Textile Glossary

2x2 rib knit is a stretchy, wide-ribbed knitted fabric made on a double-bed machine, with two knit and two purl wales alternating across the width. In the Turkish market 2x2 rib is called kaşkorse, while 1x1 rib is called ribana.

The A.TR movement certificate (Turkish: A.TR Dolaşım Belgesi) is the customs document that shows industrial goods and processed agricultural products are in free circulation in the Turkey-EU customs union, so they can use the union's preferential regime. It is not a certificate of origin: it proves the goods' customs status, not the country that made them.

Acrylic is a synthetic fiber whose polymer chain is at least 85% acrylonitrile units by mass. It was developed to compete with wool, gives a light, soft hand and is used in socks, knitwear and blankets, and, for its sun resistance, in tent and awning fabric.

Aerobin is a Turkish trade name, used especially in modest clothing and women's clothing (tunics, ferace, dresses), for a fabric that sources describe as a lightweight, wrinkle-resistant woven. It is not a fiber or weave name, its composition varies by seller, and it has no established English equivalent.

AQL (acceptance quality limit) is the quality-level value used to choose a sampling plan in acceptance sampling: instead of inspecting a whole lot, a random sample is drawn, and the lot is accepted or rejected according to the number of defective pieces found. The plans are in ISO 2859-1.

Bamboo fabric is, in most cases, made from regenerated cellulose fiber (viscose, or rayon) produced chemically from bamboo cellulose; it is not the plant's own fiber. Under US FTC guidance, only fiber obtained mechanically from bamboo may be called “bamboo”.

Canvas is a heavy, closely woven plain-weave fabric, made mostly of cotton, linen or hemp. It is used where durability counts, in sails, tents and tarpaulins, as a painting surface, and in bags and shoes. Turkish suppliers call it kanvas.

Carded cotton yarn is spun from cotton that has been opened, cleaned and passed through the carding machine but not combed. Carded is a fiber-preparation term, not a spinning system: carded yarn can be spun on the ring or open-end system. In Turkish it is called karde iplik.

Cardigan stitch (Turkish: selanik) is a thick, full-looking weft-knit structure in which tuck stitches and knit loops are made alternately on a double-bed machine. It is used in cardigans, sweaters, jackets and other winter products.

Chiffon is a thin, lightweight, sheer or semi-sheer fabric woven in plain weave from tightly twisted yarn. The first chiffons were silk; today it is also woven from nylon and other synthetic fibers, and from rayon (viscose). In Turkish it is called şifon.

CMT (cut, make, trim) is a garment contract-manufacturing model in which the buyer supplies the fabric and the factory cuts, sews and finishes the garments, charging a processing fee rather than a product price. Who supplies the trims (zippers, buttons, labels) must be written into the quote, because sources read the “T” differently.

Combed cotton yarn (Turkish: penye) is spun from cotton that has been combed before spinning; combing removes short fibers and neps, giving a more even, softer and less hairy yarn. In everyday Turkish, penye is also used as the name of a fabric.

Cotton is a cellulose-based natural plant fiber that surrounds the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium). It is a short-staple fiber, used in clothing and home textiles, pure or blended with fibers such as polyester. In Turkish it is called pamuk.

A coverstitch is a stretchy stitch, sewn with two or three needles, that leaves parallel straight rows on the face and a covering stitch of looper thread on the back without looping over the fabric edge; the same word names the machine that sews it. Turkish factories call it reçme.

Crêpe (crepe) is a lightweight fabric with a finely wrinkled or pebbled surface, most often produced with highly twisted yarn. It is a surface name, not a fiber: crepe can be made of silk, cotton and other fibers. Turkish suppliers call it krep.

Denier (den) is the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of fiber or yarn, used mostly to describe the fineness of man-made fibers and yarns. It is a direct (weight-based) unit: the higher the denier, the thicker the yarn.

Denim is a durable woven fabric with indigo-dyed warp yarns and undyed weft yarns, most often made in a 3×1 or 2×1 twill weave. Turkish suppliers also call it kot; jeans are made from it.

Digital textile printing is a method in which a design is printed straight from a computer file onto fabric or a finished product with inkjet print heads, without preparing screens or cylinders. It has two main uses: industrial digital fabric printing on rolls of fabric and DTG printing on finished items.

DTF (direct to film) printing is a film-transfer method in which a design is first printed as a mirror image onto a special transfer film, adhesive powder is scattered over the wet ink and cured with heat, and the film is then transferred to the product with a heat press. The printing is done on the film, not the fabric, so the product needs no pretreatment.

