Textiles Calculations

Integrated Design: MATS10250

Lecturer: Dr Bill Sampson

Office: C51b, Sackville Street Building
Email: w.sampson@manchester.ac.uk

These lecture notes are designed to accompany the slides used in lectures, which
you can download from BlackBoard.

More about densities and units

We have identified three ways of describing the density of materials in general,
textiles and yarns:
• Bulk density: used for three-dimensional objects. SI units: kg/m3.
• Area density: used for two-dimensional objects. SI units: kg/m2.
• Linear density: used for ‘one-dimensional’ objects. SI units: kg/m.
Bulk density is what is commonly referred to as just ‘density’. Two dimensional
objects are things like textiles (or pieces of paper) that are thin in one direction, but
their dimensions in the other two directions are much larger. One dimensional
objects are things like yarn, fibres, (or string and rope) that are much longer in one
direction than in any other.
The dimensionality of the object agrees with that of the units, so for three-
dimensional objects, the units are kg per meter cubed (kg/m3) and we note that a
cube is three-dimensional. For two-dimensional objects, the units are kg per meter
squared (kg/m2) and we note that a square is two-dimensional. For ‘one-dimensional’
objects, the units are kg per meter (kg/m) and we note that a line is one-dimensional.
Sometimes we will see these units written in the following ways that are equivalent:
(Bulk) Area Linear
density density density
kg/m3 kg/m2 kg/m
kg m-3 kg m-2 kg m-1

In this part of our course, we will spend some more time looking at linear density.
Linear density
Textiles is a traditional industry, so it is quite common to find that people talk about
linear density in units other than kg/m. Some of these depend on old-fashioned, non-
SI, units; others are derived from SI units. It’s important that we understand what
these different measures of linear density are and how they relate to each other. In
that follows, if a portion of text is enclosed in a shaded box , then you should
memorise it: everyone who deals with textiles needs to know this stuff without
having to look it up.

Tex:
One of the more widely used units for linear density is the ‘tex’.
The tex of a fibre or yarn is the linear density in grams per kilometre.
There are 1000 milligrams in a gram and 1000 metres in a kilometre. So, if a yarn
has a tex of 150 g/km, we can write this as:

150 (g)
150 g/km =
1 (km)
150 000 (mg)
=
1000 (m)
= 150 mg/m

So tex tells us the number of grams per kilometre of fibre or yarn, and this is the
same as the number of milligrams per metre. Importantly tex is a unit, so a yarn
with a linear density of 150 g/km is said to be a 150 tex yarn; it is conventional when
discussing textile yarns to just state that “… the yarn’s tex is 150”.
Recall that the SI units for linear density are kg/m:
150 tex = 150 g/km
150 (g)
=
1 (km)
(150 ÷ 1000) (kg)
=
1000 (m)
150 (kg)
=
1 000 000 (m)
= 0.00015 kg/m
So to convert tex to kg/m we divide by 1 000 000.
Decitex:
We have seen that yarns are many fibres or filaments thick, so the linear density of
fibres and filaments is typically much less than that of yarns. These are often
characterised by the subunit, ‘decitex’. Decitex is usually written as dtex, it is the
linear density in grams per ten kilometre length.
1 dtex = 0.1 tex
1 tex = 10 dtex
So, to convert from dtex to tex, we divide by 10:

70 dtex = 7 tex
and to convert from tex to dtex, we multiply by 10:
5 tex = 50 dtex

Denier:
Another measure of the linear density of fibres and yarns is ‘denier’. Most of us have
seen this used to describe the fineness of the yarns in women’s tights, but the unit
can be applied to all fibres and yarns and it is the preferred unit of linear density in
the United States.
The denier of a fibre or yarn is the linear density in grams per 9 kilometres.
So, to convert from denier to tex we divide by 9:
45 denier = 5 tex = 50 dtex
and to convert from tex to denier, we multiply by 9:
7 tex = 63 denier

Tex, decitex and denier all increase with increasing linear density, so they tell us
about the mass per unit length of the fibre or yarn. We call these direct systems of
linear density. Often we talk about the fineness of yarn: a fine yarn has a low linear
density and thus has a low value of tex, decitex or denier. There are also several
indirect systems for quantifying linear density; these tell us how much a given
length of yarn will weigh, so are inversely proportional to the linear density, i.e.
these are measures where the value gets bigger as the yarn of fibre becomes finer.

Before we can define measurements in the indirect system, we need to define

another term: the hank; this is a coiled length of yarn with a specified length. The
length of yarn on a hank depends on the type of yarn and we will consider two
important types in this course: a hank of cotton is 840 yards long and a hank of
worsted wool is 560 yards long. The indirect systems of measurement are called
counts; they tell us the number of hanks required to have a given weight of yarn.
We will consider three:
Metric Count:

The metric count is the number of 1 km hanks that together weigh 1 kg

To calculate metric count we use the following equation:

1 (kg)
Metric count = (1)
Mass of a 1 km hank (kg)
Suppose that a 1 km hank of yarn weighs 40 g. The metric count of the yarn is:
1 (kg)
Metric count =
40 (g)
1 (kg)
=
0.040 (kg)
1000 (kg)
=
40 (kg)
= 25
Remember, tex is the linear density of the yarn in g/km. We calculate linear density
by dividing the weight of a yarn by its length:
mass of yarn
linear density =
length of yarn
Now, metric count tells us the number of 1 km hanks in a kg. Defining metric count
in this way means that it has no units. Of course, the number of 1 km hanks in a kg
is the same as the number of km per kilogram. So the tex of a yarn with metric
count M is calculated as:
1 (kg)
linear density =
M (km)
1000 (g)
=
M (km)
⎛ 1000 ⎞
=⎜ ⎟ g/km
⎝ M ⎠
⎛ 1000 ⎞
=⎜ ⎟ tex
⎝ M ⎠
So, to convert metric count to tex, we divide 1000 by the metric count:

