Textile Manufacturing Glossary

Brushed Fleece

A knitted fabric whose inner surface is mechanically brushed to raise fibres, cr...

Canvas

A heavy-duty plain-weave fabric, typically 280-600 gsm, known for exceptional du...

Chambray

A lightweight plain-weave fabric woven with a coloured warp and white weft, givi...

Corduroy

A ridged fabric with vertical wales (cords) formed by extra filling yarns that a...

Denim

A durable twill-weave fabric traditionally made from cotton, woven with indigo-d...

Elastane / Spandex

A synthetic fibre with exceptional elasticity, capable of stretching up to 500% ...

Fleece

A synthetic or cotton-blend knit fabric with a soft, pile-like surface on one or...

French Terry

A knit fabric with a smooth face and looped pile interior (unlike fleece, which ...

GSM

Grams per square metre — the universal measurement of fabric weight in textile m...

Hand Feel

The tactile sensation of a fabric when touched — encompassing softness, weight, ...

Interlock

A double-knit fabric where two layers of jersey are knitted together, creating a...

Jersey Knit

The most common knit fabric in garment manufacturing — a single-knit constructio...

Linen

A natural fibre woven from flax stalks, prized for breathability, moisture-wicki...

Modal

A semi-synthetic fibre made from beech tree pulp through a closed-loop chemical ...

Organic Cotton

Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, or genetically modified ...

Piqué

A textured knit or woven fabric characterised by a raised geometric pattern, mos...

Ponte

A thick, double-knit fabric (typically 280-350 gsm) with excellent recovery and ...

Poplin

A tightly woven plain-weave fabric with a smooth, crisp finish, typically 100-15...

Oxford Cloth

A basketweave fabric where two warp yarns are woven together with two weft yarns...

Recycled Polyester

Polyester fibre made from post-consumer PET bottles or post-industrial polyester...

Rib Knit

A stretchy knit fabric with alternating raised and lowered rows (ribs) running v...

Selvedge

The self-finished edge of a fabric where the weft yarn loops back into the weave...

Sherpa

A plush knitted fabric with a deep, curly pile designed to mimic sheepskin. Sher...

Tencel / Lyocell

A cellulose fibre made from sustainably harvested eucalyptus wood pulp using a c...

Terry Cloth

A woven or knit fabric with uncut loops on one or both sides, originally develop...

Twill

A weave pattern characterised by diagonal parallel ribs, created by passing the ...

Velour

A plush knit fabric with a dense, short pile surface that mimics velvet but with...

Viscose

A semi-synthetic fibre made from wood pulp (usually bamboo or beech) dissolved i...

Waffle Knit

A textured knit fabric with a three-dimensional grid pattern resembling a waffle...

Warp

The set of lengthwise yarns held under tension on a loom through which the weft ...

Weft

The crosswise yarns woven through the warp on a loom, also called the fill or pi...

Blind Hem

A hemming technique where the stitch is virtually invisible from the garment's f...

Bulk Production

The full-scale manufacturing run that follows sample approval, producing the tot...

CMT (Cut, Make, Trim)

A manufacturing service model where the factory handles cutting, sewing, and tri...

Coverlock

A stitch type produced by a coverstitch machine, creating two or three parallel ...

Cut and Sew

The process of creating garments from raw fabric — cutting pattern pieces from f...

Cutting

The production stage where fabric is cut into pattern pieces according to the ma...

Fit Sample

A sample garment produced specifically to evaluate fit, proportions, and constru...

Flatlock

A seam construction where two fabric edges are butted together and joined with a...

FOB (Free on Board)

A pricing and shipping term indicating that the quoted price includes the goods ...

Full-Package Manufacturing

A service model where the factory handles everything from fabric sourcing throug...

Garment Construction

The overall method by which a garment is assembled — encompassing seam types, st...

Grading

The process of scaling a base-size pattern up and down to create a complete size...

Landed Cost

The total cost of a garment when it arrives at your warehouse — including FOB pr...

Lay Plan

The specification for how fabric is spread on the cutting table before cutting —...

Lead Time

The total elapsed time from order confirmation to delivery of finished goods. In...

Marker Making

The process of arranging all pattern pieces for all sizes onto a layout (marker)...

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)

The smallest number of units a manufacturer will produce per style, colour, or s...

Needle Gauge

A measurement system indicating the number of knitting needles per unit of width...

Overlock

A stitch type produced by a serger machine that simultaneously trims the fabric ...

Pattern Making

The process of creating the flat templates (patterns) from which fabric is cut t...

Pre-Production Sample (PPS)

The final sample made with actual production fabric, trims, labels, and construc...

Production Run

A single continuous manufacturing cycle for a specific style, from cutting throu...

Sample Development

The iterative process of creating prototype garments to refine design, fit, fabr...

Seam Allowance

The area between the fabric edge and the stitching line — the extra fabric requi...

