How to Read a Woven Fabric Specification: Count, Construction, Width and GSM
Updated · By Srihari Bang
A woven fabric specification tells you what the cloth is made of (composition), how fine the yarn is (count), how densely it is woven (construction, in threads per inch), how wide it is, and how heavy it is (GSM). Read together, those five lines are enough to compare two fabrics without touching either.
Key facts
| Composition | Fibre content, e.g. 100% cotton |
|---|---|
| Count | Yarn fineness; English cotton count (Ne) = 840-yard hanks per pound |
| Construction | Warp ends × weft picks per inch, e.g. 64 x 44 |
| Width | Usable width, in inches (cm = inches × 2.54) |
| GSM | Grams per square metre; ÷ 33.9057 for oz/yd² |
What is on a woven fabric specification?
Every product page in our catalogue lists the same fields, which are finish, composition, width, colour, weave, count and construction. Read together they describe the cloth precisely enough to compare two fabrics without touching them.
Composition
Composition is the fibre content by weight, for example 100% cotton or a cotton-linen blend. It decides how the fabric feels in the hand, how it breathes, how much it shrinks and how it takes dye.
Count
Count is how fine the yarn is. Cotton yarn is usually given in English cotton count (Ne), which is the number of 840-yard hanks that weigh one pound. A higher count means a finer yarn. A spec such as 20 x 20 gives the warp count first and the weft count second.
Construction
Construction is how many threads are woven into each inch, with warp ends first and weft picks second. 64 x 44 means 64 ends and 44 picks per inch. More threads per inch generally means a denser, firmer cloth.
Width and GSM
Width is the usable width of the roll, usually in inches, and multiplying by 2.54 gives centimetres. GSM is the weight of one square metre in grams. Width and GSM together give the weight of a running metre, which is what decides how many metres are in a kilogram. Our GSM converter does that arithmetic.
A worked example from our catalogue
Piece Dyed Texture Dobby 9072G is listed as finish NSF, composition 100% cotton, width 57–58 inches, weave dobby, count 20 x 20 and construction 64 x 44. That reads as a medium-weight cotton dobby, woven from 20s yarn in both directions at 64 by 44 threads per inch, on a roll about 145 to 147 cm wide.
The same fields on a sample garment
At trade fairs we hang sample garments with a fabric-details tag, so a buyer can read the cloth without opening a swatch book. The tag on this shirt and trouser set lists design BTC-9112, count 12 x 12, construction 56 x 46, blend 80% viscose and 20% linen, weave plain, width 55–56 inches, GSM 214 and finish NSF. Those are the same seven fields as a product page, in the same order a mill would quote them. The garments are cut for sampling only and are not for sale.
See it in our stock
Every design with its composition, width and metres available:
Frequently asked questions
Is a higher yarn count finer or coarser?
Finer. English cotton count (Ne) is the number of 840-yard hanks in one pound of yarn, so a 40s yarn is finer than a 20s yarn.
What does 64 x 44 mean on a fabric spec?
It is the construction, which is 64 warp ends and 44 weft picks per inch. Higher numbers mean a denser weave.
How do I convert GSM to ounces per square yard?
Divide the GSM by 33.9057. A 145 GSM fabric is about 4.28 oz/yd².
Sources
- Units of textile measurement, Wikipedia (opens in a new tab) (read 2026-10-05)
- Grammage, Wikipedia (opens in a new tab) (read 2026-10-05)
Srihari Bang, Managing Director. Srihari Bang has been Managing Director of Bang Textiles & Clothing Pvt Ltd in Bengaluru since June 2023, after four years in new business development at Bang Polypacks in Mumbai. He studied family business management at SP Jain School of Global Management and holds a bachelor's degree from Christ University, Bangalore.
Looking for this fabric? Send an enquiry or browse the fabric catalogue.