How hemp cloth compares to other clothing options
Draft dated 9 October 2026.
Most hemp-clothing comparison charts are marketing. They print numbers nobody can trace and promises about garments nobody tested. This matrix does the opposite. Every cell says which of three things it is: general textile knowledge, a citation about other people's cloth, or nothing — because we make no claim.
The matrix
| Question | Hemp cloth (general) | Polyester (general) | Conventional cotton (general) | Batch 01 (our garments) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber content | Hemp bast fiber, usually blended for hand and cost | Synthetic fiber made from petroleum-derived polymer | Cotton boll fiber | Hemp blend. Fiber percentage not confirmed until the factory confirms it on the actual goods. |
| Feel when new | Can feel firm when new and soften with washing | Varies widely with construction and finish | Generally soft when new | No feel claim yet. We have not washed or worn the finished goods. |
| Breathability | Hemp fabric is generally breathable | Varies with weave and finish | Generally breathable | No airflow measurement exists for Batch 01 cloth. |
| UV blocking | A 2009 study (Grifoni et al.) measured a UPF around 29 on specific woven hemp fabrics made by others. That is their cloth, tested in their conditions; it says nothing about any garment of ours. | Depends on weave, color, and finish | Depends on weave and color | No UPF claim. We have not tested Batch 01 cloth for UV. |
| Antibacterial / odor | Marketing for hemp often asserts this. We found no test of our cloth, so we print nothing. | Sometimes treated with finishes; varies | No inherent claim we would print | No antibacterial claim. |
| Strength | The line “three times stronger than cotton” circulates widely, and we could not find a primary source we can cite. So we do not repeat it. | Generally strong for its weight | The common baseline | No tensile claim. No test log row is filled. |
| Water / carbon statistics | Numbers vary enormously between studies and regions. Borrowing someone else's number for our cloth would be guesswork. | Derived from fossil feedstock; figures vary by study | Water-intensive in many regions; figures vary by study | We print no water or carbon numbers for Batch 01. |
| Price honesty | Public shelf prices for hemp, polyester, and cotton garments were compared in October 2026 and are listed with sources in the pricing note. | Every Batch 01 price is printed on the shop page with its offer type. See how we priced Batch 01. | ||
How to read the cells
The general columns describe fiber categories as documented in published textile literature and trade practice. They are not Batch 01 test results, and no cell in them is a promise about a garment we sell.
The one cited cell — UV — names its source and its limit in the same breath: a 2009 study measured specific woven hemp fabrics made by other people. A citation about someone else's cloth never becomes a claim about ours. The longer version of this rule is in the hemp blend note.
The Batch 01 column is the shortest one on purpose. It contains what we know about the actual goods: the prices, the blend, and the blanks. When a blank gets filled — a confirmed fiber percentage, a wash trial, a factory date — it will appear here first.
The garments this matrix refuses to oversell are on the shop page, at their real prices, with their real offer types.
Batch 01 checkout styles: Fieldline Tee · Understory Boxer · Understory Boy Short · Fieldline Drawstring Short