Textile Terminology and Definitions

List of Textile Terminology and Definitions:

Some examples of textile terminology include:

·       Abrasion resistance: It is the ability of a fabric or material to withstand wear and tear caused by friction or rubbing. Abrasion can occur from a variety of sources, such as the rubbing of clothing against skin or the rubbing of fabrics against other fabrics or surfaces. Abrasion resistance is an important characteristic for textiles, as it helps to determine the durability and longevity of a fabric or material.

·       Calendering: Calendering finishing is a process used to improve the surface properties of fabrics, such as their smoothness, shine, and drapability. It is done by passing the fabric through a series of rollers under high pressure. The rollers, or calender, can be heated or cooled and can have a smooth or textured surface.

·       CCS: The Content Claim Standard complements our production standards by providing a framework for tracking certified materials throughout the supply chain.

·       Colourfastness: Colourfastness in textiles refers to the ability of a fabric or dye to maintain its original color when exposed to various environmental conditions such as light, washing, perspiration, rubbing and so on. It is an indicator of how well a dye or fabric will resist fading or discoloration over time.

·       Definition of Airlume Combed Cotton

 Airlume combed cotton is a premium type of cotton fabric that has undergone a meticulous refining process. This process enhances the quality and feel of the cotton, making it particularly suitable for high-end apparel.

Key Features

Combing Process: The cotton fibers are combed to remove impurities and shorter strands. This results in a smoother and more uniform fabric.

Durability: By eliminating shorter fibers, Airlume cotton is stronger and less prone to pilling, ensuring that garments maintain their quality over time.

Softness: The combing process contributes to an exceptionally soft texture, making it comfortable to wear.

Comparison with Other Cotton Types 

Airlume combed cotton stands out due to its superior softness and durability, making it a preferred choice for quality-conscious consumers. 

·       Definition of Carded Cotton

Carded cotton refers to cotton that has undergone a mechanical process called carding, which disentangles, cleans, and aligns the fibers into a continuous web or sliver. This process results in a mixture of short and long fibers, making carded cotton less expensive and suitable for everyday textiles.

Carded cotton is a type of cotton that has been processed through a mechanical method known as carding. This process involves several key steps:

• Carding Process
• Disentangling: Raw cotton fibers are separated from each other.
• Cleaning: Impurities such as seeds and dirt are removed.
• Aligning: The fibers are arranged into a continuous web or sliver, preparing them for spinning into yarn.

Characteristics of Carded Cotton

Fiber Composition: Carded cotton contains a mix of both short and long fibers, which contributes to its texture.

Texture: The resulting fabric is generally coarser and fuzzier compared to combed cotton, making it less smooth.

Cost: Carded cotton is typically more economical than combed cotton due to the simpler processing involved.

Carded cotton is widely used in various applications, including:

• Basic t-shirts
• Towels
• Denim
• Workwear
• Home textiles

This versatility makes carded cotton a popular choice for everyday items where softness is not the primary concern. 

·       Definition of Combed Cotton

Combed cotton is a refined type of cotton that undergoes an additional processing step beyond regular cotton. This process involves combing the cotton fibers to remove shorter fibers and impurities, resulting in a fabric that is primarily made up of longer, smoother fibers.

Key Characteristics

Softness: The removal of short fibers makes combed cotton significantly softer and smoother against the skin.

Durability: Combed cotton is generally more durable than regular cotton due to the uniformity of the longer fibers, which helps reduce pilling and wear over time.

Quality: The combing process enhances the overall quality of the fabric, making it ideal for high-end clothing and textiles.

Comparison with Regular Cotton

Combed cotton is often used in products where comfort and quality are priorities, such as t-shirts, bed linens, and towels.

 Combed Cotton v Card Cotton

 ·       Definition of Ring-Spun Cotton

Ring-spun cotton is a type of cotton fabric created through a specialized spinning process. This method involves twisting and thinning the cotton fibers, resulting in a fabric that is notably softer, smoother, and more durable than regular cotton.

Key Characteristics 

Benefits of Ring-Spun Cotton

Softness: The twisting process removes impurities, resulting in a finer thread that feels luxurious against the skin.

Durability: The stronger threads created during the spinning process ensure that garments maintain their shape and softness over time.

Comfort: Ideal for casual wear, ring-spun cotton is favored for its smooth feel and comfort.

This unique production method makes ring-spun cotton a popular choice for high-quality clothing items. 

·       Denier: A unit of measurement used to describe the thickness of fibers or yarns.

·       Dye: A dye is a substance that is used to color a material, such as a textile or fabric. Dyes can be natural or synthetic and can be applied to fibers, yarns, or fabrics. Dyeing is the process of adding color to a textile material.

·       Dyeing: The process of adding color to fibers, yarns, or fabrics.

·       Elasticity: Ability of a fiber / fabric to stretch and then return to its original shape and size.

