All the available options in the world of raw denim make for a vibrant and exciting subculture, but if you’re just starting out it can be a bit overwhelming. The fact that Pure Blue Japan and Japan Blue are drastically different companies is intimidating enough. If all three jeans pictured above look exactly the same to you despite the vast difference in price (Unbranded 201 $95, 3sixteen SL-100X $250, and Stevenson Overall Co. 727 $350), then we’re here to help!

In this post, we’d like to break down the many raw denim brands and models into three distinct categories of entry-level, mid-level, and end-level denim that each have their own price points and characteristics. We hope laying some of the groundwork will help you decide what the right pair for your interests and budget as well as get a better picture of what’s out there.

For the raw denim initiated out there, be aware that these are broad categories and that there are exceptions to every rule.

Entry Level (Sub $150)

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Unbranded entry-level raw denim

Entry level represents your basic raw denim jeans. If you’ve never owned a pair of raw denim before and want to see what all the fuss is about, you should start here.

What you’ll find in this category is generally mid-weight 10 oz.-15 oz. (learn more about denim weights here) denim that’s sanforized and possibly selvedge. It’ll most likely be 100% cotton or with a ~2% stretch.

Levi’s 501 STF, available for $80 from Levi’s.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of color variation beyond your basic indigo or black, here, and the denim will be quite uniform in texture and weave. Milling and construction was most likely done in a country other than Japan or the United States.You can find a variety of slim, skinny, and straight fits, but not the more specific, heritage-inspired ones. Details will be pretty basic outside of your standard buttons, rivets, and waist patch.

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Unbranded UB-221 Fades

All of these jeans are of a much higher quality than your standard mall fare. You can still earn some great fades, the price tag is just low enough that you won’t be kicking yourself if you size them incorrectly or accidentally toss them in the dryer. Our Fade Friday column is full of budget raw denim jeans that have earned some serious fades and patina, from Uniqlo selvedge to Levi’s 501 STF.

Our pick at this price point is Unbranded, which has a range of fits for around the $120 mark at Cultizm (see our full review of the brand’s UB201 Jean).

Other makers of entry-level raw denim jeans include:

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Mid Level ($150 – $275)

Sugar Cane denim details via Redcast Heritage.

This middle tier is where things start to get interesting and actually where most raw denim jeans fall. Here you start to see custom selvedge fabrics woven exclusively for the brands in question, lightweight (sub 10 oz.) and heavyweight (16 oz.+) denims, and a variety of colors, textures, and fiber blends. Some raw denim will be unsanforized, but most will still be pre-shrunk.

Fits at this level are mostly similar to those at the entry-level, but you begin to see more options including reproductions of iconic Levi’s 501 cuts from specific periods, i.e. 1947 or 1966. This means you can tune in more closely on the rise, leg opening, thigh size, etc. As well as starting to make historic reproductions, brands also begin to inject more character at this level with specific detailing. Custom arcuates, selvedge IDs, and pocket linings help to define each company’s specific take on the five-pocket jean.

Burgus Plus Lot.771 Selvedge Denim Jeans, available for $165 from Hinoya.

The vast majority of North American denim companies like Rogue Territory, 3sixteen, Left Field, and Tellason fall into this category. As do offerings from a couple of the more moderately priced Japanese brands like Japan Blue and Sugar Cane and European brands like Benzak Denim Developers.

Almost all of the jeans at this level will be produced in a developed country with stricter labor rights laws—most likely USA, Canada, Portugal, or Japan.

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Our pick at this level is the Pherrow’s 451. Coming in at $220, the 451 is based on WWII Levi’s 501s, with unique, ration-time details such as herringbone pocketbags and painted arcuates. Leftover herringbone fabric from uniform production was used to make jean pocket bags in the 40s and arcuates were painted to save stitching for uniform production. The fit is a true straight leg that’s wide without being barrel-legged, and the one wash denim ages beautifully.

The Pherrow’s 451 is available at Clutch Cafe for $220.

Notable makers of mid-tier raw denim include:

End Level ($275+)

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This is when you get to the creme de la creme of artisanal raw denim. The jeans at this level aren’t so much objectively “better” than the ones at the mid-level, they just have fabrics, detail, and designs that you can’t find anywhere else. If you’ve got the itch, these are the only jeans that can scratch it.

Almost every single fabric used at this level is designed and produced exclusively for the company in question: Pure Blue Japan and ONI offer incredibly slubby and neppy denim, Iron Heart has its 21oz.-plus heavies, The Flat Head has its famously fast fading 3XXX denim, the list could go on. Samurai Jeans have a range of famous fabrics, some of which woven from cotton from its very own cotton farm! You will also see more unsanforized / loomstate denim, as that’s the original way denim was made and it arguably yields more interesting fades.

Pure Blue Japan Double Slub denim via Redcast Heritage

Production also happens not only in the brand’s home country but almost exclusively in-house. Most of the companies at this level are Japanese and have their own employees as well as a connection to a mill. This way the entire creation of the jeans happens entirely within the company, with little to no outside contracting. In the United States, End-level denim often comes from One one-man brand operations like Roy Denim (RIP) and WH Ranch Dungarees. Each of which only has a sole maker that handles all of the designing, drafting, sewing, and promotion themself.

The end tier is also where you’ll find more particular heritage details like cinch backs, crotch rivets, a particular type of pocket or silhouette that was only made for six months in the 1890s — nerdy stuff.

A lot of new raw denim fans may be instantly turned off when they first see the jeans at this price level, and honestly, to most people they aren’t worth the money. It takes quite a bit of education and sophistication as a consumer to understand and appreciate just what makes these jeans so special (and so expensive), but that’s what puts them at the top of the pyramid. Oftentimes, folks will climb up the tiers of raw denim as they get more into the niche, eventually finding the right brands/jeans for them. It’s all about having fun, discovering new clothes, and owning things you want to use forever.

Makers of end-tier jeans include: