Technical Guide · Greige Specification
What a Greige Fabric Specification Must State
A greige fabric specification — greige is also written grey fabric, grey goods or loom-state — must state nine things: fibre and yarn type, yarn count (warp and weft), ends and picks per inch, weave, width and its basis, weight and the state it is measured in, quantity, the downstream processing route, and tolerances. Every field left blank is a decision the supplier makes for you, and "approx." is not a tolerance.
Updated
Which fields must a greige specification state?
| Field | What it fixes | If omitted |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre & yarn type (e.g. 100% cotton, carded / combed / compact) | Raw material and yarn route | Supplier assumes the cheapest compliant yarn; handfeel and evenness drift from your reference |
| Yarn count — warp × weft (e.g. 40×40) | Fineness of the yarns | The same density woven in a different count is a different cloth at a different weight |
| Ends × picks per inch (e.g. 120×60) | Thread density | Coverage, body and downstream print definition are left open |
| Weave (plain, twill, satin…) | Interlacing structure | Two cloths with identical counts and densities can still differ in drape, strength and surface |
| Width — and its basis (loom-state or finished; full or cuttable) | Usable metreage per metre bought | The commonest greige dispute: the number was right, the basis was not |
| Weight — target GSM, and the state (loom-state or finished) it is measured in | Mass per unit area — and which processing minimums apply | Weight becomes whatever the count and density produce — and a greige figure set against a finished figure reads as a discrepancy that is really a change of state |
| Quantity & delivery schedule | Which minimums and lots apply | The enquiry cannot be priced against a real loom plan or lot structure |
| Downstream route (dyeing, rotary print, digital print…) | What the base must be suitable for | A cloth can meet every written figure and still fail the process it was bought for |
| Tolerances — a written ± band per figure | What "conforming" means at inspection | Any deviation becomes arguable; "approx." resolves in the supplier's favour |
How to read the count and density notation — which number is a yarn count and which is a thread density — is its own guide; this page assumes the notation and concentrates on what the order must state around it.
For the notation itself, see how to read fabric construction — that page is the method; this one is the checklist.
Loom-state width or finished width — which are you writing?
Buyers assume the width on a greige quotation is the width their garment maker will receive. It is not — a greige width is a loom-state width, and wet processing and finishing change it, so the loom-state figure and the finished figure are two different numbers describing two different states of the same cloth. How much it changes depends on construction, fibre and the finishing route, which is exactly why the spec must label the state rather than rely on a typical figure.
- Write the width as a number + a state + a basis: e.g. "[width] in loom-state, full width" or "[width] in finished, cuttable" — never a bare number. (The two figures are not the same cloth before and after: conversion is construction- and route-specific, so we publish no standard loss percentage.)
- If your requirement is a finished width, say so and let the supplier state the greige width needed to reach it on their route — that conversion is theirs to own.
- Ask whether the quoted width is full width or cuttable width — selvedges are constructed differently and are not usable cloth.
How do you write tolerances instead of "approx."?
"Approx." is not a specification — it is an unpriced option held by whoever interprets it later. The enforceable alternative is an ordered procedure, not a magic number:
- 1. List every numeric field on the spec: count, ends × picks, width, weight, quantity.
- 2. Agree a ± band for each with the supplier before order — bands are properties of a construction and a route, so there is no universal figure; the right band is the one the supplier will contract to.
- 3. Write the band into the order next to the figure it governs, and name the test state (loom-state or finished) it is measured in.
- 4. Anchor the order to an approved physical sample — the sealed reference resolves whatever the numbers do not.
- 5. Name what happens outside the band — re-inspection, replacement or negotiated settlement — while everyone is still friendly.
On Burhan-coordinated greige orders, step 2 has a standing starting point: our working bands are GSM within ±5 and width within ±3 inches of the agreed figures, with ends matching the approved sample exactly — written onto each order confirmation alongside the figures they govern.
Which fields do buyers most often omit — and what goes wrong?
- The downstream route. The cloth arrives conforming and unsuitable — a base that meets every figure can still be wrong for digital printing or a specific dye class.
- The width basis. Metreage planning built on full width loses the selvedge allowance at the cutting table.
