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Yarn Counting Systems

Yarn count: Yarn count is a numerical expression of the fineness or coarseness of yarn. The size of yarn to be used in a fabric is determined by the purpose of the fabric. All types of textile yarn can be produced in different thicknesses and the relationship between the length and weight of a specific yarn. There are many traditional counting systems which are either fixed-weight systems that show the number of unit lengths of a given weight or fixed-length systems that show the weight of a given length.

1. Commonly used yarn counting systems

1.   English Cotton Count: It is the number of hanks of 840 yards in one pound yarn. e.g. In the English cotton count system 40Ne  as it expresses one pound of yarn containing 40 hanks, each of 840 yards in length. Usually used for spun yarn.

2.   Tex: Weight in grams per 1000 meters or 1 km of yarn e.g. If 1000 meters of yarn weigh 25 grams, then the yarn count is 25T. Usually used for sewing thread.

3.   Denier: Weight in grams per 9000 meters of yarn. For e.g. if 9000 meters of yarn weigh 225 grams, then the yarn count is 225D. Usually used for filament yarn.

4.   Metric System: It is the number of hanks of 1000 meters in one kg yarn. e.g. In Metric System 20NM as it  implies in one kg of yarn contains 20 number of hanks each of 1000 meter length

5.   Jute Count System: Weight in pounds per 14,400 yards (spindle) of yarn e.g. if 14,400 yards of a jute yarn weigh 5 pounds,  then the count is 5 pounds/spindle.

6.   Worsted System: Number of hanks of 560 yards in one pound.


2. Indirect Count vs. Direct Count

Indirect count: It implies the higher the yarn count the finer the yarn in size. English Cotton Count and Metric Count are indirect counts. e.g. 20­­­NE, 30­­­NE, 40­­­NE, 60­­­NE, 80­­­NE ­ or 20­­­NM, 30­­­NM,40­­­NM, 50­­­NM, 60­­­NM thinner respectively.


Direct Count:  It implies the higher the yarn count the thicker the yarn in size. Tex and Denier are direct counts. e.g. 5T , 10T , 20T , 30T , 40T  or 40D , 50D , 60D , 70D  thicker respectively.

3. Plied Yarn and Single Equivalent/Resultant Count.
 Plied Yarn:  When two or more singles are twisted together, is called plied yarn 
e.g. 40NE/2, Have to read “Forties Two” it implies two 40NE yarns are plied together.

Single Equivalent: It implies the unique thickness or diameter of plied yarn.

 e.g. 40NE/2 Single  equivalent will be 20­­­­NE
 70D /2 Single equivalent will be 140D

The formula for single equivalent