Blanket Fabric Comparison: NubaySoft 2.0 vs Fleece vs Sherpa vs Woven

How do the four blanket fabrics compare?

Read down a column for a fabric's full character, or across a row to compare one attribute. NubaySoft 2.0 figures are our published specs; generic fabric behavior is stated as typical ranges because it varies by maker.

Attribute	NubaySoft 2.0	Fleece	Sherpa	Woven throw
GSM range	400 to 1060 GSM across five tiers, all published	Typically 200 to 300 GSM	Varies widely; the lofty face is usually paired with a backing fabric	Varies with yarn and weave; rarely published for throws
Pile	Dense microfiber pile that swallows fingertips and springs back	Short napped surface that flattens under pressure	Deep, fluffy faux-wool loft	No pile; a flat surface of interlocking yarns
Pilling & shedding	Neither: the tight pile anchors its fibers through years of washing	Prone to both, typically starting within the first several washes	Loft tends to mat and clump with wear and laundering	Little pilling, but edges and loose yarns can snag and fray
Wash behavior	Machine wash cold, tumble dry low; keeps its day-one hand-feel	Machine washable, but the surface degrades as fibers break loose	Usually washable; the fluff typically flattens over repeated cycles	Depends on the yarn; many prefer gentle cycles to protect the weave
Print compatibility	Photo-realistic full-color printing, resolved in a fine microfiber face	Printable, though coarser fibers soften fine detail	Poor print surface; typically left solid or decorated by embroidery	Design is woven from a limited yarn palette; no photographic tones

New to fabric weight? Start with what GSM means in blankets and come back to the columns.

Which fabric should you pick for a custom blanket?

Pick the fabric that matches the job the blanket has to do, then let print quality break the tie. Sherpa earns its keep as a cozy solid backing, woven throws suit buyers who want texture and a yarn-art look, and fleece wins only on upfront price. When the blanket needs to carry artwork and survive regular washing, a dense printable microfiber does both jobs at once.

That is the slot NubaySoft 2.0 was built for: every tier takes edge-to-edge photo-real print, and the pile holds its surface where fleece pills and sherpa mats. The five weight classes (400 to 1060 GSM) are laid out in the fabric & GSM guide.

Backlit macro view of dense microfiber blanket pile showing individual fibers standing upright

Fiber density, up close.

A pile this tight is what keeps a surface from pilling.

How do you care for each fabric?

Cold water and low heat protect every blanket fabric, so machine wash cold on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low as the default. High dryer heat is the fastest way to shorten any blanket's life, synthetic or woven.

What differs is how much the routine costs each fabric. Fleece gives up fibers every cycle, which becomes lint in the trap and bobbles on the surface. Sherpa typically loses loft and mats where it gets the most friction. Woven throws hold their structure but reward gentler handling of edges and fringe. NubaySoft 2.0 comes out of that same routine unchanged: no shedding, no pilling, print intact, because the color is in the fiber and the fibers are anchored in a dense pile.

Fabric comparison questions

Which blanket fabric is the most durable?

For a printed custom blanket, dense microfiber is the strongest all-around choice because its tightly anchored pile resists the pilling and shedding that degrade fleece, while still taking photo-realistic print. Woven throws are structurally sturdy but carry their design in a limited yarn palette and can snag; sherpa's loft tends to mat with heavy use.

What is the difference between fleece and sherpa?

Fleece is a short-napped synthetic fabric with a smooth, flat surface, while sherpa is a deep, fluffy pile made to imitate wool or shearling. Sherpa usually appears as the cozy backing on a two-sided blanket rather than as the printed face, because its loft is a poor surface for artwork.

How is NubaySoft 2.0 different from regular microfiber fleece?

NubaySoft 2.0 is our proprietary plush microfiber, made exclusively for the Spectator Sport USA blanket line and built much heavier than standard fleece: 400 to 1060 GSM across five tiers versus the typical 200 to 300 GSM. The dense pile does not shed or pill, and the fine fiber carries photo-realistic printing.

How should I wash a custom printed blanket?

Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle and tumble dry low. On NubaySoft 2.0 that routine preserves both the fabric and the print: the dense pile keeps its softness without pilling or shedding, and because the artwork lives in the fiber rather than on the surface, normal laundering will not lift or fade it.

Are woven blankets warmer than plush blankets?

Not usually at comparable weights, because warmth comes largely from trapped air, and a plush pile traps more of it than a flat weave. Woven throws earn their place on texture and structure rather than insulation. If warmth is the goal, fabric weight and pile depth are the specs to compare.

Can I feel these fabrics before ordering?

Yes. Coaches and school staff can request a free sample through the Spectator Sport USA coaches program at spectatorsport.com/coaches, and every other buyer can ask for a sample with a quote on this site. A side-by-side hand test settles a fabric comparison faster than any table.

NubaySoft 2.0 vs fleece vs sherpa vs woven throws