Added 2026-09-24 from trending overseas buyer search questions. We update this centre daily.
A woven specification usually shows two counts that sound alike but answer opposite questions. Yarn count is about the thread itself — how fine or thick it is. Thread count (also called fabric construction or cloth density) is about how many threads are packed into a square inch. The first is a property of the material; the second is a property of the weave. Mixing them up is the most common way a buyer compares two mills on the wrong axis.
Yarn count measures the fineness of a single yarn. There are two families of system, and the direction of the number is opposite between them:
| System | What the number means | Higher number = |
|---|---|---|
| Ne (English cotton count) | 840-yard hanks per pound. Standard for cotton and cotton-blend yarns; the default in most Chinese commercial mills. | finer yarn |
| Nm (metric count) | 1,000-metre hanks per kilogram. Common in continental Europe and for woollen yarns. | finer yarn |
| Tex | grams per 1,000 metres. An ISO-standard (ISO 2060) direct system. | coarser yarn |
| Denier | grams per 9,000 metres. Used for synthetics and silk. | coarser yarn |
So in the indirect systems (Ne, Nm), a Ne 80 yarn is finer than a Ne 40 — counter-intuitive if you come from denier, where bigger means thicker. That inversion is the single biggest source of confusion when you compare quotes from mills using different systems. Always confirm which system a supplier is quoting before you judge.
Thread count is the number of warp and weft yarns in a square inch of cloth. On a spec it often appears as a pair like 133×72 — 133 warp ends per inch by 72 weft picks per inch. It is a density measure, not a quality measure. Two cloths with the same thread count can behave completely differently if one uses fine yarn in a plain weave and the other uses coarse yarn in a twill.
A typical woven construction line combines both ideas. 80/2 × 80/2 reads as two-ply Ne 80 yarn in both warp and weft. The "/2" is the ply; the "80" is the yarn count. The thread count (e.g. 133×72) sits alongside it. When you see both, you can tell whether a tight cloth comes from fine yarn packed densely (good) or coarse yarn packed densely (heavy) — and that changes the price and the hand.
Our woven range — poplin, twill, canvas, oxford, chambray and yarn-dyed shirting — is woven in-house, so the yarn count and construction are set on our own looms and recorded on the same spec that reaches you. Tell us the end use and we will propose a starting yarn count and construction rather than a headline number; for shirtings that usually means a finer count and a balanced construction, for bottom-weight a coarser count and a denser pack. Lead time varies by product type and is confirmed in writing at enquiry.
No. A finer yarn (higher Ne/Nm) gives a lighter, smoother cloth, but it can cost more and may be less abrasion-resistant. A coarser yarn is heavier, often stronger and cheaper. The right count follows the garment, not a scoreboard.
GSM is the real weight of the cloth and cannot be inflated by counting plies twice. Thread count can be padded with multi-ply yarns, so it is the weaker single number to judge quality by. We publish GSM on every spec for that reason.
It is a two-ply yarn where each ply is Ne 80 (or Nm 80 in metric). The '/2' is the ply count; the '80' is the yarn count. It is a yarn property, separate from the cloth's thread count.