Fleece fabrics are a cornerstone of modern sportswear, prized for their warmth, softness, and versatility. In this collection, you’ll find both single sided fleece fabric and double sided fleece fabric options engineered for performance. Understanding the difference is key: single-sided fleece (one fuzzy face, one smooth back) offers lighter weight and breathability, whereas double-sided fleece (also called double faced fleece) provides plush insulation on both sides for maximum warmth. Sportek’s range covers everything from lightweight micro-fleece to heavy-duty “Mammoth” fleece, ensuring the ideal solution whether you’re lining a hoodie or crafting an outdoor jacket. Each fabric is designed to wrap athletes in comfort without restricting movement, making these activewear fleece fabric choices as hard-working as the people who wear them.
Single-Sided vs Double-Sided Fleece Fabrics
Single-sided fleece fabrics feature a soft, brushed pile on one side and a smooth knit on the other. This construction is perfect for garments that require a sleek outer surface or inner lining against the skin. By concentrating the plush loft on one side, single-sided fleece is often lighter and more breathable – ideal for mid-layers, linings, or any application where reduced bulk is desired. In contrast, double-sided fleece fabric has a fluffy, insulating pile on both faces. This double warmth makes it popular for blankets, jackets, and reversible activewear where both surfaces provide coziness. Whether single- or double-faced, all our fleeces are engineered for stretch performance, durability, and ease of sewing (thanks to stable knit constructions). Sportek International ensures even heavy fleeces maintain a performance fleece fabric quality – meaning they trap heat efficiently while remaining pliable and resilient after many wash cycles.
Benefits of Performance Fleece Fabrics
Our advanced fleece textiles deliver a balance of properties critical for sports and outdoor apparel. Key benefits include:
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Warmth Without Weight: Fleece’s high loft traps air, providing excellent thermal insulation relative to its weight. Even a micro fleece for sportswear can keep you warm during chilly morning runs by holding in body heat. Heavier fleeces (like our Mammoth or 300 GSM options) offer serious warmth for cold conditions, yet modern fibers ensure you won’t feel weighed down.
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Softness & Comfort: These fabrics are renowned for their cozy hand-feel. The brushed surfaces are ultra-soft against the skin, making fleece perfect for hoodies, jackets, and even fleece-lined leggings. Athletes and casual wearers alike appreciate the gentle touch, whether it’s a plush sports fleece textile for an outer layer or a smooth-face fleece lining that prevents chafing.
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Durability & Quality: High-quality fleece resists pilling and abrasion, so your gear looks new longer. Our collection includes anti-pilling finishes and consistent dye quality for long-lasting performance. Whether it’s pure polyester fleece or a TC fleece blend (polyester/cotton for added strength and natural feel), you can count on durability through intense workouts and repeated washings.
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4-Way Stretch Performance: Many of Sportek’s fleece fabrics incorporate spandex or specialized knit structures for excellent stretch and recovery. This stretch fleece for sportswear moves with you, offering unrestricted mobility for activities like running, skiing, or training sessions. The combination of spandex and fleece (as seen in our Pro-Stretch line) yields what we call “thermal stretch” – insulation that bends and flexes. For example, our Thermal Air-Flow Stretch Fleece provides the cozy warmth of polar fleece combined with the flexible 4-way stretch of spandex, so athletes stay warm without sacrificing range of motion.
