What Is Ring Spun Cotton? How It Differs From Regular Cotton
Ring spun cotton is cotton yarn made on a ring spinning frame: rollers draw the fibers out into a thin strand, a spindle twists it, and a small traveler running around a ring guides the yarn onto a bobbin. Next to open-end yarn spun from the same fiber, ring spun yarn is finer, stronger and softer to the touch, but slower and more expensive to make. The term describes how the yarn was spun, not the fiber blend or how much the fabric will shrink.
The Comfort Colors 1717 behind many of our embroidered pet T-shirts is 100% ring spun cotton, so this guide explains what that line on the label tells you and what it does not.
Table of contents
- How is ring spun cotton made?
- What is the difference between ring spun and regular cotton?
- Is ring-spun cotton better than cotton?
- Is ring spun cotton the same as combed cotton?
- Will 100% ring-spun cotton shrink?
- Is ring-spun cotton 100% cotton?
- Where is ring spun cotton used?
- How does ring spun jersey carry an embroidered pet design?
- Frequently asked questions
How is ring spun cotton made?
Ring spun cotton is made in four steps on the ring frame, which Cotton Incorporated lists as fiber supply, drafting, twisting and winding (Cotton Incorporated, TRI 1004). Before that, the cotton is cleaned and carded, and for some yarns combed:
- Roving: the fibers reach the frame as roving, a soft, lightly twisted strand; CottonWorks, Cotton Incorporated’s education site, notes that roving is used only for ring spinning.
- Drafting: rollers turning at rising speeds stretch the roving thinner, by a draft of up to about 30.
- Twisting: the spindle turns the bobbin, which twists the ribbon of fibers leaving the front rollers into yarn.
- Winding: the yarn drags a small clip, the traveler, around a fixed ring and onto the bobbin. Full bobbins need a separate winding step onto a cone before knitting or weaving (CottonWorks, yarn spinning).
Cotton Incorporated describes ring spinning as the method behind most of the world’s yarn since before 1900.
What is the difference between ring spun and regular cotton?
The difference between ring spun and regular cotton is the spinning system, not the fiber. The usual alternative is open-end or rotor spinning, which twists loose fibers into yarn inside a fast-turning rotor, with no roving and no extra winding step. In Cotton Incorporated’s words, a ring yarn forms from the outside in and an open-end yarn from the inside out.
| Property, same fiber | Ring spun | Open-end (rotor) |
|---|---|---|
| How the yarn forms | Twist goes into a drafted ribbon of fibers | Loose fibers collect inside a spinning rotor |
| Fiber alignment | More parallel | Less parallel; surface fibers wrapped at random |
| Strength | Stronger | 10–30% weaker |
| Diameter at the same yarn count | Slimmer | Larger and bulkier |
| Surface hairs | Up to 90% of fiber ends can stick out | 25% or fewer fiber ends stick out |
| Abrasion resistance | Lower | Usually better |
| Fine yarns | Widest count range, very fine counts | Does not perform well above Ne 40/1 |
| Output per spindle | Lower | Up to 10 times higher |
| Cost of the yarn | Higher | Lower |
The first six rows come from Cotton Incorporated’s bulletin, the last three from CottonWorks. The strength gap reaches 25–30% with fibers longer than 1⅛ in (about 29 mm) and narrows with shorter ones.
Is ring-spun cotton better than cotton?
Ring-spun cotton is not better than cotton, because it is cotton; it is a different yarn that is stronger, finer and softer than open-end yarn from the same fiber, while open-end yarn costs less and resists abrasion better.
- Softness: CottonWorks judges the hand of fabrics made from ring spun yarn “second to none.”
- Strength: open-end yarn is 10% to 30% weaker, mainly because its fibers lie less parallel.
- Pilling and wear: ring spun is not automatically the more pill-resistant yarn. Cotton Incorporated finds open-end yarn less hairy, and a 2024 denim study found rotor yarn denim resisted abrasion and pilling better, while ring spun denim had higher tensile and tear strength (Hailemariam and Muhammed, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel).
