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Textile Glossary · Fabric

What is Crêpe?

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.

Lightweight crepe fabric with a fine pebbly crinkled surface and tightly twisted yarn ends curling at the edge AI image – Image generated with AI.
Elif Karaca Fabrics and Fibers Editor
Published:
Fact-checked by:
Gizem Polat

Key facts

  • Crêpe is a lightweight fabric with a finely wrinkled or pebbled surface; the TDK Turkish dictionary describes it as a thin fabric woven with highly twisted yarn.
  • Crêpe is not a fiber name; dictionaries describe crepes made of silk, cotton and other fibers.
  • According to Getty AAT, the wrinkled surface comes from hard-twisted yarn, caustic soda printing, weaving under varying tension, or embossing.
  • According to CottonWorks, the most common crepes are woven with high-twist warp and filling yarns; the twist makes the surface pebbled once the fabric relaxes in finishing.
  • Georgette, crêpe de Chine and chiffon are neighboring names; in a quotation, state the fiber, weight and surface method as well as “crepe”.

Properties

Fiber content
Not specified by the name. Random House says silk, cotton or another fiber; Getty AAT lists various fibers. For sub-types, TDK describes georgette as generally cotton-yarn, Random House describes it as silk or rayon, and Random House describes crêpe de Chine as silk or synthetic
Structure
Woven. The surface wrinkle is mostly produced with highly twisted (hard-twist) yarn. In a crepe weave, warp and weft interlacings and floats are arranged irregularly. Getty AAT also lists caustic soda printing, weaving under varying tension and embossing
Weight range
No standard range; sources describe crêpe as a lightweight fabric. Ask for weight in g/m² with the test method (for example EN 12127); 1 oz/yd² ≈ 33.9 g/m²
Uses
Lightweight garment fabric; the Collins dictionary gives “crepe dress” as an example. Use varies with fiber and weight
Care
Care instructions depend on fiber content and finishing; follow the label. Dimensional change after washing is measured by ISO 5077, using ISO 6330 washing and drying procedures.

Crêpe (also spelled crepe; Turkish: krep) is a lightweight fabric with a finely wrinkled or pebbled surface. The TDK (Turkish Language Association) dictionary defines krep as “a kind of thin fabric woven with highly twisted yarn” (our translation). Crêpe is the name of a surface appearance, not a fiber: the Random House and Collins dictionaries describe it as a lightweight fabric of silk, cotton or other fibers with a finely wrinkled surface or fine raised ridges.

How is the crinkled surface made?

Sources mention five methods.

Method How it works Source
High-twist yarn High-twist warp and weft are used; when the fabric relaxes in finishing, the twist makes the surface pebbled CottonWorks; Getty AAT; TDK
Crepe weave Warp and weft interlacings and floats are arranged in random order; no visible line or repeat CottonWorks
Caustic soda printing The fabric is printed with caustic soda; the result is a wrinkled surface Getty AAT
Weaving under varying tension Tension is varied during weaving Getty AAT
Embossing A pattern is pressed into the fabric on a calender; CottonWorks names embossed fabrics such as faux seersucker and crepe as made this way Getty AAT; CottonWorks

CottonWorks writes that the most common crepes are woven in cam weaves with high-twist yarn, while crepe weave is usually produced on a dobby or jacquard loom. It adds that weaving can be difficult on air-jet looms because high-twist weft yarns tend to kink.

Crêpe, chiffon, georgette and crêpe de Chine

Dictionaries describe the crepe family with close names; the boundaries vary by source.

Name According to sources Note
Chiffon Getty AAT: a sheer, lightweight plain weave woven with fine, tightly twisted yarn The binding pattern is plain weave; in a crepe weave it is irregular
Georgette TDK: a crinkle-looking fabric woven with highly twisted yarn, generally cotton. Random House: a dull, sheer crepe of silk or rayon. Collins: a fine, dull crepe of silk or cotton Counted as crepe in dictionaries; the fiber varies by source
Crêpe de Chine Random House: a lightweight, soft fabric of silk or synthetic fibers with very small irregularities on its surface. Collins: a very thin crepe of silk or a similar lightweight fabric SILKNOW lists crêpe de Chine, crêpe de Lyon and crêpe Marocain among the narrower concepts of crepe

“Scuba crepe” is a neighboring fabric as well, with a pebbled face and generally lighter weight (Fersan); this entry covers woven crepe, so see scuba knit for the difference. In a quotation, writing only “crepe” is not enough: also state the fiber, the weight and the surface method.

