PEC EPE Textile key terms

The manufacturing process that converts loose staple fibres into continuous yarn by opening, cleaning, carding, drawing, and twisting the fibre mass into a coherent strand.

A mechanical opening and aligning operation that separates clumps of staple fibre into individual fibres and forms them into a loose, parallel web or sliver for further processing.

A fibre-preparation step that removes short fibres and remaining impurities while straightening long fibres, producing a smoother, stronger, higher-quality yarn than carding alone.

A continuous, loosely assembled rope-like strand of parallel fibres with no twist, produced by carding or drawing and fed to later spinning stages.

An intermediate strand of fibres that has been drawn thinner and given a small amount of twist, ready to be drafted and twisted into finished yarn on the spinning frame.

The controlled stretching of a fibre assembly between rollers rotating at increasing speeds, reducing its linear density and improving fibre alignment before twisting.

The helical rotation given to a yarn by inserting turns along its length, which binds fibres together and determines yarn strength, liveliness, and hand.

A measure relating twist per unit length to yarn linear density, allowing comparison of twist levels between yarns of different counts; often called twist multiplier.

A numerical expression of yarn linear density, either as mass per unit length (tex, denier) or length per unit mass (cotton count, metric count).

The SI-based yarn numbering system expressing mass in grams per 1000 metres of yarn, so a heavier yarn has a higher tex value.

A yarn numbering system giving the mass in grams of 9000 metres of yarn or filament, widely used for continuous synthetic filaments and hosiery yarns.

Short, finite-length fibres, either natural or cut from synthetic tow, that must be twisted together to form a yarn.

A yarn made from long, continuous fibres of indefinite length, giving a smooth surface and high strength with little or no protruding fibre ends.

A process that crimps, loops, or coils continuous filament yarns to add bulk, stretch, and a softer hand while retaining filament strength.

A texturing technique in which filament yarn is twisted, heat-set, and untwisted so the inserted twist disappears but a permanent helical crimp remains.

A yarn formed by twisting two or more single yarns together, improving strength uniformity, reducing hairiness, and enabling special folded effects.

The short-fibre waste removed during combing, often used in lower-grade yarns, nonwovens, or as a by-product of worsted spinning.

The interlacing of two sets of yarns, warp and weft, at right angles on a loom to produce a woven fabric.

The set of lengthwise yarns held under tension on the loom; warp yarns generally require higher strength and abrasion resistance than weft.

The crosswise yarn inserted over and under the warp during weaving, also called the filling or pick.

Applying a starch or polymer film to warp yarns before weaving to increase strength and abrasion resistance and reduce breakage during shedding and beat-up.

The wet process that removes size applied to warp yarns after weaving, preparing the greige fabric for scouring, bleaching, and dyeing.

The simplest weave structure in which each weft yarn passes alternately over and under each warp yarn, producing a firm, reversible fabric with maximum interlacing.

A weave producing diagonal lines on the fabric surface by passing each weft over one or more warps and under two or more, giving drape and durability.

A weave in which weft yarns float over several warp yarns before interlacing, creating a smooth, lustrous face with long floats and low interlacing.

A single passage of a weft yarn across the loom width; pick count per unit length indicates fabric density in the weft direction.

The number of warp yarns counted in one inch of fabric width, a key indicator of woven fabric density and quality.

A fabric-forming method in which yarn loops are intermeshed in rows, producing stretchable fabrics with good drape and air permeability.

Knitting in which loops are formed across the fabric width from a single yarn supply, as in circular and flat-bed machines making jersey and rib fabrics.

Knitting in which each needle is supplied by its own warp yarn and loops run vertically, giving fabrics that resist runs and hold shape well.

A fabric made directly from fibres bonded by mechanical, thermal, or chemical means, bypassing yarn formation and offering low cost and high production speed.

A mechanical bonding method in which barbed needles repeatedly penetrate a fibre web, entangling fibres to produce a coherent nonwoven fabric.

A nonwoven process in which extruded continuous filaments are laid on a belt and thermally or chemically bonded into a fabric in one continuous operation.

A nonwoven process that extrudes molten polymer into a high-velocity hot air stream, producing very fine fibres for filtration and barrier fabrics.

A wet treatment using alkali and detergent to remove natural oils, waxes, pectins, and dirt from greige fabric before bleaching and dyeing.

A chemical process, usually with hydrogen peroxide, that destroys natural colouring matter in fibres to produce a clean, white base for dyeing.

Treating cotton with strong caustic soda under tension to swell the fibres, increasing lustre, strength, dye uptake, and dimensional stability.

The application of colour to textile material so that dye molecules penetrate and bond with fibres, producing a uniform and reasonably fast shade.

A dye that forms covalent chemical bonds with cellulose fibres under alkaline conditions, giving excellent wash fastness across a wide shade range.

The resistance of a dyed or printed textile to fading or bleeding when exposed to washing, light, rubbing, perspiration, or other specified conditions.

A batch dyeing method in which textile material circulates through a finite dye bath that gradually transfers dye onto the fibres until exhaustion.

The instrumental quantification of colour using spectrophotometers and tristimulus values, enabling objective shade matching and pass/fail decisions in textile production.