Textile Terms & Definitions

1) Abraded Yarn
A continuous-filament yarn that has been subjected to abrading action, generally to provide it
with the hairiness characteristics of a staple-fibre yarn.
2) Absolute Humidity
The amount of water vapour in the present unit volume of moist air.
3) Absorbency
The ability of textile material to taken in and retain a liquid,such as water,within the fibres and
within the pores(interstices) of the material.
4) Acetate fibre
A manufacture fibre of cellulose acetate where is less than 92%, but at least 74% Of the
hydroxyl groups of the orgional cellulose are ethanoylated.
5) Acetylating
The process of introducing an ethanol (acetyl) radical into an organic molecule
6) Acrylic
A manufacture fibre composed of synthatic linear macromocules having in chain at least 85% of
recurring acrylonitrile groups.
7) Aeroplane fabric
Any fabric used as the outer covering of a heavier than air aircraft, but now usually a
simple,single,closely specified fabric of tightly woven construction,which may include rip-stop
threads to enchance tear resistance.
8) Ageing
Originally a process in which printed fabric was exposed to a hot moist atmosphere. At the
present time, the term is almost exclusively applied to the treatment of printed fabric in moist
steam in the absence of air.
9) Agro textile
Any textile material used in agriculture, horiculture or fisheries.
10) Alkali-cellulose
The product of the interaction of strong sodium hydroxide(caustic soda)with purified cellulose.
11) Alpaca fibre
A fibre made from alpaca fibre
12) Alfa fibre
Fibre from the leaves of stipa tenacissima.
13) Alpaca fibre(hair)
Fibre from the fleece of the alpaca(lama Pacos)
14) American cloth
A light weight, plain weave fabric,usually of cotton,coated on one side with a mixture of linseed
oil and other materials so as to render it glossy and impermeable to air or water.
15) Angola
A yarn spun on the woollen system from a mixture of wool and cotton or other fibre
16) Angle of lead; winding on angle
In ring spinning or ring twisting, the angle formed at the traveller between a package radius and
the tangent to the package surface.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 1

 Textile Terms & Definitions

17) Angle of winding

The angle contained between a warp of yarn on the surface of a package and the diametrical
plane of the package.
18) Angora
Downy Soft and fluffy hair that is plucked or sheared from the angora rabbits
19) Angora fibre
This is a slippery, flyaway fibre is usually blended with wool or others fibres to make it easier to
spin and to reduce the cost.
20) Angora yarn
An extremely soft yarn made from the hair of angora rabbit. The yarn is nominally of 100%
angora fibre,although a small proportion of other fibres.
21) Apron
A device used to control the movment of fibres in a drafting system.
22) Aramid
Aramid fiber is a fire-resistant and strong synthetic fiber
23) Asbestos
A generic name used to desccribe a family of natural occurring fibrous hydrated silicates.
24) Assembly winding
The winding of two or more yarns as one on to a single package usually in preparation for a
subsequent twisting process.
25) Auto-leveller
An automatic device that is fitted to carding and drawing machines to reduces the variation of
the linear density of the output material. The result is achieved by monitoring the linear density
and if necessary, changing the draft to compenstate for any deviation from a pre-set value.
26) Autoclave
A vessel in which textile material may be treated with steam under pressure.
27) Back beam
A beam from which the warp is fed during sizing.
28) Baize
Baize is a coarse woollen or cotton cloth, often coloured red or green.
29) Ballistic nylon
Ballistic nylon is a thick, tough synthetic fabric used for a variety of
applications.
30) Bale breaker
A machine used for opening cotton or other short-staple fibres removed directly from a
compressed bale. Layers of compressed fibres are taken from the bale and fed into a machine
where the tearing action of two coarse spiked surfaces (rollers or lattices) moving in opposite
directions, produces a more open mass of tufts.
31) Bear fibre
Fibre from the bear (Genus Ursidae)
32) Bast fibre
Fibre obtained from the outer layers (bast layers)of the stems of certain plant. These included
flax,jute,hemp,ramie,milkweed and nettles.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 2

