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If you cannot tell the difference between jersey and interlock fabrics, do not feel bad — not too many people can. One way to familiarize yourself is to look in your closet: an expensive knit top will most likely be interlock, and an everyday t-shirt will probably be jersey. The face of the fabric looks more or less the same because both have small vertical ribs. Turn to the back and gently pull across the direction of stretch: interlock will look more or less the same on the face and back, while jersey has a wavy purl pattern that runs perpendicular to the face rib. Both jersey fabric and interlock fabric are knit fabrics.
Jersey vs Interlock - The Difference Between Jersey and Interlock Fabric
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If you can't tell the difference, don't feel bad because not too many people can tell the difference between jersey and interlock fabrics. One way to familiarize yourself is to look in your closet. An expensive knit top will most likely be interlock and an everyday t-shirt will probably be jersey.
The face of the fabric looks more or less the same because they all have small vertical ribs. When you go to the back of the fabric and gently pull across the direction of stretch, the Interlock will look more or less the same on the face and back. The jersey has a wavy pearl pattern that runs perpendicular to the face rib. If you're still not certain, you can cut a piece from selvedge to selvedge, if the fabric is jersey the cut edge will curl on itself, interlock will lay more flat. Please note that we are NOT suggesting that you cut your clothing. This suggestion is more for members of the fashion industry that have swatches to cut.
By the way, both jersey fabric and interlock fabric are knit fabrics.
You can learn more about fabric at the Apparel Search fabric directory or from the fabric search website.
Jersey and interlock are both weft knit fabrics, and on the face both show the same small vertical ribs, which is why the two are so often confused at first glance. The difference is in construction: jersey is a single knit with a distinct face and back, while interlock is a double knit built so that both sides present a similar face. That construction difference explains each identification test on this page. A double knit is more stable, so interlock lays flatter at a cut edge and presents the same appearance front and back; a single knit has an unbalanced structure, so jersey shows its purl pattern on the reverse and its cut edges curl toward the face.
The construction difference drives garment choices. Jersey is lighter and has more natural stretch and drape, which suits t-shirts and casual tops worn every day. Interlock is thicker, smoother and more opaque, holds its shape better, and presents a more finished surface, which is why it appears in better knit tops and garments where show-through or distortion would be a problem. Interlock also tends to cost more to produce, because a double knit uses more yarn and slower machine settings than a comparable single jersey.
Work through the checks in order. First compare face and back without stretching: if the two sides look essentially the same, suspect interlock. Next, pull gently across the direction of stretch and inspect the back for the wavy purl pattern running perpendicular to the face rib — that pattern marks jersey. Finally, if the sample is a swatch you are free to cut, cut from selvedge to selvedge and watch the edge: curling points to jersey, a flat edge points to interlock. Combining the three checks is more reliable than any one of them alone, especially on lightweight fabrics where the back pattern can be subtle.
Readers sourcing either fabric can use the fabric search and the jersey and knit fabric directories linked on this page to find mills and suppliers by fabric type.
Pull the fabric gently across the direction of stretch and look at the back. Interlock looks more or less the same on the face and the back; jersey shows a wavy purl (pearl) pattern running perpendicular to the face rib.
Cut a piece from selvedge to selvedge: if the fabric is jersey, the cut edge will curl on itself; interlock will lay more flat. The test is meant for industry swatches, not for cutting finished clothing.
An everyday t-shirt will probably be jersey; an expensive knit top will most likely be interlock — a useful first guess before checking the back of the fabric.