Grading a used hoodie
Grading a used hoodie centres on the fleece interior and the drawcord hardware. Pilling on the cuffs and hem, a matted or greyed fleece lining, and a broken zipper or missing drawcords lead the grade, while pocket stress and a stretched-out neck opening round out the inspection.
What to check
- Cuff and hem ribbing pilling and stretch recovery
- Interior fleece — matting, greying, or pilling of the loops
- Zipper function (zip-ups) and drawcords present at the hood
- Kangaroo-pocket stress and sagging
How to grade it, step by step
- 1
Check the ribbing
Stretch the cuffs and hem. Blown-out, stretched, or heavily pilled ribbing is the most common hoodie flaw and leads the grade.
- 2
Inspect the fleece
Turn it inside out. Fresh, lofty fleece grades high; matted, pilled, or greyed fleece shows heavy wash cycles and lowers the grade.
- 3
Test hardware and cords
Run the zipper full-travel on zip-ups and confirm both hood drawcords are present with their aglets intact.
Graded examples
| Grade | Why |
|---|---|
| 9 (NWOT) | Lofty fleece, tight cuffs, both drawcords present. |
| 6 (Good) | Slightly matted fleece, cuffs intact, zipper smooth. |
| 3 (Poor) | Greyed matted fleece, stretched cuffs, one drawcord missing. |
Every grade sits on the GradeThread 1.0–10.0 scale.
Flaws to watch on this garment
Frequently asked
- How much does a missing hood drawcord affect the grade?
- A missing or replaced drawcord is a minor functional flaw, not a dealbreaker. It lowers the grade a notch because it's visible and the aglets rarely match, but a hoodie with clean fleece and tight ribbing can still grade well overall despite one absent cord.
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