PC90H vs Gildan 18500: The Crew Hoodie Head-to-Head
When a company asks for "hoodies with our logo that won't blow the budget," the shortlist is two shirts long: the Port & Company PC90H Essential Fleece Hoodie and the Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend Hoodie. We've decorated more than 6,000 of the pair — the PC90H alone has gone out across 400+ separate orders, making it the single most-reordered hoodie in our shop. Here's how they actually compare.
The short answer
The PC90H is our default recommendation — it's the budget hoodie we decorate most, it comes in a tall version (rare at this price), and its color range covers almost any logo.
The 18500 wins when your crew wants room. Gildan's Heavy Blend cut runs boxier and roomier through the body — some crews specifically prefer that old-school fit, and if yours does, it's a great hoodie.
Price-wise they live in the same neighborhood. You won't pick between them on budget; you'll pick on fit, sizes, and program needs.
What the numbers say
Our order history tells the story plainly:
- PC90H: 5,200+ units across 403 orders — the definition of a reorder workhorse. Crews buy it, wear it out, and buy it again.
- 18500: 1,000+ units across 51 orders — a solid seller, usually chosen by teams that tried both and liked the roomier Gildan fit.
Both take decoration beautifully. Screen printing is the workhorse method for hoodie-quantity orders; left-chest embroidery reads more uniform and holds up to years of washing. Full printed layouts — including our silver diamond-plate safety stripes — land cleanly on both fleece faces. If you're weighing print methods for hoodies in detail, our sister site has a deep dive: Custom Hoodies for Heavy Equipment and Construction Companies: Choosing the Right Print Method.
Where each one wins
Pick the PC90H if:
- You have tall crew members — the PC90HT tall cut means your 6'4" foreman gets sleeves that reach.
- You want a zip option in the same family — the PC90ZH full-zip matches it color-for-color, so foremen can take the zip and the crew the pullover, one logo across both.
- Your logo needs a specific color — the PC90H color wall is one of the deepest in the budget-hoodie category.
Pick the 18500 if:
- Your crew prefers a roomy, boxy fit that layers easily over work shirts.
- You're matching other Gildan pieces (tees, crews) already in your program and want one brand across the closet.
Northwest wrinkle: if your crew works outside in our drizzle, look one shelf up at the Gildan 12500 DryBlend hoodie — its moisture-shedding blend dries faster than all-cotton-face fleece — or the Port & Company PC78H Core Fleece, our overall hoodie volume king, for the softest budget option.
Sizes, families, and program planning
Both run S–5XL with 2XL-and-up upcharges (industry standard). The PC90H family's tall option is the quiet program-saver — nothing derails a crew order like discovering two guys need talls and your hoodie doesn't come in one.
Get real numbers
Send your logo and quantities through the request-a-quote form and we'll price the PC90H and 18500 side by side — same artwork, same quantities. Most teams know their answer the moment they see the two quotes together.