50 metric count = 1000 ÷ 50 = 20 tex

and to convert tex to metric count, we divide 1000 by the tex:

40 tex = 1000 ÷ 40 = 25 metric count
Cotton Count:
All of the measures of linear density we have considered so far have used SI units or
subunits. Cotton count, or ‘English cotton count’ is a traditional indirect measure of
linear density, so is defined in terms of imperial units. The imperial unit of length
used is the yard (yd); the imperial unit of mass used is the pounds (lb).
A hank of cotton is 840 yards long so we define the cotton count as follows:
The cotton count is the number of 840 yard hanks that together weigh 1 lb
To calculate cotton count we use the following equation:
1 (lb)
Cotton count = (2)
Mass of a 840 yd hank (lb)
Suppose that an 840 yd hank of yarn weighs 2 oz (two ounces). There are sixteen
ounces to the pound:
16 oz = 1 lb
The cotton count of the yarn is:
1 (lb)
Cotton count =
2 (oz)
16 (oz)
=
2 (oz)
=8
Sometimes cotton count is expressed with the units ‘Ne’, so our yarn has a cotton
count of 8 Ne.
To convert cotton count to tex, we just need our definition of linear and to convert
yards and pounds into SI units. There are 1.0936 yards in a metre and there are
2.2046 pounds in a kilogram.
We calculate linear density by dividing the weight of a yarn by its length:
mass of yarn
linear density =
length of yarn
Consider a yarn with cotton count, C. This means that C hanks of yarn, each
measuring 840 yards, together weigh 1 lb. So the mass of the yarn is 1 lb, which we
convert to kilograms:
1
mass of yarn = 1 lb = kg = 0.4536 kg
2.20456
We also need the length of yarn that weighs 1 lb in units of metres:
C × 840
length that weighs 1 lb = m = ( 768.1 C ) m
1.0936
We now substitute these into our expression for linear density:
 0.4536 (kg)
linear density =
768.1 C (m)
0.0005905 (kg)
=
C (m)
0.5905 (g)
=
C (m)
590.5 (g)
=
C (km)
590.5
= tex
C

We state then:

To convert cotton count to tex, we divide 590.5 by the cotton count:

60 cotton count = 590.5 ÷ 60 = 9.8 tex

and to convert tex to cotton count, we divide 590.5 by the tex:

15 tex = 590.5 ÷ 15 = 39.4 cotton count

Worsted Count:
Worsted count is typically used for wool. A hank of wool is 560 yards long so we
define the worsted count as follows:
The worsted count is the number of 560 yard hanks that together weigh 1 lb
To calculate worsted count we use the following equation:
1 (lb)
Worsted count = (3)
Mass of a 560 yd hank (lb)
Suppose that a 560 yd hank of yarn weighs 1 oz. The worsted count of the yarn is:
1 (lb)
Worsted count =
1 (oz)
16 (oz)
=
1 (oz)
= 16
The only difference between our definition of the cotton count and the worsted count
is the length of yarn on the hank. Notice the ratio of the lengths of yarn on these
hanks:
length of cotton on a hank 840 3
= = = 1 12
length of wool on a hank 560 2
So, to convert cotton count to worsted count, we multiply by 1½:
16 cotton count = 16 × 1.5 = 24 worsted count
and to convert worsted count to cotton count, we divide by 1½:
21 worsted count = 21 ÷ 1.5 = 14 cotton count
Recall that the tex of a yarn with cotton count, C is given by
590.5
linear density = tex
C
and
2
C = W
3
where W is the worsted count. So to convert worsted count to tex we use
590.5
linear density =
2W ( 3
tex
)
3 × 590.5
= tex
2W
885.8
= tex
W
To convert worsted count to tex, we divide 885.8 by the worsted count:

20 worsted count = 885.8 ÷ 20 = 44.2 tex

and to convert tex to worsted count, we divide 885.8 by the tex:

15 tex = 885.8 ÷ 15 = 59 worsted count

Summary
We have introduced six different measures of linear density for yarns and fibres:
Direct system Indirect system
tex metric count
decitex cotton count
denier worsted count

Those in the direct system increase as fibres or yarns become coarser and decrease
as they become finer; for measures in the indirect system, this is the other way
around. Importantly, it doesn’t matter what units we use to describe the linear
density of a yarn or fibre, it will still have the same mass per unit length. What is
important is that we always state the units that we are using.
Problems

1) a piece of cotton yarn is 150 m long and weighs 3 g. Calculate its linear density in
the following units:
a. tex
b. dtex
c. denier

2) A yarn has a linear density of 70 denier. Express this in the following units:
a. tex
b. metric count
c. cotton count
d. worsted count

3) A piece of yarn is 100 m long and weighs 8 g. Calculate its cotton count and
worsted count.

4) A sample of Yarn A is 80 m long and weighs 5.6 g. Yarn B has a linear density of
10 denier. Which is finer?

Want to check your answers to questions 2-5? Here’s a useful web link:
http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/ccdenlin.htm

Remember to include the units for all your answers.