Guides

How to find 100% cotton clothes at Walmart and Target

What we learned reading thousands of Walmart and Target clothing listings while building TruTag.

1. The title and the filter are a first pass

"Cotton" in a title is marketing. The only thing that tells you the fabric is the percentages, which US labels must list for every fiber by weight.¹ Store filters help narrow things down, but they depend on what sellers tag, so blends slip through.

2. At Walmart: check three places

Walmart listings can describe the fabric in up to three places on the product page, and they don't always agree:

• Specifications → Fabric content, like 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester. Usually the most complete.
• Specifications → Fabric material name and Fabric material percentage, listed separately (Cotton, Polyester and 60, 40). Sometimes only one is filled in.
• Product details, a "Material:" line in the description.

In our testing they sometimes contradicted each other. One hoodie's specifications gave the material as Fleece, 100, while its description said 60% Cotton and 40% Polyester. A dress listed 62% Cotton, 38% Rayon in one place and 32% Cotton / 38% Rayon in another. When they disagree, trust the one whose numbers add up to 100.

3. Walmart's "Fabric Material" filter mixes fibers and fabrics

The Fabric Material filter lists fibers like Cotton and 100% Cotton next to Cotton Blend, and also names like Fleece and Jersey. For cotton, tick 100% Cotton (and Cotton as a wider net), and leave Cotton Blend unticked.

4. At Target: look for the "Material" line

Target's product pages list the fabric under Specifications as Material, like Material: 88% Cotton, 12% Polyester. Just below it you'll often see Fabric Name, like Jersey or Knit. That's how the fabric is made, not what it's made of. In our testing, Target's search results didn't offer a fabric filter, so the Material line is the thing to check.

5. Fleece, jersey, flannel and denim aren't fibers

These words describe how a fabric is knitted or woven, not the fiber. A fleece hoodie can be all cotton or all polyester; so can a jersey tee. Look past them to the percentages. For the confusing fiber names, see Decoding clothing labels.

6. Watch for the usual traps

• "Cotton blend" or a bare "Cotton" with no percentage isn't a promise of 100%.
• Percentages that don't add up mean something is missing. We've seen 88% Cotton with nothing else listed.
• Different fabric per color. Some listings say "Solid colors: 100% cotton; Heathers: 60% cotton, 40% polyester". Check the color you're buying.
• Recycled cotton is still cotton. 95% Cotton, 5% Recycled Cotton is 100% cotton.