Thread Report · 975 products analyzed · Updated July 27, 2026

What is H&M made of?

It depends what you buy. H&M is a mixed bag — some categories are mostly natural, others are mostly plastic. Here's where to shop smart.

Prefer the plain-English version? Read our H&Mbuyer's guide →

According to Fibr's Thread Report (July 2026), 26.7% of H&M's 975 analysed products are majority-synthetic, with an average natural-fibre content of 53.6%.

975Products Analyzed
53.6%Avg Natural Fibre
26.7%Polyester-Heavy
33%Nearly All-Natural

H&M's jeanss are 95.7% natural fibre, but their pantss are just 36.2%. That's a 60-point gap — where you shop within H&M matters as much as whether you shop there at all.

The full picture on H&M.

H&M sits in the middle of the pack with an average of 53.6% natural fibre across 975 products — a mix of natural and synthetic. About 26.7% of products are polyester-heavy, a notable but not dominant share. 33% of products are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre). The most common fibre across H&M products is Cotton, appearing in 47.3% of items.

How Products Break Down

975Products

  • Synthetic

    <30% natural fibre · 304 products

    31.2%

  • Blend

    30–85% natural fibre · 317 products

    32.5%

  • Natural

    85–100% natural fibre · 354 products

    36.3%

Most Common Fibres (% of products containing)

Cotton
47.3%
Spandex
41.6%
Polyester
36.4%
Rayon
27.1%
Polyamide
17.4%

Where to buy (and avoid).

Not all categories at H&Mare equal. Here's where the natural fibres are.

Safe Zones · 70%+ natural

Jeans95.7% natural · 72 productsT-Shirt85% natural · 123 productsShorts76.2% natural · 72 productsShirt70.6% natural · 60 products

Mixed Bag · 40–70% natural

Skirt63.7% natural · 41 productsDress44.6% natural · 171 productsJacket43.7% natural · 5 products

Caution · under 40% natural

Pants36.2% natural · 109 products

What we found.

Across 975 products analyzed, H&M averages 53.6% natural fibre content.

26.7% of H&M products are majority polyester — that's 260 items made mostly from plastic.

H&M jeanss are their strongest category at 95.7% natural fibre (72 products).

Their weakest category: pantss at just 36.2% natural (109 products).

Only 33% of products (322 items) are 95%+ natural fibre.

All categories ranked by natural fibre percentage
CategoryProductsAvg Natural %
Jeans7295.7%
T-Shirt12385%
Shorts7276.2%
Shirt6070.6%
Skirt4163.7%
Dress17144.6%
Jacket543.7%
Pants10936.2%

Sample Products

A selection of H&M products from our database — from most natural to most synthetic. Click to view on the retailer's site.

2-Pack Pajama Shorts100% Natural
2-Pack Pajama Shorts
Cotton 100%
Long Cotton Shirt100% Natural
Long Cotton Shirt
Cotton 100%
Long Cotton Shirt100% Natural
Long Cotton Shirt
Cotton 100%
Long Cotton Shirt100% Natural
Long Cotton Shirt
Cotton 100%
Wide High Waist Ankle Jeans84% Mixed
Wide High Waist Ankle Jeans
Cotton 84%Polyester 15%Spandex 1%
Wide High Waist Ankle Jeans84% Mixed
Wide High Waist Ankle Jeans
Cotton 84%Polyester 15%Spandex 1%
Wide High Jeans84% Mixed
Wide High Jeans
Cotton 68%Rayon 32%
Wide High Jeans84% Mixed
Wide High Jeans
Cotton 67%Rayon 33%
Crinkled Pull-On Shorts30% Synthetic
Crinkled Pull-On Shorts
Rayon 60%Polyester 40%
Metallic Knit Top30% Synthetic
Metallic Knit Top
Rayon 60%Metallic fiber 40%
Crochet-Look Polo Shirt30% Synthetic
Crochet-Look Polo Shirt
Polyester 70%Cotton 30%
Embellished Cropped T-Shirt29% Synthetic
Embellished Cropped T-Shirt
Rayon 58%Polyamide 36%Spandex 6%

The verdict.

