Fibers, Part 8: "Yarn Count"

This time, we'll introduce "yarn count," a numerical value that represents the thickness of yarn.

A list of yarn count conversion formulas is provided at the bottom of the page for your reference.

Now, yarn count is a unit that you probably don't hear about often in everyday life.

To my embarrassment, I had never heard of it until I joined the company.

So, let's get straight to the topic of yarn count. First, I'll introduce three types: wool yarn count, cotton yarn count, and linen yarn count. These are all "constant weight" counts, meaning that the higher the number, the finer the yarn.

Wool Yarn Count

This is the yarn count used for wool yarn (worsted spun yarn). For example, 8-count single yarn is "1/8," 12-count double yarn is "2/12," and 48-count double yarn is "2/48." The denominator is written as "1/8," and the classification of single or double yarn is written as the numerator. It is also called metric yarn count or French yarn count.

The calculation method is as follows: A yarn weighing 1 kg and measuring 1 km in length is counted as 1 count. A yarn weighing 1 kg and measuring 48 km in length is counted as 48 count (1/48).

In other words, the formula is meters ÷ grams = wool count.

Because it uses meters and grams, it is the easiest count to measure.

Cotton Count

This is the count used for cotton yarn (spun cotton yarn). For example, 10 count single yarn is "10/1" or 10s, 20 count double yarn is "20/2" or 20/2s, and 40 count double yarn is "40/2" or 40/2s. The numerator indicates the count, and the denominator indicates whether it's a single or double yarn. It's also called the English count.

The calculation method is as follows: A yarn weighing 1 pound and measuring 840 yards in length is counted as 1 count. A yarn weighing 1 pound and measuring 16,800 yards (840 yards x 20) is counted as 20 count.

The calculation formula is meters ÷ grams × 0.591 = cotton count.

For reference, 1 pound is approximately 453.6g, and 1 yard is approximately 91.4cm.

Linen Count

This is the count used for linen yarn, and the method of display is the same as for cotton count. To avoid confusion, it is necessary to specify that it is linen count.

The calculation method is as follows: 1 pound of yarn with a length of 300 yards is count 1. 1 pound of yarn with a length of 18,000 yards (300 × 60) is linen count 60.

The calculation formula is meters ÷ grams × 1.654 = linen count.

There are other units that express yarn thickness similar to count.

These are denier and decitex.

These are "constant length" units; the smaller the number, the finer the yarn.

These are mainly used for long fibers.

Denier

Denier is indicated by adding a "D" at the end, such as 60D or 80D.

The calculation method is: 1 denier for every 9000 meters of length and 1 gram. For example, 50 grams for 9000 meters is 50 denier.

The formula is: grams ÷ meters × 9000 = denier.

Decitex

Decitex is indicated by adding a "T" (or "dtex") at the end, such as 84T or 110T.

The calculation method is: 1 decitex for every 10000 meters of length and 1 gram. For example, 110 grams for 10000 meters is 110 decitex.

The formula is: grams ÷ meters × 10000 = decitex.

The above five are the most commonly used thread counts.

The formulas for converting between other thread counts are as follows:

To calculate the wool count:

9000 ÷ denier

10000 ÷ decitex

1.693 × cotton count

0.6048 × linen count

To calculate the cotton count:

5314.8 ÷ denier

5905.4 ÷ decitex

0.5909 × wool count

0.3571 × linen count

To calculate the linen count:

14882 ÷ denier

16535 ÷ decitex

1 0.654 × Wool Count

2.8 × Cotton Count

To find the denier:

0.9 × Decitex

9000 ÷ Wool Count

5314.8 ÷ Cotton Count

14882 ÷ Linen Count

To find the decitex:

1.111 × Denier

10000 ÷ Wool Count

5905.4 ÷ Cotton Count

16535 ÷ Linen Count

Thank you for reading to the end.

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