determining a fabrics weight...

[UmAnOnion]

This question has been tickling theback of my head for a while:

How do you determine a fabric's weight??? is it by the linear yard or the square yard (or meter for that matter)

with all the numbers being bandied about: 14 oz., 16 oz., 18 oz., & the like, I am just wondering what the correct means of determing that is... most of the places i have been grabbing my fabric from here in the city barely know if its wool or walnut fabric (a slight exageration but you know what i mean) so asking them the weight as well would probably cause a melt down...

any assistance at all woudl be greatly appreciated.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

This was discussed in a thread not too long ago. The weight given for a farbic is the weight of one linear yard. Usually it is assumed the cloth is double width (i.e. about 54" wide). So one yard of 54" wide 13 oz fabric will weight 13 oz.

[UmAnOnion]

This was discussed in a thread not too long ago. The weight given for a farbic is the weight of one linear yard. Usually it is assumed the cloth is double width (i.e. about 54" wide). So one yard of 54" wide 13 oz fabric will weight 13 oz.

Thanks for this info.
I did a search under "fabric weight" but it came back with loads of other threads that didnt seem to answer the question.

Cheers

[The Wizard of BC]

While Matt is perfectly correct, please be warned that not all mills, fabric outlets or manufacturers use that method to advertise.

Last year we had a thread that went on quite a while about fabric weights and we came up with four or five methods of measuring.

For example, the fabric Jeff and I use, which we call brushed cotton is listed by the mill as 11oz. When actually weighed by Matts method it comes out to 15.7 oz. per lineir yard at 54" wide. When checked by micrometer for thickness it is equivilant to 22 oz. kilt wool. Go figure.

The Amerikilt I had in my shop this year seemed to be of the same weight as very light weight "Dockers" slacks. Significantly lighter than the fabrics Jeff and I use when put side by side.

[Barb T]

While what Steve says is true, kilting tartan woven by the main mills in Scotland is pretty consistent in weight and hand. If I order 14 oz from one and 12-13 oz from another, and 16 oz from a third, I know in advance pretty much what each one is going to be like. If I were ordering from an outlet or, as Steve says, ordering something other than wool tartan, I'd want to know in advance how they are calculating their weight or else simply order a sample.

Barb

[UmAnOnion]

thanks for all the great info - you guys are the best!!! I now feel much more informed about whats what..

question: when they call a fabric "suit weight" any thoughts on what that might mean in kilting terms??? from just feeling them they seem rather light but as i am just dipping my toe in the trad kilt making waters I am not sure how they woudl work out when all the many yards of fabric a kilt entails are considered.

My first trad effort of what i thought was of fabric of a reasonable weight feels VERY LIGHT in comparison to the UK styled ones i have done thus far which were of a moderatley heavy cotton canvases...

gonna have to be MUCH more concious of updrafts & wind speeds in that one...

[furrycelt]

While Matt is perfectly correct, please be warned that not all mills, fabric outlets or manufacturers use that method to advertise.

Would this be anything like "2 by 4's"? (The standard wood boards used in construction) The actual 2 inch by 4 inch board is not really 2 inches by 4 inches. It is before the rough wood is trimmed off. A "2x4" ends up really being about 1.25" by 3.5". Similar to "pre-cooked weight" I guess.

Thoughts?

-ian

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

...For example, the fabric Jeff and I use, which we call brushed cotton is listed by the mill as 11oz. When actually weighed by Matts method it comes out to 15.7 oz. per lineir yard at 54" wide. When checked by micrometer for thickness it is equivilant to 22 oz. kilt wool. Go figure....

And while I do not have a Freedom Kilt yet, I do have one PK (and another on order) and I can tell you that it hands down has the thickest and heaviest material of any kilt I own. It feel so solid when I wear it. It is not a tank per se, but I imagine a tank feels the same way, possibly a little less stiff, althoug my PK is new, so it might loosen up after a wash or two.

[Barb T]

I'm just guessing here, but "suit weight" is probably more on the order of 6-8 oz/yard. If you feel just the fabric of a nicely-made suit, it's really pretty light. Now, we're not talking Harris Tweed here, more Saville Row. If someone said that they had tartan in "suit weight", I would give it a miss for a kilt. Even 10 oz tartan (which some people use for kilting) is too light weight for a nice kilt (wrinkles easily, doesn't have the oomph that I like to see in a trad kilt).

The other issue is fabric "hand". The brushed canvas that Steve uses in Freedom kilts has the same weight as some of the kilting tartans I use, but it has a very different "hand". It's stiffer, and someone who has worn one of Steve's kilts or a UK would find a trad kilt to have a different feel because the fabrics are very different (which is where, I think, KCW's comment about his PK feeling more "solid" comes from). A trad kilt would likely weigh more but it would feel less stiff. Not bad, just different.

Cheers,

Barb

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Barb, you got it! I don't have a tank yet, but I do have a heavy weight kilt in some kind of blend that is probably 13-14oz. It and my PK weigh about the same, but the tartan is much softer/supple. I love both, just different fabrics and characteristics.