 Textile Terms & Definitions

33) Beam
A cylinder(usually of wood or metal) provided with end bearings and at each end of which may
be mounted suitable flanges.
34) Beater; opening rollers; combing roller
A rapidly rotating roller, which is covered with pins or card clothing, use to separate sliver into
indivisual fibres. This type of unit is incorporated in the feed section of most open end spinning
machines.
35) Beaver fibre(hair)
Fibre from the beaver (castor canadensis)
36) Bending length
The length of a retangular strips of material that will bend under its own weight to a specified
angle.
37) Blanket
A thick fabric that has a good thermal insulation properties. It may be produced as a woven or a
knitted fabric or as a needlefelt.
38) Bleaching
A process for improving the whiteness of textile material, with or with out the removal of
natural colouring matter and extraneous substances.
39) Blending(spinning)
A process or processes concenered primarily with the mixing of various lots of fibres to produce
a homoganeous blend.
40) Bleeding
The loss of dye from a coloured material in contact with liquid or of adjacent areas of the same
or other materials
41) Blowing (steam)
A process in which steam is blown through a fabric, which is usually wound on a perforated
roller.
42) Blowing room; blow room
The section in a cotton spinning mill where the preparartory processes of opening,cleaning and
blending are carried out.
43) Bobbin
A cylinderical orslightly tapered former with or with out a flange or flanges, for holding
slubbings, rovings or yarns. The term is usually qualified to indicate the purpose for which is to
used e.g. ring bobbin, spinning bobbin, condenser bobbin, weft bobbin or bottle bobbin.
44) Botany wool
A term applied to tops,yarns and fabrics made from merino wool. The term originated from
botany bay in Australia.
45) Bowl
One a pair of large rollers forming a nip.
46) Breaking length
The theoretical length of a specimen(usually of yarn) whose weight would exert a force
sufficient to break the specimen.
47) Breaking strength;tensile strength
The maximum tensile force recorded in extending a test piece to breaking point

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 3

 Textile Terms & Definitions

48) Breaking stress

The maximum stress developed in a specimen stretched to rupture. The force is usually related
to the area of the unstrained specimen.
49) Breaking tension
Breaking tension is expressed in lbs.
50) Bright
Very white, almost reflective, wool relatively free of dirt and sand. Some breeds, like cormo are
known for producing particularly bright fleeces.
51) Broken filaments
Individual filaments of a yarn is advertently ruptured, usually through mechanical damage.
52) Burl
A wool trade term for an imperfection.
53) Burry wool
Wool containing large amount of vegetable matters like grass, leaves, and seeds.
54) Bulky yarn
A yarn that has an apparent density of filament is much greater than its real density.
55) Boll
A seed case and its contents on the cotton plant.
56) Cable
To twist together to or more folded yarn.
57) Cake
The package roughly cylinderical in shape of continuous filament in the viscose spinning
industry by means of topham box.
58) Calender
A machine in which heavy rollers rotate in contact under mechanical or hydraulic pressure
59) Cambric
A light weight closely woven plain fabric usually given a slight stiffening.
60) Camel fibre (hair)
Fiber from the fleece of the camel, this comprises strong, coarse, outer hair and soft, fine
undercoat, both which of which are used in the manufacturing of textile products.
61) Card
A machine used for carding.
62) Card clothing
Material comprising a base structure and wires, pins, or spikes protruding from one face
A yarn produced from fibres that have been carded but not combed.
63) Carpet
A textile floor covering having a textile use-surface formed from yarns or fabric projecting from
a substance.
64) Carrier
A moving holder for one yarn package which moves in a track on a braiding machine
65) Carbonizing
A chemical process for eliminating vegetable matters from wool fibre by degrading the cellulose
material. This process involves the treatment of acids such HCL & sulphuric acid, followed by
heating. Wool so treated is known as carbonized wool.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 4

