Oz. per yard

[Mipi]

Excuse me being such an ignorant, but I just can get myself over all those units. Reading many posts describing fabric used for kilt and couldn't get straight answer.

Here we go...

Saying 16oz. kilt is meaning what: oz. per linear yard, oz. per square yard...???

If per linear yard, what fabric width is meant?

Sorry once again.

[slohairt]

Yes, it is ounces per linear yard. The fabric width is usually "double-width" which is anywhere from 54" to 60" wide.

[Dan R Porter]

So 54" width is double wide???? I can feel my next kilt getting closer!

[slohairt]

Yes. 54" is usually double-width for heavy weight, medium weight is often 56", and lightweight is usually 60". Single-width is, well, half that!

[ForresterModern]

Even though some fabrics are only woven in single width, especially some custom weaves, they are still weight estimated as if they were a linear yard of double width fabric, in order to make the system more consistent. So it would actually take two yards linear of single width fabric to determine the "weight" of that fabric, where it would only take one yard linear of double width to determine the weight of that fabric, since the standard is the wieght of a linear yard of double width fabric.

Also as Slohairt describes above the lighter the weight of fabric the more the tendency is for that fabric's double width to become even wider---16oz at 54" wide DW, 13oz at 56" DW, 10 oz at 60" DW--although not always. But it does help explain sometimes why a particular weaver's 13 or 16oz fabric does not feel like the same weight as another weaver's of the same alleged "weight". A 16oz per yard of 54" wide fabric should feel a bit heavier than a 16oz yard of 60" wide fabric, about 10% heavier to the hand actually. This can be particularly noticeable when you go from 16oz/yd 54"DW fabric to 13oz/yd 56 or 60" DW fabric, that the 13oz will feel even more substantially less heavy to the hand than the 16oz as its weight is distributed across a greater width of fabric.

[The Wizard of BC]

Another thing you must remember that all this stuff about weights and yardage started a long time ago. We refer to this time frame as BX and AX. (Before X Marks and After X Marks)
In those olden days, weavers used whatever measuring system they liked, and terms like 160z was just a reference, not a standard.
So we at X Marks have started to use the terms Fabric Yard and Kilt Yard to refer to the weight of fabrics.
A Fabric Yard is a piece of fabric 1 yard (36") long and 60" wide as the standard to use for weighing.
A Kilt Yard is 1 yard (36") long and as wide as your Kilt is long from Hem to Waistband.

To further complicate matters there are two basic methods to make a fabric heavier. The first is to weave all fabrics with the same number of yarns per inch but change the thickness of each yarn.
The Second method is the use yarns of all the same thickness but cram more yarns per inch into the fabric.
They both result in a change of the total weight of the fabric but not always at the same rate.

This non-standard ways of weighing and listing fabrics has led, in the past, to such phrases as "heavy weight" fabric. Well, it's that particular weavers heaviest weight fabric and has no relation to any "standard".

Since we at X Marks have begun to "Standardize" our terms and our membership have become used to using some "standard" we are finding the weavers have begun to adopt our idea of a standard. Marton Mills for example gives their weights in grams per square meter. With a simple conversion to ounces per square inch you know exactly what their fabrics weigh.

[ForresterModern]

With a simple conversion to ounces per square inch you know exactly what their fabrics weigh.

Simple for who? I think I need a fifth grader to help me with the math. No wait, I think I got it.

30 grams to an ounce
39.37in per meter = 1550 sq in per sq meter
36" x 60" = 2160 sq in = 1 fabric yard
therefore 1 fabric yard = 1.393 sq meter

so a "fabric yard" of 16oz tartan ought to weigh about 480 grams (or 345 grams per sq meter) give or take, 13 oz tartan ought to weigh 390 grams (or 280 grams per sq meter), 10 oz tartan 300 grams (or 215 grams per sq meter)

I guess that works out as the MM Jura range tartan (I randomly chose Black Isle since I have a kilt in that tartan from them) is listed as 331g/sm and 16 oz (actually more like 15.3 oz tartan if you do the math).

My head hurts. Can I be excused to go find some Advil?

[slohairt]

Also, some mills dont' specify an exact weight. The House of Edgar's Heavyweight range, for instance, is called 16-17 oz. and their Regimental weight is 17-18 oz.

Argh... My head hurts too! That's why I didn't want to complicate it!

[Standard]

Another thing you must remember that all this stuff about weights and yardage started a long time ago. We refer to this time frame as BX and AX. (Before X Marks and After X Marks)
In those olden days, weavers used whatever measuring system they liked, and terms like 160z was just a reference, not a standard.
So we at X Marks have started to use the terms Fabric Yard and Kilt Yard to refer to the weight of fabrics.
A Fabric Yard is a piece of fabric 1 yard (36") long and 60" wide as the standard to use for weighing.
A Kilt Yard is 1 yard (36") long and as wide as your Kilt is long from Hem to Waistband.

To further complicate matters there are two basic methods to make a fabric heavier. The first is to weave all fabrics with the same number of yarns per inch but change the thickness of each yarn.
The Second method is the use yarns of all the same thickness but cram more yarns per inch into the fabric.
They both result in a change of the total weight of the fabric but not always at the same rate.

This non-standard ways of weighing and listing fabrics has led, in the past, to such phrases as "heavy weight" fabric. Well, it's that particular weavers heaviest weight fabric and has no relation to any "standard".

Since we at X Marks have begun to "Standardize" our terms and our membership have become used to using some "standard" we are finding the weavers have begun to adopt our idea of a standard. Marton Mills for example gives their weights in grams per square meter. With a simple conversion to ounces per square inch you know exactly what their fabrics weigh.

Thanks for the lesson, it helped to clear a couple of things up for me also. It's interesting that we are having an effect on the weaving industry, and I'd say a good sign that they are open to change and better serving their target audience.

[Mipi]

30 grams to an ounce

Isn?t it 28.3g to 1oz ???