- Cost: CottonWorks puts the higher cost down to the roving and winding steps and the slower output.
Is ring spun cotton the same as combed cotton?
No. Combing is a preparation step before spinning and ring spun names the spinning system, so a yarn can be carded and ring spun or combed and ring spun. Combing removes short fibers, usually half an inch (13 mm) or shorter, and CottonWorks notes that combed yarns tend to be softer and more durable. An NPTEL course adds that combing removes 8–25% of the cotton as waste, cuts hairiness and costs more than carding (NPTEL, introduction to combing). A label that says “combed ring spun” means both steps.
Will 100% ring-spun cotton shrink?
Yes, 100% ring-spun cotton can shrink, because ring spun describes the yarn, not a pre-shrinking treatment. Cotton fibers swell in water, the knit loops round up as they dry, and tumble drying without tension lets a knit reach its full drying shrinkage (Cotton Incorporated, ISP 1009).
The spinning system changes little here: the same guide reports that rotor spun yarns “do not typically yield significant different length shrinkage values” from ring spun ones, though their fabrics show less torque, the twist that can pull a knit out of square. Mills control shrinkage with relaxation drying and compaction, so look for the maker’s pre-shrunk claim and keep dryer cycles short. If a cotton top has already shrunk, our guide on how to unshrink a sweatshirt works better on 100% cotton than on blends.
Is ring-spun cotton 100% cotton?
Not always: ring spun names the spinning method, and polyester and polyester-cotton blends “are commonly processed on ring spinning machines,” as Textile Excellence puts it.
Read the fiber content on the label. The FTC’s labeling guide requires generic fiber names with percentages by weight, in descending order; extra words such as “ring spun” may appear if they are not misleading. Content can also change by color within one style: our Gildan 18000 sweatshirts are 50% cotton and 50% polyester in solid colors and 60% polyester and 40% cotton in heathers.
Where is ring spun cotton used?
Ring spun cotton is used where a fine, soft or strong yarn matters:
- T-shirts: the Comfort Colors 1717 we embroider is 100% ring spun US cotton. How a tee compares with heavier fleece for a pet design is in our sweatshirt, hoodie or T-shirt guide.
- Denim: ring spinning was the denim makers’ method until the 1970s, when the industry turned to open-end (Denimhunters). Today more than 95% of U.S. denim yarn is rotor spun (CottonWorks), so ring spun denim is the exception, kept for its uneven, slubby texture.
- Fine yarns: ring frames excel at very fine counts, while open-end yarn does not perform well above Ne 40/1.
How does ring spun jersey carry an embroidered pet design?
Ring spun jersey gives an embroidered design a soft base to sit on. Our T-shirt designs go on the Comfort Colors 1717, which the maker lists at 6.1 oz/yd² (about 207 g/m²) and garment dyes after sewing for “almost no shrinkage at home,” in its own words. We stitch each design onto that jersey and choose thread colors that stand out on the shirt shade, as our Comfort Colors 1717 color guide shows. Measurements for every size are in the Comfort Colors 1717 size chart.
Frequently asked questions
Is ring spun cotton soft?
Yes. CottonWorks rates the feel of fabric made from ring spun yarn at the top of the spinning systems it compares. Combing, fabric weight and finishing also change how a particular shirt feels.
Why is ring spun cotton more expensive?
Ring spinning needs a roving step and a separate winding step, and each spindle produces less yarn. Open-end spinning skips both steps and makes up to 10 times as much yarn per spindle, so its yarn costs less.
How should you wash a ring spun cotton T-shirt?
Wash it cold and inside out with like colors, and tumble dry low or hang it to dry, because long tumbling shrinks cotton knits. On an embroidered tee, skip bleach and never iron directly on the stitches; our guide on how to wash embroidered clothing has the full routine.