DTG (direct to garment) printing is a digital method in which a design is printed straight onto a finished garment or product with an inkjet printer, while the item is held flat on a tray called a platen. It is the piece-printing branch of digital printing; Epson says it gives its best results on cotton.

Elastane (spandex in the US) is a synthetic elastic fiber made of at least 85% segmented polyurethane by mass, which returns quickly to its original length after being stretched to three times that length. In Turkish trade usage it is known as likra (Lycra).

Fabric weight is the mass of one square meter of fabric in grams (g/m²), known as GSM (grams per square meter). It shows how light or heavy a fabric is, but it is not a measure of thickness or quality. Turkish suppliers call it gramaj.

Fason is the Turkish trade term for work that a company places with another firm while supplying the materials itself, either for a whole product or for one stage such as cutting, sewing, printing, embroidery or washing. In garments, cutting and sewing from buyer-supplied fabric is CMT (cut, make, trim).

FOB (Free on Board) is an Incoterms 2020 delivery rule, defined only for sea and inland waterway transport, under which the seller loads the goods on the vessel the buyer names and the buyer carries the risk from that moment. In the garment trade, “FOB” also names full-package production, in which the factory sources the fabric and trims too.

Gabardine is a strong, very closely woven twill fabric with fine, pronounced diagonal lines on the face and a flat back. It is used for trousers, jackets, suits, uniforms and raincoats. Turkish suppliers call it gabardin.

A garment marker is the layout plan that shows how the pattern pieces of a model are arranged on the fabric before cutting, so that they fit the fabric width with as little gap as possible. Turkish factories call it pastal, a word that also names the fabric plies spread on the cutting table, which English calls the lay.

A garment sample is a physical garment sewn before bulk production so that the buyer can approve its size, pattern, color or workmanship. Turkish suppliers call it numune, a word that also covers a fabric swatch, a lab dip or strike-off for color and print approval, and a laboratory test specimen.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is a standard that certifies, through independent audits, the whole chain from post-harvest processing to labeling for textiles containing at least 70% certified organic natural fibers. Alongside organic content, it covers environmental and social criteria.

GRS (Global Recycled Standard) is a voluntary certification standard for products containing at least 20% recycled material. It certifies recycled content, traceability, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions, and is managed by Textile Exchange.

Interlining is a supporting material that sits between two layers of fabric in a garment part and gives areas such as collars, cuffs and plackets their shape and strength. It comes in fusible types, bonded with heat and pressure, and sewn-in types.

Interlock fabric is a stable, double-bed circular knit made by interlocking two 1x1 ribs, so both faces look flat, like the face of single jersey. With the same yarn it is thicker and more stable than single jersey, and its edges do not curl.

Jacquard is a weaving method that builds the pattern into the fabric structure on a loom that can control each warp yarn individually, instead of adding it later by printing or dyeing. The patterned fabric woven this way is also called jacquard, and some patterned knits carry the name too. Turkish suppliers say jakar.

Jersey is a knitted fabric. In English-language technical sources it means single-knit fabric (Turkish: süprem), while Turkish suppliers use jarse more broadly for stretchy knits of many fibers, including double-bed structures such as interlock.

Knitted fabric is made by turning yarn into loops and intermeshing the loops with one another; the loop structure gives the fabric natural stretch. It falls into two main groups, weft knits and warp knits. Single jersey, rib and interlock are weft knits.

Lead time is the time from placing a garment order to delivery of the finished goods, and the delivery date is the day the order is due. Turkish suppliers use one word, termin, for both the due date and the time allowed from order to delivery.

Linen is the cellulosic fiber obtained from the bast layer of the flax plant, and also the fabric woven from yarn spun from it. It is strong and absorbs moisture well, but stretches little and creases easily; it is used in clothing and in home textiles such as bedding. In Turkish it is called keten.

Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fiber made by dissolving cellulose in an organic solvent without forming a derivative, then spinning it. It is stronger than viscose both dry and wet; Tencel is Lenzing’s brand name, used for lyocell and also for modal.

Mercerization is a finishing treatment in which cotton, as fiber, yarn or fabric, is treated with a concentrated caustic soda solution, usually under tension. The fiber swells; the cotton takes up more dye and, if treated under tension, gains luster. In Turkish it is called merserizasyon.

Mesh fabric is the general name for fabrics with regular openings (holes) that give the surface a net-like, porous look. The name describes appearance, not one structure: mesh can be knitted, woven or netted. Turkish suppliers call it file.

