Textile fabric dictionary or glossary of fabric terms and definitions is an important free e-book for textile engineering, fashion design or apparel merchandising students. I try to provide important textile terms and definitions on knitted, woven and non-woven fabric in this free e-book.
This Complete Textile Fabric Glossary is intended to be a convenient reference for textile terminology. Although it covers all types of textile terms broadly, its special emphasis is on manufactured fibers - what they are, how they are produced, and how they are used.
The first edition of this textile fabric dictionary was published as a book by Md Tariqul Alom Ansari in Bangladeshi market. The author is my friend. By taking his permission, I try to publish his TEXTILE FABRIC DICTIONARY book in my blog as an e-book. With in short days, I am going to publish the full edition of this book named by “TEXTILE FABRIC DICTIONARY; GLOSSARY OF TEXTILE FABRIC TERMS AND DEFINITIONS”. It must be pdf file formatted free e-book.
Let see the Fabric dictionary:
Fabric dictionary (A)
Alpaca cloth:
This is a cloth in which alpaca weft is used and the weave employed is a plain or weft faced twill. It finds use in dress fabrics and lining cloths.
Amazo:
It is a fabric woven as 5 end satin weave using worsted warp and woolen weft. The fabric is given after treatments such as milling and raising, so as to impart a soft feel and handle. It finds use as dress material.
Armure:
It is a fabric constructed with warp rib weave and is suitable as a dress fabric.
Atlas:
It is a silk fabric constructed with an eight end satin weave. The fabric is suitable for dress materials. When woven with cotton weft, it is suitable for lining cloths.
Fabric dictionary (B)
Bag cloth:
This is a cloth woven with plain or a two and two twill weave. It has a light and open structure. The fabric is used for grocery purposes.
Batiste:
This is cotton plain cloth that is finished to give the feel of muslin and cambric. It is used for dresses and linings.
Beaver Cloth:
It is a woolen fabric which is milled and raised. The fabric is made in different weight ranges using backed and double weaves. It is used as an over coating fabric.
Bedford cord:
This is a fabric consisting of ridges and furrows on its surface, thus giving a stripe like appearance resembling cords, along the warp way. Cotton or worsted materials may be used according to the end use requirements. Applications include dress fabrics and military wear.
Belting:
This is a class of narrow width fabric made of cotton, wool or silk. The weaves commonly employed are plain, twill or sateen. Areas of application include tops of skirts, ornamentation and industrial purpose such as power transmission.
Beige:
This is a fabric made of worsted or cotton material using a 2 and 2 twill weave.
Blanket:
This is a heavy fabric produced from wool or a with an admixture of wool and cotton. Sometimes cotton, acrylic and polypropylene are also used.
Blazer cloth:
It is a woolen cloth which is milled, raised and finished with a fibrous surface. It finds use as sports jackets and caps.
Box cloth:
This is a woolen cloth that is milled heavily so as to impart a felt like appearance.
Broad cloth:
This is an old type of woolen cloth, made from fine merino wool in plain weave. It is heavily milled and finished so as to make it suitable as a dress fabric.
Brocade:
It is a heavy silk fabric with figured ornamentation using a jacquard.
Fabric dictionary (C)
Calendared cloth:
It is a finished cloth produced by passing the fabric between heated rollers under pressure. This results in a fabric having a smooth, glossy surface and is normally applied to cotton and linen fabrics.
Calico:
This applies to various types of plain woven cotton cloth that are coarser than muslin.
Cambric:
It is a cloth made of high quality cotton yarn and given a special finish. This imparts a stiff feel and bright appearance to the cloth. The end uses include summer dresses, dress linings etc.
Casement cloth:
It is a plain woven cotton cloth, with a soft and full handle.
Chifon:
It is a fabric made of silk with a very soft and filmy texture. It is made of hard twisted yarn and woven in the gummed condition.
Chintzed fabric:
It is a type of cloth in which different colours of weft replace one another in succeeding horizontal sections of a design. Thus a figure is formed in more colours than there are series of weft threads employed.
Coarded fabric:
This is a fabric in which rib effects that run longitudinally in the cloth.
Corduroy:
It is a weft pile or velveteen in which the pile forms ribs or cords along the warp direction.
Corkscrew fabric:
It is a fabric made of fine worsted yarn with a warp rib twill effect running at a flat angle.
Crape fabric:
It is a fabric which has an irregular or broken surface appearance and employs a combination of sateen and twill or plain weaves.