Sportswear & Activewear Applications
Performance fleece fabrics have become go-to materials in a wide array of sportswear and outdoor gear. In activewear fashion, designers use fleece for everything from classic hoodies and joggers to technical performance jackets. For instance, single-sided fleece is common in athletic hoodies or sweatshirt interiors – a smooth outer face with a brushed inner backing for softness. Double sided fleece fabric shines in outerwear jackets and cold-weather mid-layers, where both sides of the textile add warmth (and the garment could even be reversible). Lightweight micro-fleece for sportswear works great for base layers, breathable leggings or running tops, giving a touch of insulation without overheating the athlete. On the flip side, our heavyweight fleeces can be used in outdoor gear like trail jackets, camping blankets, or thermal liners for gloves and hats. Some fleece in this collection is bonded fleece for sportswear applications – meaning it’s laminated to an additional layer (like a windproof membrane or stretch jersey) to create a two-in-one fabric. Bonded fleeces are popular for softshell jackets and training pants, offering warmth inside with a smooth, protective exterior. No matter the sport or season, there’s an appropriate fleece: moisture-wicking grid fleeces for high-sweat activities, wind-resistant bonded fleeces for alpine wear, and everything in between.
Advanced Fleece Fabric Technologies
What sets Sportek’s advanced fleece fabric collection apart is the integration of cutting-edge textile technologies. Many of our fleece textiles are polyester-spandex blends that boast functional enhancements: - Moisture Management: Stay dry during intense workouts. Our fleeces leverage moisture-wicking yarns and finishes (such as MaxDri® technology) to pull sweat away from the body. This keeps athletes comfortable and helps regulate temperature. Paired with the inherently quick-drying nature of polyester fleece, these fabrics excel in active environments where managing moisture is crucial.
- Breathable “Grid” Fleece: For high-performance needs, we offer spandex grid polar fleece styles. These fabrics have a specialized grid or waffle pattern on the inner side that creates channels for airflow. Why choose a grid fleece? The grid construction enhances breathability and reduces weight while still trapping warmth in the fleece squares. It’s a technology inspired by leading brands (think Polartec® Power Grid), delivering warmth without overheating. The added spandex ensures the fleece stretches easily, making it perfect for athletes who need both insulation and ventilation during activity. Why choose spandex grid polar fleece? It offers a triple advantage – warmth, breathability, and stretch – ideal for demanding training sessions or alpine adventures where standard fleece might be too bulky or sweaty.
- Anti-Pilling & Finishes: All our performance fleeces come with quality finishes. An anti-pilling surface treatment keeps the fabric looking new by preventing those unwanted fuzz balls, even after rigorous use and wash cycles. We also provide options with anti-microbial treatments (to fight odor) and UV protective coatings for sunny outdoor pursuits. These technical fleeces aren’t just warm and stretchy – they’re smart fabrics designed to support athletic performance (for example, advanced fleece fabric with both thermal and compression properties for muscle support).
- Prepared for Print & Custom Dyes: Uniquely, Sportek’s fleece collection includes PFP (Prepared For Print) white fabrics that are ready for sublimation printing. This is a huge advantage for sports team apparel and brand merchandising – you can apply vibrant custom prints or logos that won’t fade. We also offer dyed-to-match fleece programs, delivering fabrics in your exact brand colors with consistency. In short, these fleeces are not only high-tech in performance but also highly adaptable to your creative needs.
B2B Wholesale Supply & Custom Sourcing Solutions
Sportek International is a global leader in performance textiles, proudly supplying high-quality technical fabrics to the activewear market for over two decades. Our fleece collection is backed by a B2B-focused service model. If you’re an apparel manufacturer, sportswear brand, or product developer, we have you covered with wholesale fleece supply and custom sourcing solutions. Here’s what we offer to our business clients:
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Wholesale Fleece Fabric Supply: All the Sportek fabric in this collection is available in bulk with competitive wholesale pricing. Whether you need a few rolls of sports fleece textile for a limited run or container-loads for a national product line, we can accommodate orders of all sizes. Our inventory spans a wide range of weights (from light micro-fleece to heavy polar fleece) and compositions (polyester, poly/spandex, blends like TC poly-cotton fleece) so you can source exactly what your design and budget require. We maintain rigorous quality control for consistent color and performance across lots, meaning your production runs will be reliable and repeatable.