Modal is a regenerated cellulose fiber made by a modified viscose process, with high breaking force and high wet modulus. It is a type of viscose improved to be more stable when wet.

MOQ stands for minimum order quantity: the smallest number of pieces, meters or kilograms a manufacturer or supplier will accept in one order. In clothing it is not one figure but several, set separately for each style, fabric color and trim.

Muslin is a fine plain-weave cotton cloth. Dictionaries say it is made in a very wide range of fineness; in Turkey the name is used especially for soft, loosely woven cotton cloth, in single or multiple layers, for baby swaddles and summer clothing.

Napping is a mechanical finishing process in which a fabric is run over rotating rollers covered with steel wire points, which raise the surface fibers into a fuzzy pile. It gives fleece, flannel and similar fabrics their soft, warm face or reverse. Turkish suppliers call it şardon.

Ne (English cotton count) is a yarn numbering system that states how many 840-yard hanks weigh 1 pound; it is used for cotton and cotton-blend yarns. The higher the Ne, the finer the yarn: Ne 40 is finer than Ne 20.

A nonwoven is a sheet made of fibers or filaments that is bonded by physical and/or chemical means, without weaving or knitting. It is used in hygiene products, medical supplies, filtration and construction, among other fields.

OEKO-TEX is a family of textile and leather certificates issued by independent institutes that belong to the OEKO-TEX association, founded in 1992. Its best-known certificate, STANDARD 100, tests a textile product and all of its components for harmful substances.

Open-end (rotor-spun) yarn is made by separating a sliver into individual fibers, collecting them in the groove of a fast-spinning rotor and twisting them there. Compared with ring yarn it is more even and cheaper, but harder in handle, weaker and suited to coarser counts.

Organic cotton is cotton grown to organic agriculture standards, without synthetic toxic pesticides and fertilizers or genetically modified seed, and verified by third-party certification. It is not a fiber type: organic describes how the cotton is grown and its certification status.

An overlock machine, called a serger in North America, is an industrial sewing machine that forms a looped stitch over the fabric edge with needle and looper threads and, on most models, trims the edge with a knife at the same time. The stitch it makes is also called overlock; it is used for edge finishing, seaming knits and safety stitching.

Oxford cloth is a woven fabric in a 2×1 basket weave, a plain-weave variation in which two warp yarns are woven together as one. With its lightly textured surface, it is mostly woven from cotton and used in shirts and skirts. The name oxford is also used for a coated synthetic bag fabric.

Percale (Turkish: perkal) is a closely woven plain-weave fabric with a matte, smooth face, used mostly in cotton sheets and duvet covers. It is a structure name, not a fiber, and sources give no common thread count threshold.

Piqué is a single-bed knitted fabric in which tuck stitches are knitted alongside plain knit stitches, giving the surface a honeycomb-like texture with a visible micro-mesh look. It is common in polo shirts, sportswear and corporate wear; Turkish suppliers call it pike or lakost.

Plaid is a checked pattern formed when horizontal and vertical bands of different colors and widths cross at right angles; fabric with this pattern is also called plaid. The Turkish word ekose is a broad term that covers what English separates into plaid, tartan and check.

Plain weave is the simplest basic weave: each warp yarn passes over one weft yarn and under the next. The repeat is two warp and two weft yarns, written 1/1; poplin, canvas and chiffon are woven in it. In Turkish it is called bezayağı.

Polar fleece is a soft, fluffy knitted fabric whose surface is brushed to raise a pile, made mostly from polyester. The pile traps heat in air pockets, so the fabric is light yet warm; it is used for mid-layers, jackets and similar winter garments. Turkish suppliers call it polar.

Polyamide (nylon) is a synthetic fiber made from a polymer with repeating amide bonds in its chain. Polyamide and nylon are two names for the same fiber. It is strong, flexible and abrasion-resistant, and is used in hosiery, underwear, swimwear, sportswear, carpets and coil-zipper teeth.

Polyester is a fiber extruded from a long-chain synthetic polymer made from petroleum-derived chemicals. It is strong, resists creasing and shrinking, and dries quickly; it is used as continuous filament or as staple fiber.

Poplin is a strong plain-weave fabric with a fine, closely spaced crosswise rib on its surface, woven mostly from cotton. It is used for shirts, blouses and dresses.

Ranforce is a trade name, widely used in Turkey, for a matte plain-weave fabric, mostly cotton, used in duvet cover sets and sheets. It has no standard definition; thread count and fiber content vary by seller.