Cretonne:
This is a fabric woven with plain, twill or crepe, and small fancy weaves. It is ornamented with elaborate printed designs.
Fabric dictionary (D)
Damask:
It is basically a silk fabric constructed with a weft sateen figure on a warp satin, or twill or plain ground.
Denim:
It is a strong and heavy warp faced cotton cloth constructed with a 3 and 1 twill weave. The warp is generally dyed in brown or blue colour and the weft is bleached yarn.
Dhooties:
These are soft, light cotton fabrics ranging in length between 2 - 5 yards. The cloth comprises of a body with plain grey and ordinary or fancy border.
Drills:
These are warp faced cotton fabrics woven with 3,4, and 5 thread warp faced twills and 5 thread satin, with the twill lines running opposite to the direction of the twist of the warp yarn. Thus a prominent twill effect will be formed.
Duck:
It is a very heavy and strong cotton fabric woven as plain weave. It finds use as sail cloth belting, tent cloth etc.
Dungaree:
It is a fabric similar to denim, but is usually dyed in both warp and weft.
Fabric dictionary (F)
Falted cloth:
It is a woolen cloth that is subjected to pressure and moisture. This causes the fibres to be matted and interlocked resulting in a dense, full and compact structure.
Flannel:
It is a cloth woven in plain or twill construction. Generally woolen yarns are used. The cloth is subjected to milling and raising treatment, to give a very soft handle.
Flannelette
It is a cotton fabric constructed in plain or 2 and 2 twill, and finished with a fibrous surface in imitation of wool flannel.
Fustian:
It is a velveteen with a high pick density and is also known as corduroy. The floats of weft are cut to form open fringes which run longitudinally warp way in the fabric giving a rib or cord like appearance.
Fabric dictionary (G)
Gabardine:
It is basically a fabric woven in 2/2 twill construction. Materials used commonly are cotton and worsted.
Gauze:
It is a fabric with open construction and resembles a wire mesh.
Georgette:
It is a fine silk fabric made from highly twisted yarns. Yarns with opposite direction of twists (S and Z) are arranged alternately in the order of 2 and 2 warp and weft way. This results in crepe like appearance in the fabric.
Gingham:
It is a cotton fabric woven in plain weave with firm texture. The fabric is normally produced with check effect.
Glass cloth:
It is a fabric made of cotton or linen. The cloth is used exclusively for cleaning of glass ware items.
Grey cloth:
It is the cloth taken from the loom.
Grosgrain:
It is a blended fabric composed of fine silk warp threads and coarser silk, cotton or worsted weft. The weave is a warp rib with a high density of warp threads and low pick density of weft threads.
Fabric dictionary (H)
Hair line:
It is a simple colour and weave effect that produces solid lines warp or weft way. The thickness of the lines depends on the thickness and number of colour yarns used.
Hessain cloth:
It is a cloth made of jute and woven in plain weave. The fabric is produced in a wide range of qualities and is used for wrapping and packing purposes.
Fabric dictionary (I)
Imperial cloth:
It is made of worsted and woven as 2/2 twill. The cloth is suitable for coatings and costumes.
Italian cloth:
It is a blended cloth in which the warp is cotton dyed in the yarn stage. The weft is woolen which is dyed in the fabric state. The cloth is then finished suitably to give a lustrous appearance.
Fabric dictionary (K)
Khaki:
It is a cloth exclusively made for military purposes. The fabric is yellowish brown in colour made from a mixture of differently dyed fibres.
Fabric dictionary (L)
Leno:
It is a net like fabric constructed by causing a warp end to cross over another end. This is made possible by the use of doup healds.
Limbric:
It is a cotton fabric made of fine warp and coarse weft (soft spun and lustrous).The pick density is usually more than the warp thread density.
London shrunk cloth:
It is a woolen cloth that is preshrunk by post treatment with hot and cold washes.
Long cloth:
It is a cotton fabric woven as plain in a close texture.
Fabric dictionary (M)
Matelasse:
It is a figured or ornamented double or treble cloth using wadding threads to give a raised appearance to the figure.
Mull:
It is a super fine quality of cotton cloth woven as plain weave. The cloth is bleached and finished to give a soft feel.
Muslin:
It is a soft and fine variety of fabric made of cotton, silk or worsted. The cloth is woven as plain in an open texture.
Fabric dictionary (N)
Napped cloth:
It is a cloth made of cotton or wool and given a raising treatment to make the cloth fibrous or hairy.
