Every premium T-shirt sold in the last decade has claimed one of two things: Peruvian Pima or Egyptian cotton. Both are real distinctions, both cost more to produce, and both are used loosely enough that the words alone tell you very little.
Here is what actually separates them, why the difference shows up in the third year rather than the first week, and which one to buy for what.
The one thing that matters: staple length
Cotton fibres come off the plant at different lengths. Ordinary upland cotton, which is roughly 90% of the world crop, produces fibres of around 22 to 26 millimetres. Pima and Egyptian cotton are both extra-long staple, with fibres in the region of 35 millimetres and above.
That single number drives everything else. Longer fibres can be spun into a finer, smoother, stronger yarn, because fewer fibre ends stick out of the thread. Fewer ends means a smoother surface, which is why the fabric feels different. It also means less pilling, because pills form when loose ends tangle. And a stronger yarn means the fabric holds its shape instead of stretching out at the neck.
So the honest headline is this: the gap between either of these cottons and a standard cotton T-shirt is large. The gap between the two of them is small, and comes down to what each is usually spun and knitted into.
Pima cotton
Pima is grown mainly in Peru and the southwestern United States. Peruvian Pima is the one worth naming, because it is still largely hand-picked, which keeps the fibres intact rather than broken and mixed with leaf debris.
In practice a Pima jersey feels dry, smooth and light, closer to a very fine cotton shirt than to a heavy tee. It breathes noticeably well, which is why it holds up in a dark colour in summer where a standard tee would feel dense and hot.
Our Pima Cotton T-Shirt is 100% Peruvian Pima, spun at a yarn around 45% finer than conventional cotton and pre-washed so it does not shrink on you.
Egyptian cotton
Egyptian cotton is grown in the Nile delta, where the combination of soil and a long growing season produces the same extra-long fibre. It is the name most people know, largely because of bedding.
The feel is slightly different: softer and fuller against the skin rather than dry and light. Egyptian cotton jersey is also more often blended with a small percentage of elastane, which changes the garment more than the fibre does — it makes the T-shirt hold a closer shape and recover after wear instead of relaxing through the day.
Our Egyptian Cotton T-Shirt is 93% long-staple Egyptian cotton with 7% elastane, which is the version we would recommend to anyone who wants the tee to hold a precise line under a shirt or a jacket.
Side by side
- Feel: Pima is dry, fine and light. Egyptian is fuller and softer.
- Fit over a day: Pima relaxes slightly with body heat, which reads as comfortable. The Egyptian blend holds its shape, which reads as sharp.
- Heat: Pima is the better choice in real heat, particularly in black or navy.
- Under tailoring: the Egyptian blend, because it does not move.
- Pilling and neckline: both are far better than standard cotton. Neither is the reason to choose between them.
Which should you buy?
Buy Pima if you wear T-shirts on their own, live somewhere warm for part of the year, or prefer a fit that sits comfortably rather than closely. It is also the one to choose in dark colours.
Buy Egyptian if the T-shirt is mostly a layer — under an Oxford shirt, a jumper or a jacket — and you want it to stay exactly where you put it. The elastane is doing that, and it is worth having.
If you want the honest answer: most men should own both, in black and white, and stop replacing cheap tees twice a year. The cheapest way in is a multipack, where the price per piece drops considerably.
Is it worth the money?
Judge it per year of wear rather than per garment. A standard cotton T-shirt worn weekly is usually finished inside a year: the neckline has gone, the colour has faded unevenly and the surface has pilled where a bag strap sits. A long-staple T-shirt worn the same way is still presentable in year three.
That is the whole argument. Not that it feels nicer on day one — though it does — but that the thing you are buying is the third year.
How to make either one last
- Wash at 30°C with similar colours. Heat is what kills cotton, not washing.
- Turn dark colours inside out to protect the surface.
- No fabric softener — it coats the fibre and reduces breathability, which is the exact property you paid for.
- Dry flat or on a low heat. Tumble drying on high is what causes the shrinkage people blame on the fabric.
- Fold rather than hang. Hanging a knit stretches the shoulders over time.
Common questions
Is Supima the same as Pima?
Supima is a trademark for American-grown Pima that meets a certification standard. It is Pima cotton with paperwork. Peruvian Pima is a different origin of the same fibre and is often hand-picked, which the American crop generally is not.
Will a long-staple T-shirt shrink?
Ours are pre-washed to minimise it, so normal washing at low temperature should not change the fit. High heat will shrink any cotton, whatever the staple length.
What size should I take?
Both are sized S to 4XL in UK sizing with a precise fit, neither tight nor loose. If you are between sizes or prefer a roomier fit, take one size up. The measurements are in our size guide, in inches and centimetres.
See both
The full range sits in Pima & Egyptian Cotton, and every style comes in multipacks. If you are building a wardrobe from scratch, start with the eight menswear essentials.