Today we are going to talk about cotton.
No matter what fabric is popular recently, I think pure cotton is everyone’s favorite.
But, did you know that cotton still has branches? How many techniques are there for cotton fabrics?
Why do the same cotton shirts feel so different?
ok, with these questions, let us enter the following content~
High-quality long-staple cotton classification
Cotton is a natural fiber. It and linen are both cellulose fibers from plants and are products of nature.
Under the classification of fiber length, cotton is divided into long-staple cotton, fine-staple cotton and coarse-staple cotton.
Through the hot search bombardment some time ago, everyone must have heard of long-staple cotton. Because of its long fiber, high strength and strong water absorption, it is the best among cottons. of.
There are regulations in our country that only the fiber length of 33mm or more is considered long-staple cotton.
There are four common types of long-staple cotton, namely Xinjiang long-staple cotton, Pima cotton, Egyptian cotton and Sea Island cotton.
The more common one on the market is Xinjiang long-staple cotton, which is the kind of high-quality cotton that HM cannot afford.
Egyptian cotton, also known as Egyptian long-staple cotton, is the most expensive cotton on the market because of its best intrinsic quality.
It is worth mentioning that due to the limited production of Egyptian long-staple cotton, like the acetic acid I wrote about before, there are very few genuine products in certain products, and most of them are grown in China. Egyptian long-staple cotton variety, low price.
Pima cotton has become more popular in recent years. It is known as the “noble cotton” and is finer than ordinary cotton. Long and strong.
Sea Island cotton is monopolized by big brands such as Hermès and is rarely available on the market.
So to sum up, the most common good cotton we have on the market is Xinjiang long-staple cotton.
Although the other three are good, they are really expensive. Apart from buying luxury goods, ordinary people have few channels to buy them.
Cotton count
When buying cotton fabrics, in addition to the type of cotton, we also need to look at the count.
Count is the thickness of the fiber or yarn.
For example, one gram of cotton is made into thirty yarns with a length of one meter, that is thirty yarns , make sixty sticks, that is, sixty branches.
So the higher the count, the finer the yarn, the thinner the fabric, and the softer the feel.
S means count, and 40S means 40 counts.
However, the higher the count, the higher the requirements for raw materials, and therefore the higher the price.
Generally speaking, bedding is 30-60 thread count, and clothing fabrics are 60-80 thread count. 80 sticks is already pretty good, and there are even fewer after that.
As for “pure cotton”, “whole cotton” and “100% cotton”, you may have some concerns and don’t know What kind of clothing is real cotton?
Don’t worry, according to the “National Standard GB/T29862-2013” released in 2014, starting from May 1, 2014, as long as it is a qualified product, it says Pure cotton or 100% cotton is equivalent to 100% cotton.
Unless the merchant is really brave and dares to cheat here, the cotton fabrics with these labels on the market are all genuine cotton.
In general, when buying pure cotton products, it is best to check whether the count is indicated on the product interface., try to choose 60 pieces and above.
Cotton fabric technology
After talking about raw materials, let’s take a look at cotton fabrics with different processes.
The first type is terry cotton, which is relatively elastic and durable. It is widely used in inner and outer clothing and household fabrics.
It seems that everyone may have a clear idea. When we buy sweatshirts, we often see this kind of Fabric▼
The second type is brushed cotton. This kind of fabric has a slightly fluffy surface, is not prone to pilling, and is soft. Comfortable, mostly used in bedding.
The third type is mercerized cotton. Its raw material must be good long-staple cotton, so it is a cotton fabric. The best of them all.
Mercerized cotton is lighter and thinner than ordinary cotton fabrics, has a soft feel, fine texture, is not easy to deform and pill, and has silky texture. The general luster, elasticity and fall feel are good.
The fourth type is poplin, which is the smoothest and most delicate of all fabrics and is suitable for various formal occasions.
However, the shortcomings of poplin are also obvious. It is very easy to stick to wool and get dirty easily. It is mostly used for summer shirts and daily clothes. .
The fifth type is combed cotton, which is what we usually call Oxford spinning.
Combed cotton has a strong texture on the surface and is comfortable to wear, but it wrinkles easily, so it is suitable for underwear. Such as sportswear or pajamas.
The sixth type is pique cotton, which everyone should be familiar with. It is mostly used in POLO shirts. It is relatively soft, breathable and not easy to deform.
Summary
Fabric is a university subject, and many people in the industry dare not claim to have a comprehensive understanding of it after several years.
As consumers, we only need to know some basic knowledge to ensure that we are not deceived by the merchant’s words. ~
