Reading a fabric construction: count, ends, picks and GSM
A woven cotton fabric is defined by a short string of numbers. Learn to read it and you can compare two quotes properly, spot when a "match" is not one, and write a spec a mill can price without a phone call.
A worked example: 20x16 / 128x60 / 58"
- 20 x 16 — the yarn counts. 20s warp, 16s weft, in the cotton (Ne) system. Higher number, finer yarn. The weft here is a little coarser than the warp, which is normal.
- 128 x 60 — the reed and pick, or ends and picks per inch. 128 warp threads and 60 weft threads in every inch of cloth. More threads means denser, heavier, stronger, and less easy to distort.
- 58" — the finished width, edge to edge or usable inside the selvedge (say which).
- Sometimes a fourth figure: GSM or oz, the areal weight. It is a result of the first two, not an independent input.
What each number controls
| Number | Controls |
|---|---|
| Yarn count | Fineness, softness, surface, cost of the yarn |
| Ends x picks | Density, weight, strength, cover, stiffness |
| Weave (plain / twill / etc.) | Drape, diagonal, crease recovery |
| Width | Whether panels need a seam |
Why weight alone is not a spec
Two fabrics can both be "240 GSM" and behave nothing alike — one a coarse open plain weave in thick low-count yarn, the other a fine dense construction in high-count yarn. If a supplier quotes only a GSM, ask for the construction behind it.
Send us a construction like the one above, or a swatch, and we identify it and quote a match.