 Textile Terms & Definitions

66) Carded yarn

It is the yarn produced with out removing the short fibres in combing process. This yarn is used
for medium and coarse count.
67) Cashmere
Soft, silky fibre combed from the cashmere goat with a diameter of 18.5 microns or less.
Cashmere has excellent insulating power, provided warmth without weight or bulk. It drapes
beautifully, resists wrinkles, and sheds lint. Costly because a limited supply.
68) Casein
The protein it self raw material for some regenerated protein fibres.
69) Cellulose fibre or cellulosic fibre
Fibre produced from the cell walls of the plants, i.e. cotton, hemp, ramie.
70) Cheese
A cylindrical package of yarn, cross-wound onto flangeless support . During winding the
traverse length may be progressively reduced to produced tapered or rounded ends, such
packages are then referred to as tapered, pineapple, or biconical cheeses
71) Chute feeding
Pneumatic distribution of fibre flocks from opening and cleaning lines to a set of cards.
72) Circular knitting machine
A knitting machine in which the needles are set radially or in parallel in one or more circular
beds Used without further qualification, the term generally refers to a weft knitting machine of
this type.
73) Clearing(yarn)
The process of removing imperfection from a yarn. The faults is normally replaced by a knot or
splice.
74) Cloth
A genernal term embracing most textile fibre
75) Cocoon(silk)
An egg-shaped casing of silk spun by the silkworm to protect itself as a chrysalis
76) Cohesion
The resistance to separation of fibres in contact with one another in a fibre assembly, e.g.in a
sliver
77) Cohesive force
The force required to overcome fibre cohesion in a fibre assembly.
78) Coiler
A delivery device that deposits a sliver into a cylindrical can in the form of helical coils so as to
permit easy withdrawal with the minimum of fibre disturbance.
79) Colour; color
The particular visual sensation caused by the light emitted by, transmitted through, or reflected
from the object.
80) Combed yarn
Yarn produce from fibres that have been carded (or prepared) and combed.
81) Combing
The straightening and parallelizing of fibres and the removal of short fibres and impurities by
using a comb or combs assisted by brushes and rollers

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 5

 Textile Terms & Definitions

82) Compact spinning

A modified ring spinning system in which the fibre strand from the main drafting zone is
transversely compacted or condenced
83) Condenser card
A roller and clearer type of card, as distinct from a flat card, which converts fibrous raw
material to slubbings, by means of a condenser
84) Cone
A conical support on which yarn is wound
85) Confidence interval
The range within which a value can be expected to lie with a given probability
86) Convolutions(cotton)
The natural reversing axial twists of a cotton fibre.
87) Cooling cylinder
A cylinder normally filled with circulated cold water over which hot fabric is passed to increase
the rate of fabric cooling.
88) Copolymer
A polymer containing two or more type of repeating unit, usually but not always copolymer is
formed from two or more different starting materials.
89) Cotton
The seed hair of a wide variety of plants of gossypium family
90) Cotton coloured
Cotton which has a natural (genetic) colour i.e. not white or cream, the most common colours
are brown, green and yellow.
91) Count of yarn
The term indicates mass/length or length/mass of a yarn
92) Crease
A fold in the fabric is called crease.
93) Crease resistance
Resistance of recovery from crease or wrinkling of a textile material during use
94) Crimp
The wave effect in the wool fibre, usually the finer wools show the most crimp. Uniformity of
desired crimp generally indicates superior wool.
95) Dead wool
Wool recovered from sheep that have been dead for some times is occasionally referred to as
‘Merino’.
96) Degreasing
The removal of grease, suint and extraneous matter from wool by an aqueous or solvent
process
97) Degree of polymerization
“Average molecular weight of the polymer per molecular weight of the repeating unit in
polymer”

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 6

 Textile Terms & Definitions

98) DEGRADATION
A deterioration change in properties of textile
99) Degumming
The removal of sericin material from silk yarn or fabrics
100) DETERGENT
A substance having surface-active properties specifically intended for cleansing
101) Doffer
A wire covered cylinder used for removal of fibres from main cylinder of card
102) Denier
The weight in grams of 9000 meters of fibre, yarn or filament
103) Denim
Denim denotes a rugged cotton twill textile.
104) Dip
An emersion of relatively short duration of textile in a liquid
105) Discharging
The distraction by chemical means of a dye in a material to remove a white or different colour
of pastes
106) Dissolving pulp
A specially purified form of cellulose made from wood tissue.
107) Doffing
The removal of material or packages from a textile machine-
108) Doubling
The number of laps, slivers, slubbings, orrovings fed simultaneously into a machine for drafting
into a single end.
109) Double weave
Double weave is a type of advanced weave. It is done by interlacing two or
more sets of warps with two or more sets offilling yarns.
110) Dry clean
To remove grease, oil, dirt from garments and fabrics by treating them in an organic solvent as
distinct from aqueous liquors. Examples of suitable solvents are tetra chloroethylene.
111) Drafting
A process of attenuating raw fibre, sliver etc to increase their length per unit weight
112) Drawing
Process by which sliver are blended, leveled and by drafting reduced to a sliver or a roving
suitable for spinning
113) Dye
A substance that is applied to any material to bring about constant modification of original
colour

