Grading a used fleece jacket
Grading a used fleece jacket is about pill and loft. Fleece pills and mats at the cuffs, collar, and sides, flattening the pile buyers want, so the grade leads with pilling and matting, then checks the zipper, pockets, and whether the fabric has gone hard and shiny from heavy wash cycles.
What to check
- Pilling and matting of the pile at cuffs, collar, and sides
- Loft — soft plush pile vs. flattened, hard, shiny fleece
- Zipper and pocket function
- Snags and pulls in the fleece
How to grade it, step by step
- 1
Check the pile
Run a hand over the fleece at the cuffs, collar, and sides. Matted, pilled, flattened pile is the leading fleece flaw and caps the grade.
- 2
Judge the loft
Compare high-wear zones to protected areas; fleece that's gone hard, thin, and shiny from washing lowers the grade even without pills.
- 3
Test the hardware
Run the main and pocket zippers full-travel and scan for snags.
Graded examples
| Grade | Why |
|---|---|
| 9 (NWOT) | Plush lofty pile, no pilling, zipper glides. |
| 6 (Good) | Slight cuff matting, body still soft, zipper fine. |
| 3 (Poor) | Matted, hard, shiny pile and a catching zipper. |
Every grade sits on the GradeThread 1.0–10.0 scale.
Flaws to watch on this garment
Frequently asked
- What ruins the look of a fleece jacket?
- Matting and pilling of the pile. The soft, lofty surface that makes fleece appealing flattens, pills, and mats at friction points — cuffs, collar, and sides — and eventually goes hard and shiny from heavy washing. That loss of loft is the main thing that lowers a fleece jacket's grade, and it can't be brushed back.
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