H&M isn't great, but it's not the worst either. You can find natural fibre products here if you know where to look. Stick to the categories we flagged as safe zones, and check individual items with Fibr before buying.

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Frequently asked questions.

What is H&M clothing made of?

Based on our analysis of 975 H&M products, the average garment is 53.6% natural fibre. The most common single fibre is Cotton (in 47.3% of products). The remaining material is typically synthetic — polyester, polyamide, or acrylic.

Is H&M cotton?

Sometimes — cotton appears in 47.3% of the 975 H&M products we analyzed, but it's usually blended with synthetics. Only 33% of items are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre), so check the composition before assuming a piece is pure cotton.

Is H&M 100% cotton?

Some pieces are. Of the 975 H&M products we analyzed, 312 are 100% cotton (or near-pure, 95%+) — that's 32.0% of the catalog. The rest are blends.

How much polyester does H&M use?

26.7% of H&M products are polyester-heavy, meaning polyester makes up 50% or more of the garment. This is below average for fast fashion retailers.

Is H&M mostly synthetic?

26.7% of H&M products are polyester-heavy (50%+ polyester). Average natural fibre content is 53.6%, so the rest of the catalog is mixed.

Does H&M use natural fabrics?

33% of H&M products are nearly all-natural (95%+ natural fibre). A decent portion of their range avoids synthetic fibres entirely.

Is H&M sustainable in terms of fabric?

Fabric composition is one factor in sustainability. With an average of 53.6% natural fibre, H&M is about average on this measure. Natural fibres generally biodegrade and shed fewer microplastics than synthetics.

Methodology: We analyzed 975 H&Mproduct pages, extracting the fabric composition listed by the retailer. Products are categorized by name keywords. Natural fibre percentage is the sum of all natural fibres (cotton, linen, silk, wool, viscose, lyocell, etc.) in each product's composition. Data is refreshed monthly.

Use this data.

The Thread Report is openly licensed. Cite it, download it, query it directly — just link back to the source page.

Last updated
License
Free to cite with attribution
Raw dataset (JSON)
info.tryfibr.app/hm.json ↓
Computed stats (JSON)
/api/thread-report/hm
About the dataset
How it's built & how to cite it
LLM index
/llms.txt

Suggested citation

Fibr Thread Report — H&M, 2026-07-27. tryfibr.app/thread-report/hm

Related reports.

Is H&M Sustainable?What the fabric data says — and what it can'tH&M Jeans72 products, 95.7% naturalH&M T-Shirt123 products, 85% naturalH&M Shorts72 products, 76.2% naturalH&M Dress171 products, 44.6% naturalPolyester at H&MIn 36.4% of productsCotton at H&MIn 47.3% of productsPolyamide at H&MIn 17.4% of productsH&M vs Abercrombie & Fitch53.6% vs 73.7% naturalH&M vs Acne Studios53.6% vs 78.4% naturalBrand rankingsSee where every brand lands on natural fibreAbout the Thread ReportHow the dataset is built, and how to cite it

Explore the Thread Report

Part of an openly-licensed dataset.

This page is one view of Fibr's Thread Report — fabric composition data for major fashion retailers, free to read and cite. Explore the rest:

About the Thread ReportWhat the dataset is, how it's built, and how to cite it.All brand reportsFabric breakdowns for every retailer we track.Brand rankingsWho uses the most natural fibre — and the most polyester.Brand comparisonsHead-to-head fabric data for every viable brand pair.Research findingsOriginal findings built on the dataset.State of FabricThe annual report on fashion's fibre mix.MethodologyHow we classify fibres and compute every number.Fabric guides & researchHow to read labels, decode fibres, shop smarter.

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