Fabric dictionary (O)
Oatmeal:
This refers to the crepe fabrics which have a rough texture. The weave is generally of an irregular nature.
Fabric dictionary (P)
Pile fabric:
It is a fabric that is characterized by long floats of yarn or loops of yarn. In case of warp pile the warp loops are formed which may be cut or uncut. In case of weft piles long floats of weft are formed that may be cut or uncut.
Plush:
It is a type of weft pile fabric that has long floats of weft.
Poplin:
It is basically a warp rib cloth with fine warp and coarse weft. The cloth is made from cotton, wool or silk or a combination of these.
Fabric dictionary (Q)
Quilts:
These are figured heavy fabrics made from cotton. The basic weaves used may be honey comb, tapestry, repp, alhambara etc.
Fabric dictionary (R)
Repp:
It is basically a warp rib fabric in which the rib lines are alternated by coarse and fine ends. These are interlaced by corresponding coarse and fine picks of weft.
Rugs:
These are woolen cloths woven as single and double layered structures. Single cloths are woven as twills with broad check effects.
Russian cord
It is a type of leno structure in which a coloured crossing crosses over a standard warp end of contrasting colour.
Fabric dictionary (S)
Scrim:
It is an inferior quality of muslin cloth made of cotton.
Serge:
It is a worsted or woolen cloth woven in twill construction. The fabric has a rough feel.
Sheting:
It is a fabric woven in plain or 2/2 twill and is usually made from cotton, linen or sometimes from a blend of polyster and cotton. Medium to coarse counts of yarns are employed.
Fabric dictionary (T)
Taffata:
It is a silk fabric woven in plain construction. The fabric is closely sett using a coarse weft and finer warp.
Tartan:
This is a woolen or worsted cloth woven as 2/2 twill in elaborate check designs.
Terry:
It is a warp pile fabric with loops of warp threads alternating with ground threads. The fabric is ideal for use as towels.
Tussore:
It is a plain woven cloth made of silk or cotton. When the cloth is made from cotton, it is mercerized and dyed to imitate the appearance of silk.
Tweed:
It is a woolen cloth which is manufactured in a wide variety of forms ranging from fine to coarse textures. Main areas of application include suitings and over coatings.
Fabric dictionary (V)
Velvet:
It is a warp pile fabric similar to terry but has short cut piles.
This Complete Textile Fabric Glossary is intended to be a convenient reference for textile terminology. Although it covers all types of textile terms broadly, its special emphasis is on manufactured fibers - what they are, how they are produced, and how they are used.
The first edition of this textile fabric dictionary was published as a book by Md Tariqul Alom Ansari in Bangladeshi market. The author is my friend. By taking his permission, I try to publish his TEXTILE FABRIC DICTIONARY book in my blog as an e-book. With in short days, I am going to publish the full edition of this book named by “TEXTILE FABRIC DICTIONARY; GLOSSARY OF TEXTILE FABRIC TERMS AND DEFINITIONS”. It must be pdf file formatted free e-book.
Let see the Fabric dictionary:
Fabric dictionary (A)
Alpaca cloth:
This is a cloth in which alpaca weft is used and the weave employed is a plain or weft faced twill. It finds use in dress fabrics and lining cloths.
Amazo:
It is a fabric woven as 5 end satin weave using worsted warp and woolen weft. The fabric is given after treatments such as milling and raising, so as to impart a soft feel and handle. It finds use as dress material.
Armure:
It is a fabric constructed with warp rib weave and is suitable as a dress fabric.
Atlas:
It is a silk fabric constructed with an eight end satin weave. The fabric is suitable for dress materials. When woven with cotton weft, it is suitable for lining cloths.
Fabric dictionary (B)
Bag cloth:
This is a cloth woven with plain or a two and two twill weave. It has a light and open structure. The fabric is used for grocery purposes.
Batiste:
This is cotton plain cloth that is finished to give the feel of muslin and cambric. It is used for dresses and linings.
Beaver Cloth:
It is a woolen fabric which is milled and raised. The fabric is made in different weight ranges using backed and double weaves. It is used as an over coating fabric.
Bedford cord:
This is a fabric consisting of ridges and furrows on its surface, thus giving a stripe like appearance resembling cords, along the warp way. Cotton or worsted materials may be used according to the end use requirements. Applications include dress fabrics and military wear.
Belting:
This is a class of narrow width fabric made of cotton, wool or silk. The weaves commonly employed are plain, twill or sateen. Areas of application include tops of skirts, ornamentation and industrial purpose such as power transmission.