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Manufacturer Support & Solutions: Sportek’s team works closely with clothing manufacturers to ensure our fabrics meet your specifications. Need a specific GSM or a particular finish? Looking for flame-retardant fleece for safety apparel or a bonded fleece for sportswear outer shell? We provide technical data sheets, fabric test reports, and even prototypes to align with your tech pack. Our experts can advise on the best fleece option for your project – for example, recommending a certain double sided fleece fabric for a reversible jacket, or a single-sided fleece with smooth face for printing a team logo. We understand factors like shrinkage, colorfastness, and hand-feel are crucial, and we ensure our materials check all the boxes.
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Custom Fabric Development: Beyond our in-stock selection, we excel in custom fabric sourcing and development. Through our Fabric Outsourcing program, we can develop custom fleece textiles tailored to your needs – be it a unique color, an advanced fleece fabric with a special fiber blend, or an eco-friendly recycled fleece. With global mill partnerships, Sportek can coordinate specialty production runs (with MOQs in mind) that deliver on your exact requirements. We offer dyed-to-match services, PFP white fleece ready for your prints, and even spandex grid polar fleece designs exclusive to your brand. This end-to-end solution makes us more than just a supplier; we’re a partner in your supply chain, ensuring you get the right fabric at the right time.
When you choose Sportek as your fleece fabric supplier, you’re tapping into a network known for innovation, consistent quality, and dependable delivery. Top athletic brands choose our fabrics for a reason – we help them create garments that outperform the competition, both in the showroom and in the field.
Fleece Fabric FAQ
What exactly is single-side fleece?
Single-sided fleece refers to a fleece fabric that has been brushed to create a fluffy, insulating nap on only one side of the material. The opposite side remains unbrushed (smooth). This construction makes the fabric lighter and often more breathable than double-sided fleece, since only one side has loft. Single-side fleece is commonly used when a garment needs a technical outer face or lining – for example, the smooth side can face outward for a clean look or easy printing, while the soft fleece side faces inward for warmth and comfort. It’s popular in products like sweatshirt interiors, lightweight jackets, or as a lining material, where you want the coziness of fleece without the bulk on both sides.
Which side of fleece is the right side?
The “right side” of a fleece fabric depends on how it’s designed and intended to be used. With single sided fleece fabric, typically the smooth, un-brushed side is considered the right side (the outward-facing side), especially if that side is anti-pill or meant for printing. The brushed side would then face inward to provide warmth and a soft feel against the skin. However, this isn’t a strict rule – some designs intentionally use the fuzzy side outward for aesthetic or extra plushness. In double sided fleece, both sides have a fleece nap, so both are usable as a right side. Often, manufacturers will choose the side with the better finish (for example, the side with anti-pilling treatment or a finer appearance) to face outward. When working with fleece, check if the fabric has an obvious difference between sides. If one side is smoother or printed, that’s usually the public-facing side. Otherwise, you can choose whichever face best suits your design, since double faced fleece has no clearly “wrong” side.
Why choose spandex grid polar fleece?
Choosing a spandex grid polar fleece is ideal for high-performance athletic and outdoor apparel. This type of fleece integrates a grid pattern (usually on the inner surface) with spandex-enhanced knit construction. The grid design serves two major benefits: breathability and weight reduction. Channels between fleece squares allow excess heat and moisture to escape, keeping you drier during intense activity. At the same time, it maintains pockets of warmth, so you get warmth without excessive bulk – a key advantage over traditional solid fleece. The added spandex gives the material 4-way stretch, meaning garments made from grid fleece can move with your body during training, climbing, or any dynamic motion. In short, spandex grid polar fleece is a top choice when you need a fabric that delivers insulation, moisture management, and flexibility all at once. Athletes and outdoor enthusiasts choose it for mid-layer pullovers, thermal leggings, or expedition weight hoodies because it keeps them comfortable across a range of conditions – from exertion to rest. If you value freedom of movement and adaptive thermoregulation in your gear, a grid fleece is a smart pick.