Rib knit is a stretchy knitted fabric made on a double-bed machine, with knit and purl wales (loop columns) alternating across the width. It stretches strongly crosswise, recovers well and is widely used for collars, cuffs and waistbands; Turkish suppliers call the standard 1x1 rib ribana.

Satin is a woven fabric made in satin weave, in which long yarn floats on the surface give a smooth, lustrous face. The name describes the weave and the fabric, not the fiber: satin can be woven from silk, cotton or synthetic fibers. In Turkish it is called saten.

Screen printing is a printing method in which ink is pushed with a squeegee through a tightly stretched screen whose non-printing areas are blocked. In textiles it is also applied to finished products and cut pieces, and each color in the design needs its own screen. Turkish suppliers call it serigrafi.

Scuba fabric (scuba knit) is a smooth-faced, full-bodied double-knit fabric, usually made from polyester and elastane and knitted in one piece on a double-bed machine. It is not the same as neoprene, a bonded fabric–foam–fabric laminate. Turkish suppliers also call it dalgıç kumaş.

Silk is an animal fiber made of the protein fibroin, obtained from the cocoons of silk-producing insects, mostly the Bombyx mori silkworm. Among natural fibers it is the exception in being a continuous filament; its luster and drape suit dresses, scarves, ties and bed linen.

Single jersey is a light, stretchy knitted fabric made on a single-bed circular knitting machine, with vertical loop columns (wales) on one face and loop rows (courses) on the other. It is widely used in T-shirts and underwear; Turkish suppliers call it süprem.

Sublimation printing is a dye-transfer method in which a design is printed as a mirror image onto transfer paper with disperse-dye ink, and heat and pressure then turn the dye into vapor and drive it into polyester or other synthetic fibers. It does not give a direct result on natural fibers such as cotton.

A swatch card (Turkish: kartela) is a collection of small sample pieces that a manufacturer or supplier prepares to show customers its fabric, yarn, trim or color options, so the buyer can choose what to order. Depending on what it shows, it is also called a swatch book, shade card, color card or trim card.

A tech pack (Turkish: teknik föy) is a written product definition that gathers the information a factory needs to make a garment: technical drawing, measurement chart, bill of materials, construction details, and label and packing information. The brand or designer prepares it; the manufacturer quotes, samples and produces from it.

Terry cloth is an absorbent woven fabric with uncut loops (pile) on its surface, woven from a ground warp, a pile warp and a weft. It is widely used for towels, bathrobes and beachwear.

Three-thread fleece is a circular-knit fleece fabric made by adding a filler (pile) yarn, held in place by a tie-in yarn, to the ground yarn that forms the face. It is fuller and more stable than two-thread fleece and is used for sweatshirts, hoodies and joggers.

Twill is a basic weave in which warp and weft yarns interlace so that diagonal lines form on the fabric surface. Denim, gabardine and chino trouser fabrics are woven in twill. In Turkish it is called dimi.

Two-thread fleece is a single-bed circular knit made from two yarns: a ground yarn forms the loops on the face, and a backing yarn forms long floats and tuck links on the reverse. It is used for sweatshirts and joggers; Turkish suppliers call it iki iplik, and with an unbrushed reverse it is also called French terry.

Velour is a velvet-like fabric with a surface of cut short pile, made by knitting; it is described as the knitted counterpart of woven velvet. In the traditional method it is knitted on a circular machine with two yarns and the pile loops are cut afterwards. Turkish suppliers call it velur.

Velvet is a woven fabric whose surface is covered with a short, dense, soft pile formed by pile warp yarns. It is not a fiber name: velvet can be woven from silk, cotton, nylon, acetate and rayon. Turkish suppliers call it kadife.

Viscose (rayon in US FTC rules) is a regenerated cellulose fiber, made by chemically dissolving cellulose and re-forming it into fiber. Like cotton it is cellulose-based, but it loses about half of its strength when wet.

Wool is an animal fiber from the fleece of sheep or lambs, made of the protein keratin. Its scaly, crimped structure keeps you warm, absorbs water vapor and stretches; it felts if it is wet and agitated.

Woven fabric is made on a loom by interlacing lengthwise warp yarns with crosswise weft yarns at right angles. It is more stable than knitted fabric: its stretch is limited by yarn properties and weave structure.

A zipper (also called a zip or slide fastener) is a fastener that opens and closes when a slider interlocks and separates the facing teeth on two tapes. It is used on garments, bags and similar products, and is defined by tooth type, end construction and size number.