Wrinkle Resistant vs. Non Iron Dress Shirt Fabric

This is a common question for many customers

At Woodies.

The Non – Technical Answer 

With a non iron shirt you’ll be able to take it out of the dryer, and wear it almost immediately (no ironing needed). I prefer hang drying my shirts, but in any case without any ironing, your shirt is going to look great.

With a wrinkle resistant shirt, you’ll be able to take it out of the dryer, give it a quick iron or steam, and you’ll be good to go. The shirt will look great, and hold up to wrinkles well.

The Technical Answer 

For 100% cotton dress shirts the difference between a non iron and wrinkle resistant shirt are the finishes that they apply to the shirt. Fabric manufacturers measure wrinkle resistance with a “DP Rating.” A 3-3.5 DP rating means that the shirt is wrinkle free. Something in the range of 2-2.99 will be wrinkle resistant.

Weave and fabric weight also play a huge role in wrinkle resistance. Twills hold up best to wrinkles, whereas plain weaves are more susceptible to wrinkles. Generally the lighter weight a fabric is, the better it will hold up to wrinkles, vs. a fabric like oxford is prone to wrinkle.

Any difference in feel? 

Besides appearance, there are no sensory differences in a non iron shirt vs. wrinkle resistant.