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 7

 Textile Terms & Definitions

114) Elasticity
That property of a material by virtue of which it tends to recover its original size and shape
immediately after the removal of the force causing deformation.
115) Elastomer
Any polymer having high extensibility together with rapid and substantially complete elastic
recovery
116) Elastic fibre
A fibre containing rubber or other elastomeric fibres or threads, having high recoverable
extensibility
117) Elongation
The increase in length of the specimen during a tensile test, expressed in unit of length.
118) Embroidery
A decorative pattern superimposed ona existing fabric by machine stitching or hand needle
work
119) End-down
A situation that exist when a warp thread has broken in a loom
120) Extractable matter
The non fibrous matter that can be removed by liquid treatment of a textile.eg,the amount of
oil or grease based material extracted with organic solvents.
121) Extension
The increase in length of a specimen during a tensile test expressed as the %age of nominal
gauge length.
122) False twist
The turn insert in opposite direction and equal number in adjacent element of yarn or similar
aggregation of fibre or filament characteristics by their nature.
123) Fancy yarn
The yarn that differ from normal construction of single or folded yarn by way deliberated
produced irregularly in its construction.
124) Feed roll
A smooth roller around which man made filaments are passed after spinning and with the
pump speed which determine the linear density of filament
125) Felt
A textile non woven fabrics containing natural or man made fibre formed by the compressing of
the fire.
126) Felting
The property of wool fibres to interlock each other when rubbed together under the condition
of heat, moisture & pressure.
127) Feeding roller
A roller that forwards a yarn to a subsequent processing or take-up stage.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 8

 Textile Terms & Definitions

128) Fibre
The unit of characterize by flexibility, fineness & high ratio of length to thickness.
129) Fibre length
The distance between the ends of a fibre when measured under specified conditions.
130) Fibrogram
A graph showing a particular form of length distribution of a sample of cotton fibres obtained
from instruments such as fibrograph, HVI, or AFIS
131) Filament
A fibre of indefinite length and extreme length
132) Fineness
A general term used textile fibres yarn fabric with special transverse direction and measured in
a variety of units such as length/weight or weight/length cross sectional area and diameter.
133) Finish
A substance or mixture of substances added to substrate at any stage in the process to impact
desired properties.
134) Flax
Flax fiber is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fiber but
less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such
as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the
manufacturing of twine and rope.
135) Fly
Waste fibre that fly in the atmosphere during carding, drawing spinning and other process
136) Ginning
Separation of seed from cotton is called ginning.
137) Geotextile
A geotextile is a synthetic permeable textile.
138) Gingham
Gingham is a fabric made from dyed cotton yarn.
139) Glass fiber
Fiberglass is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is widely
used in the manufacture of insulation and textiles.
140) Gossypium
The generic name of cotton plant
141) Gray wool
Fleeces with a few drak fibres, a rather common occurrence in the medium wools produced by
down or black-faced breeds
142) Guide
A component for controlling the path of a running material.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 9

