Clothing Definitions — yarn and textile terms from Apparel Search
Yarn is the basic building material of the clothing industry: nearly every woven or knitted fabric begins as yarn, and sewing thread is simply a very thin form of it. This page defines yarn, explains how individual fibers are spun or air-texturized into a continuous strand, how single strands are twisted together into plies, and how yarn is measured and sold. It also places the term among its close relatives in textile production — fiber, which is yarn's raw material, and fabric, which is what yarn becomes on the loom or the knitting machine.
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, knitting, weaving and ropemaking. yarn can be made from any number of synthetic or natural fibers. Very thin yarn is referred to as thread. yarns are made up of any number of plys, each ply being a single thread these threads being twisted (plied) together to make the final yarn.
In some cases, thread may be monofilament, in which case it is a single fiber. The only natural fiber that is counted as monofilament is silk.
Yarn is manufactured by either a spinning or air texturizing (commonly referred to as taslanizing) process.
Yarn manufacturing was one of the very first processes that was industrialized.
Yarn used for fabric manufacture is made by spinning short lengths various types of fibers. Synthetic fibers which have high strength, artificial lusture, and fire retardant qualities are blended with natural fibers which have good water absorbance and skin comforting qualities ,in different proportions to manufacture yarn for fabric. The most widely used blends are cotton-polyster and Wool-acrylic fiber blends.
Yarn is usually measured by weight. In the United States, balls of yarn are usually sold in three-ounce, four-ounce, six-ounce, and eight-ounce skeins. In Europe the units used by textile engineers is often tex. This is grams per kilometer. Many other units have been used during the last centuries each industry creating its own for internal purposes and these escaping into the public domain.
| modified by Apparel Search 6/10/07 |
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From Fiber to YarnEvery yarn starts as fiber. Short staple fibers — cotton, wool and cut lengths of manufactured fiber — must be overlapped and twisted so that friction holds them together as one strand; that twisting is spinning, and yarn manufacturing was one of the very first processes to be industrialized. Continuous filament fibers take a different route: they can be used with little twist, or textured by air — the taslanizing process — to give them bulk and a softer, more natural feel. Once formed, single strands can be twisted together again: yarns are made up of any number of plies, each ply being a single thread, and plying balances the twist and adds strength and roundness to the finished yarn. Blending happens at the yarn stage. Synthetic fibers, which offer high strength, artificial luster and fire-retardant qualities, are blended with natural fibers, which offer good water absorbency and skin comfort, in different proportions to manufacture yarn for fabric. The most widely used blends are cotton-polyester and wool-acrylic. The blend ratio, the amount of twist and the spinning method together decide how the eventual fabric drapes, wears, washes and feels against the skin, which is why two fabrics of the same fiber content can behave very differently. Yarn in Weaving, Knitting and SewingIn weaving, yarn works in two directions: warp yarns run lengthwise under tension on the loom, while weft yarns cross them. Warp yarns are generally stronger and more tightly twisted because they endure the strain of the loom. In knitting, a single yarn loops through itself row after row, so elasticity and evenness matter most. Preparation matters to both: carding aligns and cleans fibers before spinning, and the quality of that preparation shows up in the smoothness of the yarn. Yarn counts and weights — from fine skeins sold for hand knitting to the tex measurements used by textile engineers — let buyers specify exactly the strand a fabric requires. Yarn Directories and ResourcesFor the businesses behind the material, see the Yarn Directory, the Yarn Wholesalers directory, Yarn Machinery and Yarn Feeding Equipment, plus Yarn Consulting services and Yarn Prices. Related Apparel Search directories cover the raw material in the Fiber Directory and the finished material in the Fabric Directory, with background in Cotton Prices, the Fashion directory and Fashion Industry News. Common QuestionsWhat is the difference between yarn and thread?Thread is very thin yarn intended for sewing. Yarn is the general term for a long continuous length of interlocked fibers used in making textiles, while thread names the fine version drawn through a needle to join pieces of fabric. In some cases thread is a monofilament — a single fiber — and silk is the only natural fiber counted as a monofilament. How is yarn made?Yarn is manufactured by spinning or by air texturizing, a process commonly called taslanizing. Spinning twists short lengths of fiber together so they lock into a continuous strand; the most widely used fabric yarns are spun, by methods that include open-end spinning and ring-spinning. How is yarn measured?Yarn is usually measured by weight. In the United States, balls of yarn are commonly sold in three-ounce, four-ounce, six-ounce and eight-ounce skeins. Textile engineers in Europe often use tex — grams per kilometer — and many older industry-specific units survive from earlier centuries. More to Explore
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