> Title: Textile & Garment Glossary: Apparel Terms Defined | Surajmal > Source: https://surajmal.com/glossary > Publisher: Surajmal Shobhachand Glossary # Textile and garment terms, _defined for the spec sheet._ Each term in a line or two, with the page to read next where there is one. Find a term 50 terms. [A](#letter-A) [B](#letter-B) [C](#letter-C) [D](#letter-D) [E](#letter-E) [F](#letter-F) [G](#letter-G) [I](#letter-I) [L](#letter-L) [M](#letter-M) [N](#letter-N) [O](#letter-O) [P](#letter-P) [R](#letter-R) [S](#letter-S) [T](#letter-T) [V](#letter-V) [W](#letter-W) ## A ### AQL (acceptance quality limit) The quality level an inspection sampling plan under ISO 2859-1 is built around. The concept applies only to sampling schemes with rules for switching and discontinuation.[\[1\]](https://gso-sims-preview-doc-aws.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/iso-2859-1-2026-en.html "Source 1: gso-sims-preview-doc-aws.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com: /iso-2859-1-2026-en.html") ## B ### Bowing (knitted fabric) In a knitted fabric, courses that lie in an arc across the width of the fabric. ## C ### Carton marking The transport marks applied to shipping cartons. The packing brief states the agreed markings; Incoterms rules allocate responsibility for preparing and marking the goods.[\[2\]](https://library.iccwbo.org/content/tfb/BOOKS/BK_0049/BK_0049_04_RulesAny.htm "Source 2: library.iccwbo.org: /content/tfb/BOOKS/BK_0049/BK_0049_04_RulesAny.htm") ### CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) An Incoterms 2020 rule for sea or inland-waterway transport: the seller pays carriage and insurance to the destination port, but risk passes when the goods are loaded on board at shipment.[\[3\]](https://academy.iccwbo.org/incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-cip-or-cif/ "Source 3: academy.iccwbo.org: /incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-cip-or-cif/") [More on CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) →](/tools/landed-cost-calculator) ### CMT (cut, make, trim) A contracting arrangement in which the contractor takes on the cutting, sewing and finishing of garments. [More on CMT (cut, make, trim) →](/services/contract-manufacturing) ### Colourfastness A fabric's ability to keep its colour under various conditions. ### Courses and wales In a weft-knitted fabric, the horizontal loops are the courses and the vertical loops are the wales. [More on Courses and wales →](/materials/single-jersey) ### Critical defect A serious defect that can injure or harm the user. ## D ### DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) An Incoterms 2020 rule under which the seller handles and pays for all export, transit and import clearance formalities.[\[4\]](https://academy.iccwbo.org/incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-dap-or-ddp/ "Source 4: academy.iccwbo.org: /incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-dap-or-ddp/") ### Denier The mass in grams of 9,000 metres of yarn or filament. It is a direct count, so a higher denier is a heavier yarn, and one denier is one ninth of a tex. [More on Denier →](/tools/yarn-count-converter) ### Discharge printing Printing a dyed fabric with a chemical that selectively destroys the dye, leaving a white design in the ground colour. [More on Discharge printing →](/techniques/screen-printing) ## E ### EPI (ends per inch) The number of ends in one inch of fabric. ### EXW (Ex Works) An Incoterms 2020 rule under which the seller delivers by making the goods available to the buyer at the agreed location, typically the seller's premises.[\[5\]](https://academy.iccwbo.org/incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-exw-or-ddp/ "Source 5: academy.iccwbo.org: /incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-exw-or-ddp/") ## F ### Final random inspection The inspection carried out once production of the full order quantity, or of a partial delivery, is complete. ### Fit sample A garment sample evaluated for fit and measurements before production. Buyer comments and changes to points of measure are recorded through successive samples. [More on Fit sample →](/services/studio) ### FOB (Free On Board) An Incoterms 2020 rule under which the seller delivers the goods loaded on board the vessel the buyer nominates at the port of shipment. Risk of loss or damage passes to the buyer from that delivery.[\[6\]](https://academy.iccwbo.org/incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-fas-or-fob/ "Source 6: academy.iccwbo.org: /incoterms/article/incoterms-2020-fas-or-fob/") [\[7\]](https://library.iccwbo.org/content/tfb/BOOKS/BK_0049/BK_0049_05_RulesSea.htm "Source 7: library.iccwbo.org: /content/tfb/BOOKS/BK_0049/BK_0049_05_RulesSea.htm") [More on FOB (Free On Board) →](/services/full-package) ## G ### Gauge (knitting machine) The number of needles per inch in the needle bed of a knitting machine. [More on Gauge (knitting machine) →](/materials/single-jersey) ### GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) A standard that sets ecological and labour requirements throughout the supply chain for textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials.[\[8\]](https://global-standard.org/images/resource-library/documents/standard-and-manual/GOTS_v8.0_signed.pdf "Source 8: global-standard.org: /images/resource-library/documents/standard-and-manual/GOTS_v8.0_signed.pdf") [More on GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) →](/sustainability) ### Grading Increasing and decreasing a pattern from its base size to make a set of different sizes. ### Grain line (straight grain) The line on a pattern piece that must be kept parallel to the fabric selvedge. ### Greige (grey) fabric Unfinished fabric as it comes from the loom or the knitting machine, before it is bleached, dyed or finished. [More on Greige (grey) fabric →](/products/fabrics) ### GSM (grams per square metre) The mass of a fabric per unit area, which the trade has long called fabric weight. A tech pack gives the required fabric weight in GSM. [More on GSM (grams per square metre) →](/tools/gsm-calculator) ## I ### Inline inspection An inspection that lets corrective action be taken on the spot, so a defective garment goes no further through the process. ### Interlining An internal fabric layer that gives a garment area structure and stability, for example at collars, cuffs or fronts. It may be sewn in or fused to the shell. [More on Interlining →](/products/woven) ## L ### L/C (letter of credit) A payment arrangement under which the issuing bank is obligated to pay if the documents presented comply with the L/C's requirements. ### Lab dip The dyed sample a supplier makes when a brand asks for a colour on a specified fabric. It is how a colour is developed and approved before the fabric is dyed in bulk. [More on Lab dip →](/techniques/garment-dyeing) ## M ### Major defect A fault that affects saleability or serviceability, or significantly departs from the approved garment specification. Classification is agreed for the style and the position of the fault. ### Marker An overlay for spread fabric that serves as the template for cutting. ### Mercerisation A treatment of cotton yarn or fabric with a concentrated solution of caustic soda, usually under tension. Mercerised qualities are named as such on a spec: the house knit catalogue lists mercerised yarn-dyed jacquards and stripes. [More on Mercerisation →](/materials/cotton) ### Minor defect A departure from the agreed quality standard that does not normally affect garment performance in use. Its classification still depends on the approved specification and location. ## N ### Ne (English cotton count) The number of 840-yard lengths in one pound of yarn. It is an indirect count, so a higher number is a finer yarn: a 40s is finer than a 20s. [More on Ne (English cotton count) →](/tools/yarn-count-converter) ## O ### OEKO-TEX Standard 100 A label for textiles that have been tested for harmful substances.[\[9\]](https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-standard-100?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block "Source 9: oeko-tex.com: oeko tex standard 100?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block") [More on OEKO-TEX Standard 100 →](/sustainability) ## P ### Pigment Coloured particles glued to the surface of a fabric. A pigment is not a dye. ### Pilling The formation of fuzzy balls on the surface of a fabric. [More on Pilling →](/materials/fleece) ### PPI (picks per inch) The number of picks inserted into each inch of fabric. On the loom, the rate of take-up controls it. ### Pre-production sample The final check of all aspects of a garment before mass production begins. [More on Pre-production sample →](/services/full-package) ## R ### Reactive dye A dye that reacts directly with the chemical structure of cellulose. ## S ### Sanforisation Controlled compressive shrinkage applied to woven fabric before the garment is made. Sanforized is a trade name that has come to stand for compaction in general. ### Sealed sample A sample the buyer has approved and authorised for production, kept as the quality reference that bulk is made and inspected against. It may carry a red tag. [More on Sealed sample →](/services/private-label) ### Selvedge (selvage) The ribbon-like weave along the edges of a cloth, which helps with processing the cloth in the mill. ### Size set Samples of a garment made in all sizes and sent to the buyer. ### Skewness (torque) The tendency of some fabrics and garments to twist after laundering. ### Spirality The tendency of a knitted fabric, and so of the garment made from it, to twist. ### Strike-off A sample of a printed, embroidered or yarn-dyed fabric, submitted for approval so the design and its colours can be checked before bulk. [More on Strike-off →](/techniques/digital-printing) ## T ### Tech pack The document a designer sends to production with every component needed to make the garment. A detailed tech pack helps the garment get made correctly and cuts down repeated clarification. [More on Tech pack →](/services/studio) ### Tex Yarn linear density in grams per 1,000 metres, the unit approved under ISO for all fibres and all types of yarn. It is a direct count, so a higher tex is a heavier yarn. [More on Tex →](/tools/yarn-count-converter) ### True bias The direction at a 45° angle to the lengthwise and crosswise yarns of a fabric. ## V ### Vat dye A dye that, once inside the fibre, is oxidised back into an insoluble form. ## W ### Warp The set of yarns stretched in place on a loom before the weft is introduced. ### Weft In a woven fabric, the set of yarns that runs perpendicular to the warp.