- The state of the weight. A greige GSM and a finished GSM are two different states of the cloth — desizing takes mass out while shrinkage puts GSM up — so comparing one against the other reads as a discrepancy that is really a change of state.
- Tolerances. Everything within honest trade practice becomes arguable, because nobody wrote what conforming meant.
Which fields only matter for a named downstream route?
Some fields are dead weight on one order and decisive on another — the route decides. Dyeing programmes need the weight stated because the dyeing minimum steps at 160 GSM: 1,500m per colour below it, 3,000m per colour at and above. Print programmes need surface and density stated, because print definition is set by the face the ink lands on. Sublimation needs the fibre stated, because it requires a suitable polyester base — no pretreatment rescues the wrong fibre.
If the route is print, the base itself is a decision — choosing a base fabric for digital and rotary printing covers what each route demands of it.
The confirmed minimums each route lands on are set out on low-MOQ fabric sourcing from Pakistan.
How should a greige enquiry be structured?
A copy-ready structure — nine lines, in the order a supplier prices them:
- 1. Fibre & yarn: composition, carded / combed / compact.
- 2. Yarn count: warp count × weft count.
- 3. Thread density: ends × picks per inch.
- 4. Weave.
- 5. Width: figure + loom-state/finished + full/cuttable.
- 6. Weight: target GSM and the state it is measured in.
- 7. Quantity & schedule: total metres, deliveries, destination.
- 8. Downstream route: what the cloth goes on to — dyeing, rotary, digital, or "own processing".
- 9. Tolerances & reference: the agreed ± bands, and the physical sample the order is anchored to.
Send that and the first reply you get can be a real one. Send less and the first reply is a questionnaire.
Related knowledge
- Low-MOQ greige cotton fabric
Where a specification written this way turns into an enquiry.
- How to read fabric construction
The method behind line 2 of the enquiry — what the notation fixes and what it deliberately leaves out.
- Metres or kilograms: how greige is measured and invoiced
The measurement half of the specification: conversion arithmetic, moisture regain and what the contract states.
- Greige vs RFD vs PFD
Whether greige is even the right base for your route — the processing states compared.
- Low-MOQ fabric sourcing from Pakistan
What your quantity line means in practice — the confirmed minimums each route carries.
- From greige to finished: how width, weight and length change
Why the width and weight lines must each carry a state — and how the finished figures get fixed.
- Standard greige constructions: a reference table
Real register constructions to specify against — count, density, loom-state GSM and status.
Frequently asked questions
What information do I need to order greige fabric?
Nine fields: fibre and yarn type, yarn count (warp and weft), ends and picks per inch, weave, width with its basis stated, target weight with its state stated, quantity and schedule, the downstream processing route, and agreed tolerances anchored to an approved sample. Omitted fields become supplier decisions.
Should I state loom-state width or finished width?
State which one you mean — that is the point. Greige quotations carry loom-state width; wet processing changes it, so a finished requirement should be written as a finished width and the supplier asked to state the greige width their route needs to reach it.
What does "approx." mean on a fabric quotation?
Legally very little, and commercially whatever the supplier later needs it to mean. Replace it with a written ± band agreed per figure, the state of cloth it is measured in, and an approved physical sample the order is anchored to.
Do I need to name the downstream route on a greige order?
Yes. A greige lot can meet every written figure and still be unsuitable for the process it was bought for — print definition, dye class and sublimation all place demands the written figures do not capture. Naming the route lets the supplier flag unsuitability before the cloth is woven.
What tolerance should I ask for on width and GSM?
There is no universal figure — the honest band depends on the construction, fibre and route. What matters is procedure: agree a specific ± band with the supplier per figure before ordering, write it on the order with its test state, and name what happens outside it.
On typical values: field lists and procedures on this page are general guidance; the right tolerance bands, widths and weights are properties of a specific construction and route and are agreed per order. Physical swatches and approved specifications override anything illustrated here. Burhan Enterprises is a sourcing and export partner and coordinates through partner mills and processing units.
Send the nine lines — or send what you have
Paste the enquiry structure above into a sourcing brief with whatever you know today. We will fill the gaps with you, flag route conflicts early, and confirm every figure per quality before anything is committed.