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Textile Terms
1- CARDED COTTON: These are short staple fibers which is normally associated with lower end fabric. There is also…depending on the quality of the cotton the possibility of the fabric piling.
2- COMBED COTTON: These long staple fibers are normally associated with higher end fabrics. These yarns are durable and produce a smoother more vibrant fabric. There are different qualities of cottons ours being Egyptian…which is the finest or one of the finest on the market.
3- WARP: These yarns run the length of the fabric and are very difficult to change on the loom and it is normally set up to run large volumes of fabric. To change the color in the warp yarn is time consuming which is normally why you have this yarn in a white color or a color that will run for some time.
4- WEFT: These yarns run the width of the fabric and are easily changed, which allows us to offer numerous colors with a white base or warp yarn.
5- HALF TONE: This means a fabric with a white warp yarn and a colored weft yarn.
6- FULL TONE: This means a fabric with a color warp yarn and a colored weft yarn.
7- TWISTED: This is when you take two thinner yarns and twist them together to make one stronger thicker yarn. This procedure can result in competitors referring to fabrics with 300+ thread count.
8- THREAD COUNT: This is the number of yarns both in the warp and weft of the fabric for one square inch. The most any loom can weave is approximately 300 threads to the square inch. If there is a reference to anything higher than this then they are referring to the number of yarns per square inch which are twisted.
9- MERCERIZATION: This is the chemical/physical treatment applied to the yarn or onto the fabric. The tissue goes through a chemical NAOH-bath in a way which swells the cotton fibers. This is the normal reaction of the cotton, because the chemical composition of cotton is cellulose. The fabric is held between numerous rollers in order to keep the fabric under high tension. It is important that the concentration of the chemicals and the tensions are followed up very precisely. Because of these interactions, the cellulose molecules become straighter; there is less disorder of the molecules within the fiber. The advantages are: Stabilization - the shrinkage after washing is reduced and there is less wrinkling. Strength - the fabric is much stronger. Appearance - cotton has a "body", feels softer and has a beautiful luster. Practicality - dirt and dust penetrate less deeply into the fiber, resulting in a less harsh and faster cleaning process. The fabric can be calendared (ironed) very easily.
10- HAND: This refers to the feel of a fabric
11- PERCALE: This is a simple weave one over one and is associated with lower count fabric T180 or T200.
12- SATEEN: This is superior woven fabric over Percale and has a weave of one over three to as high as one over six. Our fabrics in Sateen are one over four. This weave gives a very smooth hand to the fabric and the result is a vibrant sheen.
13- DAMASK: This refers to a fabric that has a design woven into it. The capabilities are endless for the designs; because all we need is to scan the art work and we can weave the pattern.
14- JACQUARD: This refers to the weave or loom that produces the Damask patterns.
15- WEIGHT: The weight of fabric is referred to by grams per square meter or ounces per square yard. This does not always reflect the quality of the fabric, however towels in the USA are referred to by pounds per dozen, while Europe refers to the weight of terry as gr/m2.
16- DYES: There are two types of dyes which are color fast; Indan dyes which resist bleaching and our Reat dyes which do not stand up to bleaching but are color fast and very durable in commercial laundry.
17- DP: DIPOLIMERISATION DEGREE: This is a number that indicates the resistance of the cotton. Each cotton fiber has many cellulose chain molecules. The longer these chains are, the stronger the fiber. The shorter these chains are, the more the fiber has been damaged. The DP gives an indication of the length of the fibers. Normal DP for bleached cotton is: ca. 1400-1900. Ours has a DP of 1800-2300 so we greatly exceed the level of an average bleached cotton
18- DE-MINERALIZATION: Cotton can contain iron or other minerals. These foreign particles can interact with other chemicals and damage the cotton, we call this Katalisators. Other chemicals are used as bleaching products by the laundry, so if cotton contains minerals then this will allow the Chlor to "burn" holes in the product. The de-mineralization process dissolves minerals, so the product will last longer.
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