 Textile Terms & Definitions

143) Hank
The definite length of sliver, slubing, roving and yarn
144) Hardening
Treatment of manmade regenerated protein fibre so as to render them completely insoluble in
cold water and cold dilute saline solution.
145) Hair
Animal fibre other than sheep wool or silk
146) Hemp
A fine light colour, lustier and strong baste fibre extracted from baste plant.
147) Henequen
The fibre obtained from the leaf of Agava fourcroydes.
148) Hessian
A plain cloth made from single yarn of approximately the same linear density in warp and weft
usually made from bast fibres particularly jute.
149) Homopolymer
A polymer containing only chemically identical repeating units.
150) Honeydew
The result of infestation of growing cotton by aphids or whitefly. It takes the form of more or
less randomly distributed droplets of highly concentrated sugars, causing cotton stickness.
151) Hosiery
Knitted coverings for the feet and legs
152) Humidity
Extant of moisture in atmosphere is known as humidity.
153) HVI
High volume instrumentation which is used for cotton testing such as length, strength, fineness,
maturity, colour and trash,
154) Immature cotton or unripe cotton
A cotton fibre characteristics which express the relative degree of thickening of fibre wall.
155) Irish linen
A woven fabric produced in Ireland from 100% flax yarn.
156) Irish linen yarn
100% flax yarn spun in Ireland.
157) Jet spinning
A system of staple fibre spinning which utilizes an air vortex to apply the twisting couple to the
yarn during its formation.
158) Jute
The fibre obtained from the bast layer of the plant Corchorus Capsulairs & Capsulairs Oltorious.
Commercially jute is divided into two classes white and dark jute.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 10

 Textile Terms & Definitions

159) Kapok
A unicellular seed hair obtained from the seedpods of the kapok tree. the fibre is 1/2 in length,
it is gray in colour luster & bright.
160) Kemp
A white coarse and inelastic wool fibre with wide central medulla with hollow inter spaces.
161) Kenaf
The fibre obtained from the bast layer of the plant Hibiscus Cnnabinus. It is
used as substituted as jute.
162) Knitting
The process of forming a fabric by the intermeshing of loops of yarn
163) Knit fabrics
Knit fabrics are fabrics that were produced through the process of knitting
164) Knotting
The tying of the ends of a new weaver’s beam to their corresponding ends on the old beam in
the loom by hand or machine.
165) Lap
A sheet of cotton raped round a core with specific application in different section of the
industry. In cotton spinning sheet of fibre from opening and scutcher sliver lap machine and
ribbon lap sheet are wound on the cores.
166) Linen
Descriptive of yarn spun entirely from flex fibre.
167) Linter
Those short fibres who remain on seed even after ginning.
168) Linear density
The mass per unit length of linear textile material.
169) Lawn
Lawn is a fine linen or cotton cloth.
170) Lap waste
A sheet of fibres accidently wound round rollers or aprons, which may after removel be used as
soft waste.
171) LCSP
Lea-count strength product
172) Lea
In cotton, a length of 120 yards, in worsted, 80 yards, in lenin 300 yards.
173) Loden
Loden is water-resistant material for clothing made from sheep wool.
174) Loom
A machine for producing cloth by interlacing of warp and wef

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 11

 Textile Terms & Definitions

175) Liquor ratio

The ratio of the weight of liquor implied in any treatment to the weight of material treated.
176) Manila
This fibre is also known as Abaca.
177) Man made fibres
All fibres manufactured by man as distinct from those that occur naturally.
178) Medulla
The central portion of some animal fibres consisting of a series of cavities formed by the
medullary cells which collapse during the growth process
179) Mercerization
The treatment of cellulose textile in the yarn or fabric from with the hot concentrated solution
of alkali where the fibres are swollen
180) Melt spinning
The conversion of a molten polymer into filaments by extrusion and subsequent cooling of the
extrudate.
181) Metal fibre
A manufactured fibre made from any metal.
182) Merino
Wool obtained from pure Merino sheep normally having diameter 24 microns.
183) Mildew
A superficial growth produced by certain species of fungi. In textile this may lead to
discoloration in dye properties and tendering.
184) Microfibre
Microfibre is a term for fibres with strands thinner than onedenier. Fabrics
made with microfibres are exceptionally soft and hold their shape well.
185) Mohair
Mohair is a silk-like fabric made from the hair of the Angora goat. It is
durable, light and warm, although some people find it uncomfortably itchy.
186) Magazine creel
A creel for mounting two or more yarn packages per end, tied top to tail from which the yarn is
with drawl over end, to give end continuity from successive packages
187) Milling
The operation of shrinking and felting a woolen fabric to make it thicker and denser. Also call
“fulling”
188) Moisture content
The amount of water vapour in a present unit volume of air is expressed as % age of orgional
weight of the specimen.
189) Monomer
A chemical compound from which a polymer may be synthesized.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 12