·       Embroidery: It is the process of decorating a fabric with needle and thread.

·       Fabric Construction: The method used to create a fabric, such as woven or knitted.

·       Fabric Density: The number of yarns per unit area of a fabric.

·       Fabric Hand: The physical characteristics of a fabric, such as softness, drape, and stiffness.

·       Fabric Performance: The ability of a fabric to withstand wear, fading, shrinkage, and other factors that affect its durability and appearance.

·       Fabric Stretch: The ability of a fabric to stretch or recover its shape after being stretched.

·       Fabric Weight: The weight of a fabric, typically measured in ounces or grams.

·       Fabric Width: The width of a fabric, typically measured in inches or centimeters.

·       Fabric: A material made by weaving or knitting together fibers or yarns.

·       Fiber Content: The types of fibers that make up a textile fabric, such as cotton, polyester, or nylon.

·       Fiber: A basic building block of textiles, a fiber is a very thin strand of material that is used to create fabrics. Generally the length should be 500 to 1000 times longer than width. It should have certain properties also like sufficient strength, length, fineness, elasticity, crimp, friction, power to react with acid and alkalis and the power to protect the effect of biological agents etc. Example: Cotton, Jute, Linen, etc.

·       Filament: Filament is a long, continuous strand of fibers, which is used to create yarns and fabrics. Filaments can be made from a variety of materials, including natural fibers such as silk or cotton, and synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon. Filaments are often produced by spinning fibers together to create a continuous strand, but they can also be produced by extruding a polymer through a spinneret to create a continuous strand of synthetic fibers.

·       Finishing: The process of applying chemicals and mechanical actions to the fabric for the final desired output.

·      Fleece: A type of fabric that is made from a soft, fluffy material, often used for warm clothing or blankets.

·      Ginning: Refers to the process of separating cotton fibers from their seeds using a machine called a cotton gin.

·      GOTS: The Global Organic Textile Standard was created to define worldwide requirements for organic textiles that go beyond farming. GOTS applies to products that contain a minimum of 70% organic natural fiber.

·       GRS: Global Recycled Standard set the criteria for the third-party certification of recycled materials and chain of custody.

·       GRTS: Sets defined environmental, chemical, human rights, business conduct, due diligence and traceability requirements.

·       GSM: A unit of measurement used to describe the weight of fabrics, typically measured in grams per square meter.

·       Jacquard: A type of fabric or weave that features a complex, decorative pattern.

·       Knitting: A method of creating fabric by looping yarns together using needles.

·       Lace: A delicate, openwork fabric made by interlacing threads in a pattern.

·       Neps: Are small, tightly entangled clusters of fibres that form during ginning or carding and appear as white specs in dyed fabrics, lowering fabric quality.

·       Non-woven: A fabric that is not created by weaving or knitting, but rather by bonding fibers together chemically or mechanically.

·       OCS: The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is a voluntary global standard that sets the criteria for third-party certification of organic materials and chain of custody.

·       OEKO-TEX: Standard 100 addresses whether the finished product and its components have been tested for harmful substances. Use this link OEKO-TEX Label Check, if you like to check the validity of your OEKE-TEX label.

·       Pile: A type of fabric that has a raised surface, such as velvet or corduroy.

·       Pilling: A fabric’s tendency to form small balls of fluff/tangled fibers on their surface due to wear and friction.

·       Polymer: This compound is a combination of large molecules made from a chain of smaller, repeating chemical units called monomers.

·       Printing: The process of applying a design or pattern to a fabric surface.

·       RCS: Recycled Claim Standard set the criteria for the third-party certification of recycled materials and chain of custody.

·       Resilience: The ability of a fibre to spring back to its original shape after deformation.

·       Sateen: A type of fabric or weave that features a glossy surface.

·       Staple fiber: Shot to average fiber lengths, e.g. cotton.

·       Textile Testing: The process of evaluating the properties and quality of textiles.

·       Thread: A thin strand of yarn that is used in sewing or weaving.

·       Tissue: The properties of textile fabrics in relation to their use, drapability, feel, and appearance.

·       Twill: A type of fabric or weave that features a diagonal pattern.

·       Warp: The lengthwise threads in a woven fabric.

·       Weave: The method used to create a fabric by interlacing threads or yarns in a pattern.

·       Weft: The crosswise threads in a woven fabric.

·     WRAP-Certified: Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production is a global social compliance dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing.    

·       Yarn: A yarn is formed via the process of spinning, which takes fibers and twists them. This process holds fibers together (whether they are staple fibers or continuous filaments) and adds strength to them so they are not easily pulled apart.

·       Yarn Count: A numerical value indicating the fineness or thickness of yarns. The weight of the original fiber and the length of yarn produced from the raw materials indicate the thickness of the yarn which is determined by the extent of the drawing process. The yarn count may be measured in a number of ways: the traditional fixed-length Count, Tex and Denier.