measurements are recorded in centimetres (cm), and garment weight in grams (g). On individual review pages, measurements can be displayed in either metric or US units.
Measurements are recorded to 0.1 cm, but this should not be interpreted as millimetre-level accuracy. A soft garment can shift slightly depending on how it is laid out and positioned. I therefore use the same measuring points, surface and procedure each time, with the aim of making changes over time as comparable as possible.
The baseline assessment includes:
- Garment weight – the weight of the T-shirt.
- Body length – measured vertically from the highest point of the shoulder next to the collar to the bottom hem.
- Chest width – measured straight across the chest, approximately 2.5 cm below the armhole, edge to edge.
- Shoulder width – measured straight across from shoulder seam to shoulder seam.
- Sleeve length – measured from the shoulder seam to the end of the sleeve.
- Hem width – measured straight across the bottom of the garment from edge to edge.
Together with chest width, hem width helps document whether the body of the T-shirt is straight or tapered.
Construction details, including the fabric, collar, shoulder seams, side seams, hems and internal finishing, are also documented. All measurements are taken with the garment laid flat on the same surface and positioned as consistently as possible.
Photography
Before testing, each T-shirt is photographed using a consistent camera position, background and lighting setup.
The photographs document both the overall shape of the garment and key details, including:
- Collar and ribbing
- Shoulder construction
- Side seams
- Sleeve and bottom hems
- Fabric surface
- Labels and care instructions
The same setup is repeated for later comparison photographs, making changes in shape, colour and fabric structure easier to assess.
Everyday wear
I wear all T-shirts in everyday life. Rather than counting only “wear days”, I record the approximate number of hours each T-shirt is worn, since a wear day might otherwise mean anything from a few hours to a full day and night.
As a general target, I wear a T-shirt for approximately 10–12 hours before washing. Wear hours include all time worn on the body, including daytime use and sleep, and longer or shorter periods are recorded in the wear log.
Within each comparison round, I aim for the T-shirts to accumulate broadly similar amounts of wear before final conclusions are drawn. Significant stains, accidental damage or unusually strenuous use are noted where relevant.
In the test notes I record unusual events that may affect a tee – such as a significant stain, accidental damage or unusually strenuous use.
Because this is a real-world test, temperature, activity level and other wearing conditions cannot be made identical. Recording wear hours reduces this variation but does not remove it.
Washing and drying
All T-shirts in a comparison round are washed and dried under the same conditions:
- Washed at 30°C using the same cotton programme and a spin speed of 1,000 rpm
- Same washing machine
- Same detergent
- No fabric softener
- Air-dried, never tumble-dried
I wash all T-shirts at home in Copenhagen, where the water is relatively hard. This forms part of the real-world test environment and may be relevant when comparing the results with experiences from areas with softer water.
Laundry loads cannot be made completely identical, but I keep the washing procedure as consistent as practically possible.
Any departures from the normal procedure are noted alongside the results.
Repeated assessment
The standard assessment points are when new, after the first wash and after ten washes. The first-wash assessment captures immediate changes, while the ten-wash assessment provides the main basis for evaluating longer-term wash performance.
At these points, I assess visible aspects of construction and appearance:
- Collar shape and deformation
- Twisting or skew
- Pilling and surface wear
- Colour change or greying
Other visible changes are recorded qualitatively when relevant. Changes in overall fit are documented separately through measurements and standardized fit photographs and video.
Visual scoring
Some aspects of a T-shirt cannot be captured meaningfully by measurements alone. To make visual observations more consistent and easier to compare across T-shirts and over time, I use a simple four-point scale from 0 to 3.
Collar distortion, twisting/skew and pilling are scored when the T-shirt is new, after the first wash and after ten washes. Transparency is assessed separately when new and after ten washes using the same standardized photographic setup.
The scores are descriptive rather than an overall quality rating. A higher score simply means that the characteristic is more pronounced.
How conclusions are reached
No single characteristic determines whether a T-shirt is “the best”. Different qualities can involve trade-offs: a durable T-shirt may be less soft, a lightweight one more transparent, and strong construction does not necessarily go together with strong supply-chain transparency.
I therefore consider fit and comfort, construction, wash performance and durability, product-level traceability, sustainability evidence, brand transparency and overall value. The emphasis may vary between comparison rounds depending on what the round is designed to examine.
Each review presents the evidence behind the assessment so readers can decide which qualities matter most to them.
WTL Rating
Each completed review includes a WTL Rating: an overall assessment of the T-shirt on a 1–5 scale.
Limitations
The White T-Shirt Experiment is a long-term real-world test based on my own wear and use, not a controlled scientific trial.
The results show how the tested garments perform under one documented set of conditions. They cannot establish how every example of a product will perform, account for manufacturing variation between batches or predict results for every body type, climate and washing routine.
I also cannot independently verify every claim made about complex global supply chains. Where documentation is incomplete or uncertain, I try to make that clear rather than fill the gaps with assumptions.
Independence and corrections
I assess all T-shirts using the same published method, regardless of brand, price or how the product was obtained. All garments are tested new, and I typically purchase them myself.
Any gifted products, affiliate links or other commercial relationships are clearly disclosed. Brands have no influence over how a T-shirt is tested, what conclusions I publish or what rating I give.
The methods used in The White T-Shirt Experiment may be refined as the project develops. Significant changes will be documented, and factual errors corrected openly.