 Textile Terms & Definitions

190) Micronaire value

A measurement of cotton fibre quality which is an indication of fibre specific surfaces.
191) Mule spinning
An intermitten method of spinning, where by the actions for the formation of a yarn i.e.
drafting and twisting are undertaken in one operation and the winding on the package in
another.
192) Nep
A small knot of entangled fibres in case of cotton usually comprising of immature hair.
193) Neppy yarn
A yarn in which the incidence of nep occurs at a relatively high leval and so constitutes a faults.
194) Noil
Shorter fibres separated longer fibres in combing.
195) Net
Net is a device made by fibers woven in a grid-like structure, as in fishing
net, a soccer goal, a butterfly net, or the court divider in tennis
196) Nonwoven fabric
Non-woven textiles are those which are neither woven nor knit, for
example felt. Non-wovens are typically not strong (unless reinforced by a
backing), and do not stretch. They are cheap to manufacture.
197) Nylon
Nylon is a synthetic polymer, a plastic. Nylon fibres are used to make many
synthetic fabrics and women’s stockings.
198) Opening
Action of closely pack fibres from each other at an early stage in to the processing of yarn
manufacturing
199) Organic cotton
Cotton grown under conditions prescribed by one of various local or regional organic
certification schemes.
200) Open-end spinning; Break spinning
A spinning system in which sliver feed stock is highly drafted, ideally to individual fibre state
and thus creates an open end or break in the fibre flow.
201) Percentage moisture content
The weight of moisture in a material determined under prescribed conditions expressed as
percentage of total weight.
202) Percentage moisture regain
The weight of moisture in a material determined under prescribed conditions expressed as
percentage of oven dry weight.
203) Pick
To pass the weft through warp shed in weaning per inch.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 13

 Textile Terms & Definitions

204) Piecing
The joining of fibre assemblies, usually by overlapping two ends.
205) Pile
A surface effect on fabric formed by tufts or loops of yarn that stand up from the body of the
fabric
206) Pilling
The entangling of fibres during washing, dry cleaning, testing or in use to form balls or pills
which stand proud of the surface of a fabric and which are of such density that light will not
pass through them(so that they cast a shadow)
207) Polyester
A condensation polymer in which simple chemical compound used in production are joined
together by ester linkage.
208) Polymerization
The process used to link small chemical molecules into a polymer.
209) Plup
Purified cotton linters usually in the form of standard sheets 1mm thick
210) Ply
One component or layer of a compound fabric
211) Power loom
A loom which is driven by a source of power such as electric motor
212) Pre condition
To dry a textile material to an approximately constant mass in an atmosphere with a relative
humidity between 10% and 25% and temperature not exceeding 50c
213) Quality
A relative term used to indicate the perceived merits of similar products for same end use.
214) Quality assurance
To carry out all those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate
confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements of quality
215) Quality control
The operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements of quality
216) Quantitative analysis
Method of determining the proportions of different substances in a sample usually on mass
basis
217) Ramie
A bast fibre obtained from the stems of boehmeria nivea, especially the variety Tenacissima,
belonging to the Urticaceae or Nettle Family.
218) Reaction spinning
A process of fibre production in which polymerization is completed during or immediately after
extrusion

