How greige fabric is woven
Greige, grey or loomstate fabric is cloth as it comes off the loom: unwashed, unbleached and still carrying the size that was put on the warp to protect it during weaving. Warp yarn is wound onto a beam, sized, drawn through the healds and reed, and woven on shuttleless looms (air-jet, rapier or projectile) or on older shuttle power looms. The finished piece is doffed, folded or rolled, and marked with a piece number and loom number.
A lot of export greige is woven in decentralised power loom sheds, where one trader buys yarn, gives it to several weaving units on job work and collects the pieces. Bhiwandi in Maharashtra is listed by DGFT as a Town of Export Excellence for textiles. The result is that a single order may come from dozens of looms with different settings, which is why the inspection samples across looms and not from one stack.
Greige is bought by processors, converters and garment makers who will dye, print or finish it. They need the right construction, because that decides the fabric's weight and hand after finishing, and they need few weaving faults, because processing cannot hide them.
What we check on greige fabric
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Weaving faults | Each sampled piece run over a lit inspection frame; faults marked and scored with the 4-point system | Points per 100 square yards above the contract limit |
| Ends and picks per inch | Pick glass at several places across the width and along the piece | Picks below contract, which means lighter, sleazier fabric |
| Loomstate width | Steel tape across the full width at the start, middle and end of each piece | Narrower than ordered; width varying along the piece |
| GSM | Circular cutter and balance on swatches from sampled pieces | Weight outside tolerance |
| Piece length | Length measured on the frame counter and compared with the ticket | Short pieces; too many short lengths or cut pieces in the lot |
| Selvedge | Both selvedges examined along the length | Loose, tight or curling selvedge that will cause problems on the stenter |
| Yarn counts | Threads unravelled and sent with swatches to a lab where the contract names counts | Coarser or finer yarn than ordered |
| Marking | Piece, loom and lot numbers on each piece and the packing list | Untraceable pieces; tickets not matching length |
Common weaving defects in greige
In greige the classes reflect what each fault does once the fabric is processed and cut:
| Defect | What it looks like | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Construction below contract | Fewer picks or coarser yarn across the lot | Critical |
| Mildew or oil soaked through | Spots that will not scour out | Critical |
| Holes and cuts | Broken threads in both directions | Major |
| Starting or stop marks | Thick or thin bar across the width where the loom stopped and restarted; becomes a shade bar after dyeing | Major |
| Missing or double ends | A line running along the warp | Major |
| Broken picks and weft bars | Lines or bands across the width | Major |
| Reed marks | Warp-way streaks from a damaged reed | Major |
| Floats | Threads skipping over the weave | Major or minor by length |
| Slubs and knots | Thick places in the yarn | Minor, unless repeated |
| Light oil or loom stains | Marks that normal scouring removes | Minor |
Repeated faults matter more than their points suggest. A reed mark that runs through 20 pieces from one loom points to a fault the weaver has not fixed; the report names the loom so the trader can stop it.
Specifications that apply
Greige is traded on the buyer's construction sheet, so no consumer law sets its quality. ASTM D5430 gives the method for grading the fabric, and the contract gives the limit. Chemical rules such as REACH apply to the finished fabric after dyeing and printing; see finished and printed fabric. If the greige is sold as organic cotton, the weaving unit and the trader need GOTS or OCS certification and a transaction certificate for the shipment; see OEKO-TEX and GOTS.
Packing, transit and your purchase order
Greige is packed as folded bales in hessian or plastic, or as rolls on tubes in polythene. Folded bales are cheaper but leave fold marks that may set during heat processing, so processors of light colours often ask for rolls. The inspector checks that bales are dry, that the wrapping is intact and strapped, and that each bale carries its piece list. Sized greige stored damp can grow mildew, so bales packed in the monsoon get a closer look.
Put these in your purchase order:
- Construction: warp and weft counts, ends and picks per inch, weave, loomstate width, GSM, with tolerances.
- Fault limit in points per 100 square yards, and how holes and repeated faults are treated.
- Piece length, minimum length and the share of short lengths allowed.
- Selvedge type.
- Packing: folded bales or rolls, wrapping and marking.
- Loom type if it matters to you (shuttleless or power loom).
- The share of pieces to be inspected and how they are drawn.
Cotton greige often starts with cotton yarn bought by the same trader. Book an inspection in Bhiwandi or anywhere in India.