Textile Fibres, Yarns and Fabrics
Textile Fibres, Yarns and Fabrics
This domain tests fibre classification, yarn numbering, fabric structure and basic fabric tests. You should be able to choose a fibre for a product and interpret count, GSM and construction without confusing the units.
Core concepts
- Natural fibres: cotton and linen are cellulosic; wool and silk are protein. Cotton absorbs moisture and is comfortable; linen is strong but creases; wool insulates; silk is lustrous and delicate.
- Man-made fibres: regenerated viscose and modal come from wood pulp; synthetics include polyester, nylon and acrylic. Polyester is strong and quick-drying but heat-sensitive.
- Yarn count: cotton count (Ne) is the number of 840-yard hanks per pound, so a higher Ne means a finer yarn. Tex is grams per 1,000 m; denier is grams per 9,000 m. Higher tex or denier means a coarser yarn.
- Fabric structure: woven fabrics have warp and weft; knits have wales and courses and stretch; nonwovens are bonded rather than interlaced.
- GSM is grams per square metre and indicates fabric weight, not quality by itself.
Worked example
A 10 cm × 10 cm fabric sample weighs 2.5 g. Area = 0.01 m², so GSM = 2.5 ÷ 0.01 = 250 GSM. If a buyer asks for 220–240 GSM and the sample is 250 GSM, it is above the specification and should be flagged before bulk cutting.
Marks-losing traps
Thinking a higher Ne is coarser-it is finer; mixing tex and denier; assuming higher GSM always means better quality; ignoring stretch direction when a knit is cut like a woven.
Key points
- Cotton and linen are cellulosic; wool and silk are protein.
- Higher Ne = finer cotton yarn; higher tex/denier = coarser yarn.
- Woven = warp/weft; knit = wales/courses and stretch.
- GSM = grams per square metre, a weight measure.
- Always check fabric direction and stretch before cutting.