Textile Glossary · Construction · Knitting Method
Tubular Knit
Tubular knitting produces fabric as a continuous seamless tube on a circular knitting machine, eliminating the need for side seams in garment construction.
Understanding the Term
Seamless tubes of fabric.
Circular knitting machines naturally produce fabric as a tube. The fabric can be kept tubular (used directly for garment bodies) or slit open to create flat fabric panels that are then cut and sewn.
Tubular construction eliminates side seams entirely. The garment body is a single, continuous piece of fabric with no joins along the sides. This reduces potential irritation points, simplifies construction, and can reduce material waste.
However, tubular knitting limits garment shaping. The tube diameter is fixed by the machine's circumference, so sizes must be managed by using different machines or by stretching the tube — which can compromise fabric consistency.
Why It Matters
Seamless vs. side-seamed construction.
Two approaches to building a t-shirt body.
01
Comfort
No side seams means no ridge of fabric pressing against your sides. For people sensitive to seam irritation, tubular construction is genuinely more comfortable.
02
Clean Appearance
Seamless sides create a cleaner visual line. There's no visible stitching running from armpit to hem.
03
Fit Limitations
Fixed tube diameter means less control over the garment's width profile. Side-seamed construction allows shaped panels that taper or flare as the design requires.
Our Standard
Side-seamed for precision fit.
We cut flat panels and join them with clean side seams. This gives us full control over the garment's width at every point — chest, waist, hem. Tubular construction would limit our ability to refine the fit profile across our M–3XL size range.
M–3XL
Size Range
Precision fit at every size through panel construction
Related Terms
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Common Questions
Tubular knit — your questions, answered.
Understanding seamless construction.
For basic tees in limited sizes, it can be great — seamless comfort with simpler construction. For a premium brand offering M–3XL with a refined fit profile, side-seamed construction offers more control.
See It in Practice
Precision-cut panels.
Purpose-built fit.
Side seams done right are invisible. The fit is not.
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