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 14

 Textile Terms & Definitions

219) Raw silk

A continues filament or standard drawn off from wide silk cocoons.
220) Rayon
A fibre consisting mainly or wholly from regenerated fibres
221) Roving
A name given individually or collectively to the relatively fine fibrous strand used in these latter
or finaly process of preparation for spinning.
222) Relative humidity
It is ratio between actual vapour pressure to the saturated vapour pressure at same
temperature and pressure.
223) Rug
A rug is a form of carpet. It is usually smaller than a carpet.
224) Ring spinning
A continuous system of spinning in which twist is inserted into a yarn by using a circulating
traveler, the yarn is wound on to the package.
225) Rotor spinning
A method of open end spinning which uses a rotor to collect and twist individual fibres into
yarn
226) Scouring
It’s the treatment of textile material in order to remove natural fats wax’s protien and other
costituents as well as oil and other impurities.
227) Shear
To cut fleece from the sheep
228) Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles. It is obtained
from the cocoon of the silkworm larva, in the process known as sericulture,
which kills the larvae. The shimmering appearance for which it is prized
comes from the fibres triangular prism-like structure, which allows silk cloth
to refract incoming light at different angles.
229) Sisal
Pale cream coloured fibre obtained from the leaves of sisal plant.
230) Standard atmosphere
It has R.H 65+20% and temperature 20+2%.
231) Serging
Serging is a sewing term, the binding off of an edge of cloth.
232) Sewing
Sewing is an ancient craft involving the stitching of cloth, leather, animal
skins, furs, or other materials, using needle and thread. Its use is nearly

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 15

 Textile Terms & Definitions

universal among human populations and dates back to Paleolithic times

(30,000 BC). Sewing predates the weaving of cloth.
233) Shoddy
Recycled or remanufactured wool which is of inferior quality compared to the
original wool
234) Spinning
Spinning is the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various
raw fiber materials.
235) Staple
Staple is the raw material, or its length and quality, of fiber from
which textiles are made.
236) Schappe-spun
Originally used to describe a silk yarn from fibre degummed by the schapping process
237) Sutcher
A machine for continuously opening fabric which has previously been in rope form
238) Scutching
The mechanical operation of extracting flax or hemp fibres from the retted straw called
scotching.
239) Seed cotton
Cotton which has been harvested but not ginned ,so that the fibre is still attached to the seed.
240) Seed hair
Fibres growing from the surface of the seeds or from the inner surface of fruit cases or pods
241) Semi milled finish
The effect obtained by light milling of worsted fabric containing wool.
242) Sacking
A general term applied to coarse fabrics used chiefly for making of bags or sacks.
243) Sample
A separate unit or part representative of the lot consignment or design-
244) Shade
A particular depth or intensity of hue
245) Shuttle loom
A term usually used to describe a hand loom, treadle loom, or weaving machine that uses a
shuttle to insert the weft.
246) Silk noils
Fibres extracted during silk dressing or combing that are too short for producing spun silk.
These fibres are usually spun on condenser system to produce what are known as silk –noil
yarn.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 16

 Textile Terms & Definitions

247) Sizing
The metod of machine sizing in which warp is transferred from a warp beam to a loom beam
248) Sliver
An assembly of fibres in continuous form without twist
249) Slubby yarn
A yarn contains unintentional slubs.
250) Snarly tarn
Yarn shows an excessive tendency to twist round itself ,if held with insufficient tension.
251) Solvent finishing
The treatment of textile materials with reagents, other than dyes applied from organic solvents.
252) Solvent scouring
The treatment of fabric or garments in organic solvent media to remove impurities such as
lubricating oils and spin finishes.
253) Spinning frame
A machine consisting a number of spinning positions for converting slivers, slubbings or rovings
into yarn.
254) Spun yarn
Commonly used to describe a yarn that consists of staple fibres held together usually by twist..
255) Staining
In textile printing the soiling of whites in the washing process.
256) Sticky cotton
Cotton which sticks to rollers especially at a card or draw frame causing difficulties in
processing or even making material impossible to process without special precausions.
257) Stitch
A special form of thread interlacing used for example to join the layers of compound cloths.
258) Strand
A single tow or multi-fold yarn used as a component of folded or cabled yarn or of a rope.
259) Stretch yarn
Yarn capable of pronounced degree of stretch and recovery from stretch-
260) Stripping
Destroying or removing dye or finish from fibres or fabrics.
261) Supercop
A wooden or plastic conical base on which weft is wound for use in a shuttle loom
262) Tensile test
A test in which the resistance of a material to stretching in one direction is measured.
263) Tex
The direct decimel system based on metric unit.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 17

