Comfort Colors 1717: Size Chart, Color Chart, and Shrinkage

Key Takeaways

• The 1717 barely shrinks at home because it shrinks during garment dyeing, before it ships.
• It runs true to size and a little short; size up for an oversized look or more length.
• Pepper is the faded charcoal black; Black is darker and solid.
• Batches vary, so order shirts that must match together.
• No minimum: order one shirt.

Table of Contents

• What Is the Comfort Colors 1717?
• Do Comfort Colors Shirts Shrink? What Garment Dyeing Does
• Comfort Colors 1717 Size Chart in Inches and cm
• Comfort Colors Color Chart: Every 1717 Color, S to 4XL
• How Big Can a Logo Be on a Comfort Colors 1717?
• Is the Comfort Colors 1717 the Same From Batch to Batch?
• Other Comfort Colors Styles We Carry
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Order the Comfort Colors 1717 With Your Logo

The Comfort Colors 1717 is a 6.1 oz, 100% ring-spun cotton t-shirt that is sewn from undyed cotton and dyed afterward, as a finished shirt. That one step gives it the faded, worn-in color people buy it for, a soft feel from the first wear, and little shrinking at home. It runs true to size, with a relaxed cut that is shorter than a Gildan 5000 or Bella + Canvas 3001. We carry it in 67 colors as of October 2026, and every color is listed in every size from small to 4XL.

What Is the Comfort Colors 1717?

The Comfort Colors 1717 is the short-sleeve tee the maker sells as its Heavyweight T-Shirt. Everything in the table comes from the maker's spec sheet, except the color count, which comes from our live product page.

At 6.1 oz, the 1717 is heavier than a Gildan Heavy Cotton 5000 (5.3 oz) or a Bella + Canvas 3001 (4.2 oz). The YouTube reviewer leaveittofeebs, who runs a clothing brand, said it "still feels pretty light" next to heavier streetwear shirts. Next to other shirts sold for printing, though, they rated it on the heavier side.

You can shop custom t-shirts to compare the 1717 with every other tee we print.

Do Comfort Colors Shirts Shrink? What Garment Dyeing Does

The Comfort Colors 1717 shrinks little at home, because most of its shrinking happens at the factory. Garment dyed means the shirt is knit and sewn in undyed cotton, then dyed as a finished shirt and dried. Cotton knit shrinks most in hot water and a hot dryer, and garment dyeing puts the sewn shirt through both before it ships. The maker's spec sheet says Comfort Colors styles are garment dyed "for a lived-in feel with minimal shrinkage."

Cotton Incorporated, the cotton industry's research and promotion company, measured this in its technical bulletin on garment dyeing (TRI 3003, 2001). Its test shirts were knit from fabric without the usual shrinkage treatment, and they came out of garment dyeing about 22% shorter. A standard test of five home washes and tumble dries at 120°F predicted almost the same loss, 21.5%. In other words, garment dyeing used up about as much shrinkage as five home washes and dries would have.

The same bulletin notes that drying garment-dyed clothes in a tumble dryer gives them a soft feel. That matches what reviewers say about the 1717 feeling broken in on day one.

Wearers say Comfort Colors tees hold their size. In a Reddit thread about a band's merch table, a fan said every shirt there was a Comfort Colors tee. Another buyer said the two shirts their household bought "have not changed in size" after several washes. A hot dryer can still take a little more, so tumble dry on low if a shirt fits the way you want.

Comfort Colors 1717 Size Chart in Inches and cm

The 1717 runs from a small that measures 18 1/4 inches across the chest to a 4XL at 29 3/4 inches. Chest is measured with the shirt laid flat, armpit to armpit. Length runs from the top of the shoulder at the collar to the bottom hem.

The maker allows 1 inch either way on the chest and 1 1/4 inches on length, so two same-size shirts can differ.

On the body, leaveittofeebs called the fit "pretty true to size" and suggested one size up for a vintage look. Kerry Egeler of Shirt School wore a large in both the 1717 and the Bella + Canvas 3001. The 1717 came out "quite a bit shorter" and boxier, with roomier sleeves, and Egeler said a loose streetwear fit might take one size up. The Hai Life, on a 5-foot-3 wearer, found the small a little tight at the shoulders and the medium looser but "not boxy."

Order your usual size for the relaxed fit the shirt was cut for. Go up one only if you want it big or need more length, never to allow for shrinking. Our t-shirt sizing chart turns a chest measurement into a size and sets the 1717 beside a Gildan and a Bella + Canvas tee.

Comfort Colors Color Chart: Every 1717 Color, S to 4XL

All 67 Comfort Colors 1717 colors we carry (October 2026) are listed in all seven sizes, small through 4XL. A few color and size pairs sell out at times, most often 4XL, so check your group's sizes are in stock before picking a color. We grouped them below by how each looks on our product photos, because several names do not match the color you might expect.

