Choose poly-cotton if your wearers want a firm, durable scrub that keeps its shape and colour through regular washing. Choose poly-viscose stretch if they want a softer, more fitted set that moves with the body. Those are the two fabrics we cut our scrubs in, and picking a scrub fabric for scrubs brand launches usually comes down to who will wear the set, how often it is washed and how it will be sold.
How the two fabrics compare
Both fabrics work for all four of our scrub styles: the unisex set, the women’s fit set, jogger scrubs and the scrub cap. The difference is in how the garment feels, hangs and moves.
| Poly-cotton | Poly-viscose stretch | |
|---|---|---|
| Hand feel | Firm and smooth, with a crisp finish | Softer, with a smoother drape |
| Movement | Holds its shape; relies on the cut for ease | Gives with movement, so a closer fit stays comfortable |
| Look after washing | Keeps its shape and colour well through regular washing | Keeps a soft feel; check the sample after a few washes |
| Styles it suits most | Unisex sets, standard uniform colours | Women’s fit sets, jogger scrubs |
| Typical buyer | Uniform shops, medical suppliers | Scrubs brands selling to individual wearers |
Neither is right or wrong. A hospital department that issues sets to every member of staff and launders them in bulk has different needs from a nurse buying one fitted set for herself online.
Who each fabric suits
Uniform programmes and bulk supply
Medical suppliers and uniform shops tend to prefer poly-cotton. The fabric is forgiving across a wide range of body shapes when paired with the unisex cut, and it looks the same on the hundredth wear as on the tenth. When a supplier needs one colour across a whole ward or clinic group, a firm fabric that holds its colour helps the sets keep matching over time.
Brands selling to individual wearers
Scrubs brands that sell direct, through their own store or a marketplace, often lead with poly-viscose stretch. People buying scrubs for themselves compare feel and fit, and a softer fabric with some give is easier to describe in a listing. Stretch also suits the women’s fit set, which is shaped at the waist, and jogger scrubs, which taper to an elasticated ankle cuff.
Mixed ranges
Some brands offer both. A common approach is a poly-cotton unisex set as the everyday core line and a stretch women’s fit or jogger set as the step-up option. Each style counts towards its own minimum of 50 pieces, so plan a mixed range around how many styles you can sell through.
Matching fabric to style and branding
Fabric choice affects more than feel. It also shapes how your branding sits on the garment.
- Embroidery suits a chest logo on the top and a small mark on the cap. On poly-cotton it sits flat and crisp. On stretch fabric we confirm the size and backing on your sample so the area around the logo does not pucker.
- Heat transfer suits small logos on stretch fabric, where it moves with the garment.
- Scrub caps can be cut from the same fabric and colour as the top and trousers, so a set matches. If you sell caps separately, many brands still match the main colours of the set.
Colour and fabric together
We make scrubs in solid colours from the fabric options, and the colour split per style is confirmed at quotation. Two things are worth knowing before you choose.
First, the same colour name can look slightly different in poly-cotton and in poly-viscose stretch, because the fibres take dye differently and the surface reflects light differently. If you sell both fabrics in the same colour, approve both swatches side by side.
Second, darker colours such as navy, black and deep green hide everyday marks, while lighter colours such as ceil blue or white show the cut and stitching more clearly. Your choice depends on your market. Fabric is sourced to your approved swatch, so the swatch you sign off is the reference for bulk.
Questions to settle before your sample
Write down your answers to these before you send an enquiry. They make the quotation faster and the sample more useful.
- Who wears the scrubs, and are they bought by an employer or by the wearer?
- Which styles do you want in which fabric?
- How many colours per style, and roughly how many pieces of each?
- How many pockets on the top and trousers, and do you want a drawstring or elastic waist?
- Where does the logo go, and is it embroidery or heat transfer?
- Will the scrubs be sold online, and do you need individual packing or barcodes?
Once the sample arrives, wear it for a full shift and wash it as you would expect a buyer to. Check how the fabric feels at the end of a shift and after washing, not only when it comes out of the bag. Our scrub sample and delivery checks post lists what to look at.
To get a quote, send us the style, fabric, colours, quantity per size and branding details, and we will confirm everything in writing. You can see the full range and sizes on our white label scrubs page.