What is Yarn Count in Fabric Specification?

‘Count’ is widely used term in garment industry when it comes to defining fabric construction and yarn specification (weight per unit length or length per unit weight) those are made using staple fibre like cotton. If you are working in fabric sourcing, merchandising, fabric testing and quality and technical department, you know this term very well. Fabrics (knits or woven) are made of yarns and filaments. Yarn Count is one of the primary specifications of cotton yarn.

Count (cotton count) is a measuring unit of yarn linear density. In Indirect measuring system, cotton yarns are measured in Count or cotton count.

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Cotton Count is defined as the number of 840 yards length of yarns in one pound. It means that the number of yarns of 840 yards length required weighing one pound. For example, a 30 count yarn means you need 30 yarns of 840 yards length to make it one pound weight.

In cotton count (indirect yarn numbering) system, higher the count of yarn is finer the yarn. For example, a 40’s yarn is two times finer than a 20’s yarn.

The yarn count of a regular T-shirt made of single jersey fall in between 20 to 40.

For man-made or synthetic fibres and yarns are measured in Tex and denier.

Also see: Count Conversion table for textile yarns