On our photos, Pepper reads as a faded charcoal. In a review of the 1717, leaveittofeebs credited Pepper's "aged vintage black look" for making it "the most popular one with people" among the colors. Black, in the same review, was "a true black," with none of the washed look the reviewer had expected. Graphite sits between the two on our photos, darker than Pepper and lighter than Black.

A few other names mislead. Sage and Moss are both deep olive greens, Grape reads as a slate blue, and Khaki and Sandstone lean olive more than beige. Ivory is a warm off-white beside White.

Every color has its own photo on the product page. Screens shift color, though, so treat any photo as a close guide to the shade you will receive.

How Big Can a Logo Be on a Comfort Colors 1717?

The 1717 takes every customization method we offer, and its logo spots match the standard spots on most adult tees we print. A full-color print can run up to 13 x 17 inches on the full front or full back. Embroidery and patches go up to 4 x 4 inches at the left or right chest. These are production limits, and your emailed design proof confirms the exact size before we make anything.

Our DTF printing comparison for t-shirts covers how our full-color Printing is priced at different quantities and how it wears. To try your logo on the 1717, shop the Comfort Colors 1717 and open the Design Studio from its page.

Is the Comfort Colors 1717 the Same From Batch to Batch?

The 1717 can vary from one batch to the next, and the print shops that handle it say so. Their complaints are about length, the neck opening, and how thick the cotton feels.

In a September 2026 r/SCREENPRINTING thread, printers described new batches that felt thinner than earlier ones. One printer has had shirts returned because the necks were "too small to fit a head through," and others raised the neck too. An April 2025 thread there reported larges shorter than the year before, and one shop measured an entire order because of it. Many keep stocking the shirt anyway, because, as one put it, "customers request them by name."

A few ordering habits lower the odds of a mismatch:

• Order shirts that need to match at the same time, rather than topping up months later.
• When length matters, pick a size whose chart length is still long enough at 1 1/4 inches shorter.
• To check fit or color first, order one finished shirt; there is no minimum, though a one-shirt order is not refundable. A full order placed months later can come from a newer batch, so place it soon after the test shirt fits. You can also ask us for an undecorated sample shirt for a small fee plus shipping.

Other Comfort Colors Styles We Carry

Three more Comfort Colors styles share the 1717's garment-dyed finish, and a team can mix them in one order. The long sleeve, the pocket tee, and the crewneck all stop at 3XL.

The 6030 pocket tee has no left chest, center chest, or full front spot, so a big front print belongs on the 1717.

The 6014 adds a full-sleeve print and a cuff spot that the short-sleeve shirts lack. The same design at the same size, method, and spot on a 1717 and a 6014 counts as one design group. Both shirts then count toward one quantity for volume pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Comfort Colors 1717 run big or small?

It runs true to size with a relaxed cut, which Shirt School found boxy and The Hai Life did not. It is shorter than a Gildan 5000 or Bella + Canvas 3001 in the same size, so tall wearers may want one size up. Otherwise, size up only for an oversized look. The shirt barely shrinks at home, so there is no need to buy bigger for the wash.

Is the Comfort Colors 1717 good quality?

Yes, for a tee that is meant to feel soft and worn in from the first day. It is 6.1 oz of 100% ring-spun cotton, garment dyed, and it holds its size in the wash. The one caveat is consistency: printers report some batches running thinner, shorter, or snug at the neck.

Is the Comfort Colors 1717 100% cotton?

Yes. The maker's spec sheet lists 100% ring-spun cotton at 6.1 oz per square yard, with no color exceptions. The 6014 long sleeve and the 6030 pocket tee are the same cotton. The 1566 crewneck sweatshirt is the exception in the family, at 80% cotton and 20% polyester.

Can you embroider a Comfort Colors shirt?

Yes. We embroider the 1717 up to 4 x 4 inches at the chest or upper back. Sleeves take up to 3.5 x 3.5 inches, and bigger designs, like a full front, are printed instead.

Should I order Comfort Colors Pepper, Graphite, or Black?

Pepper is a faded charcoal with a washed, vintage look. Graphite is a deeper charcoal, and Black is darker and more solid than both. Pick Pepper for the vintage look, Graphite for a darker washed look, and Black when a light logo needs the strongest contrast.

Order the Comfort Colors 1717 With Your Logo

The Comfort Colors 1717 suits a buyer who wants a soft, faded tee in a deep color range and a relaxed cut. Pick your usual size, choose a color, and order a full group in one go so the shirts match.

To design one, open the 1717 from our t-shirt collection and press "Start designing". Choose a side and a customization method, upload a PNG or JPEG of your logo, and see it on the shirt before you order. There is no minimum order, and we charge no setup or artwork fee. The price is the shirt plus each decorated spot, and it drops as the quantity of one design grows.

After you order, we email a design proof within 1 to 2 business days, with unlimited revisions. Standard production is 2 to 3 weeks for Printing and embroidery and 4 to 6 weeks for patches, from proof approval. If you need it sooner, ask us about rush before you order. We offer free U.S. shipping.

Browse custom t-shirts →

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