Understanding These Units in the Textile Industry

Understanding These Units in the Textile Industry

Here are some common units used in the textile industry—many of which you may not have learned in school. Once you understand them, they’re actually quite interesting:

Inch (inch, in)：

We often hear people say how many inches a smartphone is, or how many inches a display is (such as a 23-inch, 27-inch, or 75-inch TV)—these measurements typically refer to the diagonal length of the screen. An inch is a unit of length that can be converted to the metric unit centimeter. To get a sense of scale: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters (cm). Also, 1 yard = 36 inches, meaning 36 inches × 2.54 cm = 91.44 cm, or 0.9144 meters (m). Try calculating it yourself—you’ll see it’s accurate. Therefore: 1 yard (yd) = 0.9144 meters (m).

For example, a standard 6.7-inch smartphone has a screen diagonal of 6.7 × 2.54 = 17.018 cm—approximately 17 cm. Since people tend to grasp familiar concepts more easily, we’re more accustomed to centimeters, so inches may feel unfamiliar at first. But with time, using inches becomes acceptable.

Pound (pound, lb):

When we say an NBA player weighs 200 pounds, is that roughly 200 jin (Chinese catty)? It’s close. In fact, 1 pound (lb) = 453.59237 grams (g) ≈ 0.454 kilograms (kg)（Close to one catty (jin), approximately 0.9 jin), So, if an NBA player “weighs 220 pounds,” that’s approximately 100 kg (220 × 0.454 = 99.88), or 200 jin.

To clarify: 1 kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams (g), 1 kilogram = 2 jin (in China’s traditional system), Therefore: 1 jin = 500 grams = 0.5 kg.

Also: 1 kg = 2 jin = 1000 g = 0.001 metric ton (tonne, t).

Foot (singular: foot, plural: feet, ft):

You might describe fabric length or a person’s height in feet. 1 foot = 12 inches = 12 × 2.54 cm = 30.48 cm, so roughly 30 cm. In bulk fabric trading (full rolls), yards are more commonly used than feet. For example, an NBA player described as “6 feet 9 inches” tall: 6 feet × 30.48 cm = 182.88 cm, 9 inches × 2.54 cm = 22.86 cm, Total: 182.88 + 22.86 = 205.74 cm ≈ 2.06 meters.

Thus:  1 yard = 36 inches = 36 ÷ 12 = 3 feet = 36 × 2.54 cm = 0.9144 m = 914.4 mm = 914,400 micrometers。

Denier (denier, D or den):

“Denier” measures how fine a filament is. It refers to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of filament. If 9,000 meters of filament weighs 1 gram, it’s called 1D. Clearly, 2D is twice as thick as 1D, and 3D is three times thicker—because 9,000 meters of 3D filament weighs 3 grams, while 1D weighs only 1 gram. Heavier filament means thicker yarn.

So: 1D: 9,000 meters weigh 1 gram, 2D: 9,000 meters weigh 2 grams, 3D: 9,000 meters weigh 3 grams ... 75D: 9,000 meters weigh 75 grams. The higher the number, the thicker and heavier the filament. For example:  70D spandex in socks: very fine, excellent elasticity. 1000D nylon in bulletproof vests: very thick, extremely strong.

Fabric Weight (g/m²):

Fabric weight indicates the mass per square meter of fabric—specifically, how many grams one square meter of fabric weighs, which is referred to as "grams per square meter" (g/m²). Although it does not necessarily indicate thickness (for example, some fabrics may be thin but still heavy per square meter), it is commonly used as a reference. For instance, a T-shirt with a fabric weight of 220 g/m² means that each square meter of the fabric weighs 220 grams, which is considered a heavyweight fabric. Fleece-lined hoodies are even heavier, typically ranging from 320 to 500 g/m².

Yard (yard, yd):

Fabric length is often measured in yards. This unit is more commonly used overseas. As a rule of thumb: 1 pound ≈ 454 grams, roughly equivalent to 1 jin (slightly lighter), 1 yard = 0.9144 meters, nearly 1 meter (slightly shorter).

If a customer says, “I want 100 yards of fabric,” they mean approximately 91.4 meters. The U.S. market typically uses yards for fabric length, while China uses meters. People in China have a better intuitive sense of meters, so yards require a moment of conversion.  

For example: An NBA basketball court is 94 feet long ≈ 31.3 yards. How?  

Since 1 yard = 3 feet, then 94 feet ÷ 3 = 31.333... yards ≈ 31.3 yards (rounded to one decimal place). So 94 feet is about 31.3 yards—94 contains roughly 31.3 groups of 3 feet, and each group equals one yard.

Thus: 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches.

Gauge (gauge, G):

Gauge refers to the number of knitting needles per inch.The abbreviation is "gauge" (or "G"). “G” is short for "gauge", sometimes colloquially called "needles" in context. Unit: Needles per inch (NPI). Common gauges: 18G, 20G, 24G, 28G, 32G, etc. For example: 24G means 24 needles per inch. The higher the G number, the denser the needles, allowing for finer, thinner fabrics.

Practical Calculation: Given total needle count and cylinder diameter, how to find gauge? Example: A circular knitting machine has a cylinder diameter of 30 inches and a total of 1,680 needles. What is the gauge?  Circumference = π × 30 ≈ 94.248 inches, Gauge = Total needles ÷ Circumference = 1,680 ÷ 94.248 ≈ 17.82 (about 17.82 needles per inch)  

Rounded to the nearest whole number: 18G. So, this is a 30-inch diameter, 18G circular knitting machine. (Note: Needle thickness, circumference, and total needle count can vary.)

Tex:

Tex is the internationally standardized unit for yarn linear density. It represents the weight in grams of 1,000 meters of yarn. 10 Tex = 10 grams per 1,000 meters, It’s similar to denier (which uses 9,000 meters). In fact: 10 Tex = 90 denier (D). If 1,000 meters weigh 10 grams (Tex), then 9,000 meters weigh 90 grams (D)—a comparable density measure. Note: 80D is less than 10 Tex; only 90D equals 10 Tex. Tex indicates grams per 1,000 meters—so the higher the Tex number, the thicker the yarn. Thus: 10 Tex = 10 grams per 1,000 meters, representing a fine-to-medium yarn.

In Summary: “Inches” for phone and computer screens, “Pounds” for body weight (common in Western countries),  “Feet” for height (common in Western countries), ”Denier (D)” for filament thickness (e.g., in socks), ”Fabric Weight (grams per square meter) (g/m²)” for fabric weight (e.g., in T-shirts), “Yards” for buying/selling fabric, “Gauge (G)” for number of needles on a circular knitting machine, “Tex” for yarn density. The more familiar and conceptually clear these units become, the more valuable they are. This applies to everything—anything that initially seems difficult is usually just not yet fully understood.