YARN COUNT
Worsted or woolen, there are several different factors that affect the attributes of yarn and the products made from it. In this module, you will explore each of the factors considered when creating and selecting different yarn types.
Yarn count indicates how thick or fine a yarn is. Due to the differences in the weight of different materials, yarn count is measured using methods specific to each material. For example, in the synthetic material industry, yarn count is measured in Tex or deciTex. In the cotton industry, it is measured using the value Ne. Here you will learn how yarn count is measured in the wool industry.
HOW IS YARN COUNT MEASURED?
The table below details how yarn count is measured across different textile industries.
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| yarn count is measured across different textile industries. |
SYNTHETIC INDUSTRY
In the synthetic textiles industry, yarn count is measured in Tex or deciTex. Tex is a measure of how many grams there are in 1000 meters of synthetic yarn. Tex is a yarn count method that measures the thickness of yarn directly. The higher the Tex value, the thicker the yarn.
WOOL INDUSTRY
In the wool industry, yarn count is measured using two systems, the ‘metric’ system, and the ‘worsted’ system. Both of these methods indicate the number of hanks that can be made from a given weight of yarn. A hank is a length of yarn in a coiled form. The metric measure (Nm) indicates how many 1000-meter hanks can be made from one kilogram of yarn. The worsted measure (Nw) indicates how many 560-yard hanks can be made from one pound of wool yarn. The finer the yarn, the more hanks produced per weight. Because of this, a higher Nm or Nw value indicates a finer wool yarn.
COTTON INDUSTRY
In the cotton industry, yarn count is measured using the ‘cotton’ system. The cotton measure (Ne) indicates how many 840-yard hanks can be made from one pound of cotton yarn. The finer the yarn, the more hanks produced per given weight. Because of this, a higher Ne value indicates a finer cotton yarn.
SUMMARY
Think of an everyday product made from wool fabric – this might be a garment, furniture upholstery, carpet or any other woollen product you can think of.
How do you think this product would be different if it were made using a thicker yarn with a lower yarn count (Nm or Nw)?
How do you think this product would be different if it were made using a finer yarn with a higher yarn count (Nm or Nw)?
Yarn count is an important and easily-measured quality attribute, which significantly impacts the characteristics of the final product.
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