 Textile Terms & Definitions

264) Textured yarn

Yarn that has been processed to introduce durable crimps coils loops or other fine distortion
along the length of the filaments.
265) Thread
The result of twisting together in one or more operations two or more single folded yarns.The
term is frequently use to describe the single yarn.
266) Threads per inch (TPI)
Threads per inch is the measurement of the number of threads per inch of
material, such as fabric, or metal in the case of screws and bolts.
267) Twill
A weave that repeats on three or more ends and picks and produces diagonal lines on the face
of the fabric.
268) Twist
The spiral disposition of components of a yarn which is usually the result of relative rotation of
the extremites of the yarn.OR The number of turns per unit length of yarn.
269) Take up roller
A roller whose speed of rotation relative to the picking rate determines the pick spacing during
the weaving
270) Taker-in
A saw-tooth wire covered cylinder of a card used for opening of the fibrous lap or batt feed.
271) Technical textiles
Textiles products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional
properties rather then their decorative properties.
272) Tenacity
The tensile force per unit linear density.
273) Textile
A textile was originally a woven fabric, but the terms textile and plural textiles are now also
applied to fibres, filaments and yarns.
274) Trash
The non-fibrous foreign matter present in bales of raw cotton other then normal cottons such
as stone, timber, pieces of old iron etc.
275) Tree cotton
Cotton of the species Gossypium Hirsutum grown as a perennial in northern brazil.
276) Tuft
An I,J,U or W shaped length of yarn or a lengh of yarn in a form of knot
277) Tuft length
The distance between the extremities of a basic unit tuft, after removal and straightening.
278) Twist angle
The included angle between the path of yarn element and yarn axis.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 18

 Textile Terms & Definitions

279) Twist direction

Twist is described as a S or Z twist when yarn is viewed vertically-
280) Twist factor
A number given by the product of the twist level in yarn and the square root of its count.
281) Twist level
The amount of twist per unit length of yarn.
282) U%
A measure of the mass variability per unit length of yarn. It is statistically equivalent to the %
age mean deviation (PDM) and is often approximately equal to 0.8 CV%, providing the mass
variation are normally disturbed.
283) Upland cotton
A type of cotton which forms the bulk of the world’s cotton crop.it varies in staple length from
22mm to 32mm.
284) Uniformity index
A ratio between the mean length and the upper half mean length of the fibers and is expressed
as a percentage
285) Uniformity ratio

The ratio of 50% span length to 2.5% span length expressed as a percentage.

50% span length x 100

U.R. % = ------------------------------
2.5% span length

286) Warp
The tread length wise woven in a fabric is a warp.
287) Upland cotton
A type of cotton ( Gossypium Hirsutum) which forms the bulk of the world’s cotton crop. It
varies in average staple length from about 22mm to about 32mm
288) Warp knit
Knit fabric in which intermeshing loops are positioned in a lengthwise, or
warp, direction. The fabric has a flatter, closer, less elastic structure than
most weft knits and is run-resistant.
289) Weft
The tread breadth wise woven in a fabric is a weft.
290) Weaving
Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of
threads or yarn made of fibre called the warp and weft of the loom and
turning them into cloth. This cloth can be plain (in one color or a simple

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 19

 Textile Terms & Definitions

pattern), or it can be woven in decorative or artistic designs,

including tapestries.
291) Woolen
Descriptive of yarns fabrics or garments made from yarn which have been produced on the
condenser system, wholly from wool fibre new or other wise.
292) Wool
Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals,
usually sheep
293) Worsted
Descriptive of yarns spun wholly from combed wool.
294) Water repellent
A state characterized by the non spreading of a globule of water on textile material.
295) Water proof
The ability of fabric to be fully resistant to penetration by water
296) Web
The sheet of fibres delievered by card (card web)or comber(comber web).
297) Yarn
A assembly of substational length and relatively small cross section of consisting of fibers or
filaments with or without twist.
298) Yarn clearer
A device designed to cut or break Yarn when it detect changes in mass or diameter which
exceed set limits. Yarn clearers are normally part of or an addition to a winding machine.
299) Yarn evenness
Variation in mass per unit length of yarn (along the length of the yarn)
300) Zero twist
A continuous-filament single yarn in which there no twist.

SIR: NASIR MAHMOOD SHAB. Page 20