What to check when buying crepe

  1. Ask which surface method is used: twist, crepe weave, caustic soda, embossing or tension difference. The name “crepe” does not say which of these was used (Getty AAT).
  2. Have the fiber and its percentage written: silk, cotton, rayon, polyester or a blend.
  3. Ask for the weight in g/m² and state the test method. EN 12127 gives mass per unit area on a small sample; you can also work the figure out from a sample with the fabric GSM calculator.
  4. Ask for crepe's shrinkage separately: ISO 5077 applies, along with the ISO 6330 washing and drying procedures. Carry the result into the cut size with the shrinkage calculator, and check on the sample how the crinkled surface looks after washing.
  5. Ask on which loom it was woven: high-twist wefts can be hard to weave on air-jet looms (CottonWorks).

For a comparison of woven fabric families see the fabric types guide; for suppliers see the woven fabric category.

Frequently asked questions

Is crepe breathable?

Crêpe is not a fiber name, so there is no single answer: the fabric may be silk, cotton or another fiber, and sweating depends on fiber, structure and weight. No fabric stops sweating. Verify a “breathable” claim with air permeability (EN ISO 9237) and water-vapor resistance (EN ISO 11092) values; how to read the measurements is explained in breathable fabrics.

Is crepe the same as chiffon?

No. Getty AAT defines chiffon as a sheer plain weave woven with fine, tightly twisted yarn; crepe is known for its crinkled surface, which can come from twist as well as from crepe weave, caustic soda printing or embossing. The boundary is not sharp: SILKNOW defines crepe as “fabric woven from crepe yarns”, a definition that does not name the weave.

Is georgette crepe?

In dictionaries, yes: Random House and Collins define georgette as a crepe, and TDK describes a crinkle-looking fabric woven with highly twisted yarn. The fiber varies by source: TDK says generally cotton, Random House silk or rayon, Collins silk or cotton.

Sources (17)

  1. TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük (Turkish Language Association dictionary), entry “krep” (accessed October 11, 2026)
  2. TDK Güncel Türkçe Sözlük (Turkish Language Association dictionary), entry “jorjet” (georgette; accessed October 11, 2026)
  3. Getty Research Institute, Art & Architecture Thesaurus: crepe (textile) (AAT 300183741; accessed October 11, 2026)
  4. Getty Research Institute, Art & Architecture Thesaurus: chiffon (AAT 300249449; accessed October 11, 2026)
  5. SILKNOW Silk Heritage Thesaurus: Crepe (citing Getty AAT; accessed October 11, 2026)
  6. Dictionary.com, entry “crepe” (Random House Unabridged Dictionary; Collins English Dictionary; accessed October 11, 2026)
  7. Dictionary.com, entry “crepe de chine” (Random House; Collins; accessed October 11, 2026)
  8. Dictionary.com, entry “georgette” (Random House; Collins; accessed October 11, 2026)
  9. CottonWorks (Cotton Incorporated), Textile Encyclopedia: Crepe weave (accessed October 11, 2026)
  10. CottonWorks (Cotton Incorporated), Learning Hub: Complex Woven Fabric Designs (accessed October 11, 2026)
  11. CottonWorks (Cotton Incorporated), Learning Hub: Mechanical Finishing (calendering and embossing; accessed October 11, 2026)
  12. Fersan Tekstil (polyester knitted fabric manufacturer): Scuba (Dalgıç) Kumaş Üreticisi (scuba (diver’s fabric) manufacturer; Turkish; accessed October 11, 2026)
  13. EN 12127:1997 Textiles. Fabrics. Determination of mass per unit area using small samples (BS EN 12127:1998 record; applies to woven and knitted fabrics)
  14. ISO 5077:2007 Textiles: Determination of dimensional change in washing and drying (confirmed in 2022)
  15. ISO 6330:2021 Textiles: Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing
  16. EN ISO 9237:1995 Textiles: Determination of permeability of fabrics to air (EVS-EN ISO 9237:2000 record)
  17. EN ISO 11092:2026 Textiles: Physiological effects, measurement of thermal and water-vapour resistance under steady-state conditions (sweating guarded-hotplate test) (EVS record; valid from June 15, 2026)

Author and fact-checking

Written by

Elif Karaca

Fabrics and Fibers Editor

Elif Karaca is Tekstil Rehberi's fabrics and fibers editor. She writes guides and glossary entries on knitted, woven and nonwoven fabrics, fiber properties and choosing the right fabric for each product, and bases values such as GSM, width, shrinkage and color fastness on standards and mill technical data sheets.

Content by Elif Karaca

Fact-checked by: Gizem Polat

This content was prepared by the Tekstil Rehberi editorial team. Before publication, our verification editor checked its figures, dates and sources against primary sources.

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