Beige:
This is a fabric made of worsted or cotton material using a 2 and 2 twill weave.
Blanket:
This is a heavy fabric produced from wool or a with an admixture of wool and cotton. Sometimes cotton, acrylic and polypropylene are also used.
Blazer cloth:
It is a woolen cloth which is milled, raised and finished with a fibrous surface. It finds use as sports jackets and caps.
Box cloth:
This is a woolen cloth that is milled heavily so as to impart a felt like appearance.
Broad cloth:
This is an old type of woolen cloth, made from fine merino wool in plain weave. It is heavily milled and finished so as to make it suitable as a dress fabric.
Brocade:
It is a heavy silk fabric with figured ornamentation using a jacquard.
Fabric dictionary (C)
Calendared cloth:
It is a finished cloth produced by passing the fabric between heated rollers under pressure. This results in a fabric having a smooth, glossy surface and is normally applied to cotton and linen fabrics.
Calico:
This applies to various types of plain woven cotton cloth that are coarser than muslin.
Cambric:
It is a cloth made of high quality cotton yarn and given a special finish. This imparts a stiff feel and bright appearance to the cloth. The end uses include summer dresses, dress linings etc.
Casement cloth:
It is a plain woven cotton cloth, with a soft and full handle.
Chifon:
It is a fabric made of silk with a very soft and filmy texture. It is made of hard twisted yarn and woven in the gummed condition.
Chintzed fabric:
It is a type of cloth in which different colours of weft replace one another in succeeding horizontal sections of a design. Thus a figure is formed in more colours than there are series of weft threads employed.
Coarded fabric:
This is a fabric in which rib effects that run longitudinally in the cloth.
Corduroy:
It is a weft pile or velveteen in which the pile forms ribs or cords along the warp direction.
Corkscrew fabric:
It is a fabric made of fine worsted yarn with a warp rib twill effect running at a flat angle.
Crape fabric:
It is a fabric which has an irregular or broken surface appearance and employs a combination of sateen and twill or plain weaves.
Cretonne:
This is a fabric woven with plain, twill or crepe, and small fancy weaves. It is ornamented with elaborate printed designs.
Fabric dictionary (D)
Damask:
It is basically a silk fabric constructed with a weft sateen figure on a warp satin, or twill or plain ground.
Denim:
It is a strong and heavy warp faced cotton cloth constructed with a 3 and 1 twill weave. The warp is generally dyed in brown or blue colour and the weft is bleached yarn.
Dhooties:
These are soft, light cotton fabrics ranging in length between 2 - 5 yards. The cloth comprises of a body with plain grey and ordinary or fancy border.
Drills:
These are warp faced cotton fabrics woven with 3,4, and 5 thread warp faced twills and 5 thread satin, with the twill lines running opposite to the direction of the twist of the warp yarn. Thus a prominent twill effect will be formed.
Duck:
It is a very heavy and strong cotton fabric woven as plain weave. It finds use as sail cloth belting, tent cloth etc.
Dungaree:
It is a fabric similar to denim, but is usually dyed in both warp and weft.
Fabric dictionary (F)
Falted cloth:
It is a woolen cloth that is subjected to pressure and moisture. This causes the fibres to be matted and interlocked resulting in a dense, full and compact structure.
Flannel:
It is a cloth woven in plain or twill construction. Generally woolen yarns are used. The cloth is subjected to milling and raising treatment, to give a very soft handle.
Flannelette
It is a cotton fabric constructed in plain or 2 and 2 twill, and finished with a fibrous surface in imitation of wool flannel.
Fustian:
It is a velveteen with a high pick density and is also known as corduroy. The floats of weft are cut to form open fringes which run longitudinally warp way in the fabric giving a rib or cord like appearance.
Fabric dictionary (G)
Gabardine:
It is basically a fabric woven in 2/2 twill construction. Materials used commonly are cotton and worsted.
Gauze:
It is a fabric with open construction and resembles a wire mesh.
Georgette:
It is a fine silk fabric made from highly twisted yarns. Yarns with opposite direction of twists (S and Z) are arranged alternately in the order of 2 and 2 warp and weft way. This results in crepe like appearance in the fabric.
Gingham:
It is a cotton fabric woven in plain weave with firm texture. The fabric is normally produced with check effect.
Glass cloth:
It is a fabric made of cotton or linen. The cloth is used exclusively for cleaning of glass ware items.
