How to spec cotton fabric so a mill can quote it in one email
A mill can price a fabric from five inputs. Give all five and you get a number back the same day; leave one out and you get a question instead.
The five inputs
- Construction or a sample. Either the warp and weft counts and ends x picks per inch (e.g. 20x12 / 108x56), or a swatch we can pull apart and identify.
- Weight. In g/m² or oz/yd² — say which. If you only know the end use, say that and we'll propose a weight.
- Width. Finished width in inches or cm. If a seamless wide panel matters, say the minimum width you need.
- Finish state. Greige, RFD, piece-dyed (with a shade reference or lab dip) or printed.
- Quantity. Total metres, and how it splits by colour if dyed.
What slows a quote down
- "Send me your best price" with no construction — there is no such thing without a spec.
- A shade named as a word ("navy") with no reference — we need a Pantone, a lab dip or a physical standard.
- An unstated unit — a "10" could be 10 oz or 10 g/m² intent; confirm.
Send the five and, for greige, expect a number and a lead time back the same day.