Fundamentals of Apparel and Textile Materials
What this domain tests
This domain checks whether you can trace a garment back to its fibre, yarn and fabric, and justify a material choice by performance rather than by price or brand. Questions commonly ask you to classify a fibre, interpret a fabric specification, or select a fabric for a stated end use.
Core rules and concepts
- Fibre order: fibre → yarn → fabric → garment. A fibre property such as absorbency is not automatically a fabric property; structure and finish modify it.
- Natural fibres: cotton, flax, jute and ramie are cellulosic; wool and silk are protein; asbestos is mineral.
- Man-made fibres: viscose, modal and lyocell are regenerated cellulosic; polyester, nylon, acrylic and elastane are synthetic.
- Yarn count: Ne (cotton count) is higher for finer yarn; tex is grams per 1,000 m; denier is grams per 9,000 m. Twist affects strength and hand.
- Woven fabric: warp yarns run lengthwise, parallel to the selvedge; weft yarns run across. Plain weave has the most interlacing, twill shows a diagonal, satin has long floats and shine.
- Knitted fabric: wales run vertically, courses horizontally; knits stretch more than woven fabrics.
- Specifications: GSM is grams per square metre, not thickness; thread count is ends plus picks per inch.
- Finishes: mercerisation improves cotton lustre, strength and absorbency; sanforisation controls shrinkage; calendering changes surface appearance.
Worked example
A 10 cm × 10 cm fabric sample weighs 2.7 g. Area = 0.1 m × 0.1 m = 0.01 m². GSM = 2.7 ÷ 0.01 = 270 g/m². If a buyer specifies 240–260 g/m², the sample is too heavy, even though the thread count may be correct.
Traps that cost marks
- Naming a fibre when the question asks for a fabric structure, or the reverse.
- Assuming natural always means better; polyester may be specified for durability or quick drying.
- Confusing Ne with denier, or treating GSM as a measure of thickness.
- Reversing warp and weft, or forgetting that the grainline follows the warp.