SPI (Stitches Per Inch)

The number of stitches in one inch of seam — a key quality specification in garm...

Spreading

The process of laying fabric in multiple layers (plies) on the cutting table pri...

Tech Pack

The comprehensive technical document that specifies everything a factory needs t...

Thread Count

The number of threads per square inch of woven fabric, counted by adding warp an...

3D Puff Embroidery

An embroidery technique where foam is placed beneath the stitches, then the thre...

Appliqué

A decoration technique where a piece of fabric is cut to shape and sewn or bonde...

Chenille

A textured embroidery technique using looped chain-stitch embroidery that is the...

Digitising

The process of converting artwork into a stitch file (typically .DST format) tha...

Discharge Printing

A screen printing technique that removes the dye from the fabric rather than lay...

DTF (Direct to Film)

A digital printing method where artwork is printed onto a PET film, coated with ...

DTG (Direct to Garment)

A digital printing process where water-based inks are jetted directly onto the f...

Embroidery

The art of stitching thread directly into fabric using industrial multi-head mac...

Flock Printing

A decoration technique where short fibre particles (flock) are electrostatically...

Foil Printing

A decoration method that applies metallic or holographic foil to fabric using he...

Heat Transfer

A broad category of decoration methods where a design is printed onto a carrier ...

PMS / Pantone Matching

The process of mixing inks or dyes to precisely match a specific Pantone Matchin...

Plastisol Ink

A PVC-based screen printing ink that sits on top of the fabric surface rather th...

Screen Printing

A printing technique where ink is pushed through a mesh stencil (screen) onto th...

Stitch Count

The total number of stitches in an embroidered design — the primary factor deter...

Sublimation

A digital printing process where dye is transferred from paper to fabric using h...

Water-Based Ink

A screen printing ink that uses water as the solvent, allowing it to penetrate t...

Blank Garment

An undecorated, unbranded garment produced in bulk quantities and sold to brands...

Brand Development

The process of building a clothing brand from concept to market — including defi...

Capsule Collection

A small, curated range of garments (typically 4-12 styles) designed to work toge...

Colorway

A specific colour combination or palette in which a garment style is offered. A ...

Drop Shipping vs Manufacturing

Two fundamentally different business models in apparel. Drop shipping uses pre-m...

DTC (Direct to Consumer)

A business model where brands sell directly to end customers through their own c...

Line Sheet

A sales document presenting a brand's collection to wholesale buyers, showing ea...

Lookbook

A curated visual presentation of a clothing collection, typically featuring styl...

Private Label

A manufacturing arrangement where a factory produces garments that are branded, ...

Size Grading

The systematic scaling of garment measurements across a size range, defined by a...

Size Run

The complete range of sizes offered for a garment style, and the quantity breakd...

SKU

Stock Keeping Unit — a unique alphanumeric code assigned to each distinct produc...

Sourcing

The process of finding and selecting suppliers for fabrics, trims, components, a...

White Label

A production model where a manufacturer creates standardised garments from their...

Wholesale

The sale of goods in bulk at reduced prices to retailers, distributors, or other...

AQL (Acceptable Quality Level)

A statistical sampling system (defined by ISO 2859) used to determine how many u...

Colourfastness

A fabric's resistance to colour change or colour transfer when exposed to washin...

Dimensional Stability

A fabric's ability to maintain its original dimensions after washing, drying, an...

Final Inspection

The last quality check performed on finished, packed goods before shipment. Fina...

Inline Inspection

Quality checks performed during the production process — typically at cutting, a...

Pilling

The formation of small, tangled balls of fibre (pills) on a fabric surface cause...

Quality Control

The systematic process of ensuring manufactured garments meet specified standard...

Seam Slippage

A defect where the yarns in a fabric pull apart at a seam under stress, creating...

Shrinkage

The reduction in fabric or garment dimensions after washing and drying, expresse...

Tensile Strength

The maximum pulling force a fabric can withstand before breaking, measured in ne...

Wash Test

A laboratory or controlled test where fabric or finished garments are subjected ...

BCI (Better Cotton Initiative)

A global non-profit that promotes measurably better standards in cotton farming ...

Carbon Footprint

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production, use, and disposal o...

Circular Fashion

A design and production philosophy where garments are created with their entire ...

Deadstock

Unsold finished goods or unused raw materials that remain in inventory — includi...

Fair Trade

A certification and trading system that ensures producers in developing countrie...

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

The world's leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibres, c...

ISO 9001

An international standard for quality management systems that specifies requirem...

Nearshoring

The practice of relocating manufacturing from distant, low-cost countries to geo...

OEKO-TEX

An independent testing and certification system for textiles, ensuring products ...

Organic Certification

Third-party verification that textile raw materials were grown and processed acc...

Sustainable Sourcing

The practice of selecting raw materials and suppliers based on environmental and...

Zero Waste Cutting

A pattern engineering approach where garment pieces are designed to interlock on...