Grey cloth:
It is the cloth taken from the loom.
Grosgrain:
It is a blended fabric composed of fine silk warp threads and coarser silk, cotton or worsted weft. The weave is a warp rib with a high density of warp threads and low pick density of weft threads.
Fabric dictionary (H)
Hair line:
It is a simple colour and weave effect that produces solid lines warp or weft way. The thickness of the lines depends on the thickness and number of colour yarns used.
Hessain cloth:
It is a cloth made of jute and woven in plain weave. The fabric is produced in a wide range of qualities and is used for wrapping and packing purposes.
Fabric dictionary (I)
Imperial cloth:
It is made of worsted and woven as 2/2 twill. The cloth is suitable for coatings and costumes.
Italian cloth:
It is a blended cloth in which the warp is cotton dyed in the yarn stage. The weft is woolen which is dyed in the fabric state. The cloth is then finished suitably to give a lustrous appearance.
Fabric dictionary (K)
Khaki:
It is a cloth exclusively made for military purposes. The fabric is yellowish brown in colour made from a mixture of differently dyed fibres.
Fabric dictionary (L)
Leno:
It is a net like fabric constructed by causing a warp end to cross over another end. This is made possible by the use of doup healds.
Limbric:
It is a cotton fabric made of fine warp and coarse weft (soft spun and lustrous).The pick density is usually more than the warp thread density.
London shrunk cloth:
It is a woolen cloth that is preshrunk by post treatment with hot and cold washes.
Long cloth:
It is a cotton fabric woven as plain in a close texture.
Fabric dictionary (M)
Matelasse:
It is a figured or ornamented double or treble cloth using wadding threads to give a raised appearance to the figure.
Mull:
It is a super fine quality of cotton cloth woven as plain weave. The cloth is bleached and finished to give a soft feel.
Muslin:
It is a soft and fine variety of fabric made of cotton, silk or worsted. The cloth is woven as plain in an open texture.
Fabric dictionary (N)
Napped cloth:
It is a cloth made of cotton or wool and given a raising treatment to make the cloth fibrous or hairy.
Fabric dictionary (O)
Oatmeal:
This refers to the crepe fabrics which have a rough texture. The weave is generally of an irregular nature.
Fabric dictionary (P)
Pile fabric:
It is a fabric that is characterized by long floats of yarn or loops of yarn. In case of warp pile the warp loops are formed which may be cut or uncut. In case of weft piles long floats of weft are formed that may be cut or uncut.
Plush:
It is a type of weft pile fabric that has long floats of weft.
Poplin:
It is basically a warp rib cloth with fine warp and coarse weft. The cloth is made from cotton, wool or silk or a combination of these.
Fabric dictionary (Q)
Quilts:
These are figured heavy fabrics made from cotton. The basic weaves used may be honey comb, tapestry, repp, alhambara etc.
Fabric dictionary (R)
Repp:
It is basically a warp rib fabric in which the rib lines are alternated by coarse and fine ends. These are interlaced by corresponding coarse and fine picks of weft.
Rugs:
These are woolen cloths woven as single and double layered structures. Single cloths are woven as twills with broad check effects.
Russian cord
It is a type of leno structure in which a coloured crossing crosses over a standard warp end of contrasting colour.
Fabric dictionary (S)
Scrim:
It is an inferior quality of muslin cloth made of cotton.
Serge:
It is a worsted or woolen cloth woven in twill construction. The fabric has a rough feel.
Sheting:
It is a fabric woven in plain or 2/2 twill and is usually made from cotton, linen or sometimes from a blend of polyster and cotton. Medium to coarse counts of yarns are employed.
Fabric dictionary (T)
Taffata:
It is a silk fabric woven in plain construction. The fabric is closely sett using a coarse weft and finer warp.
Tartan:
This is a woolen or worsted cloth woven as 2/2 twill in elaborate check designs.
Terry:
It is a warp pile fabric with loops of warp threads alternating with ground threads. The fabric is ideal for use as towels.
Tussore:
It is a plain woven cloth made of silk or cotton. When the cloth is made from cotton, it is mercerized and dyed to imitate the appearance of silk.
Tweed:
It is a woolen cloth which is manufactured in a wide variety of forms ranging from fine to coarse textures. Main areas of application include suitings and over coatings.
Fabric dictionary (V)
Velvet:
It is a warp pile fabric similar to terry but has short cut piles.
This is the type of information I’ve long been trying to find. Thank you for writing this information. Textile Testing Equipment
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