Fundamentals of Textile Design 3(2+1)

Lesson 6: Yarn Size And Twist

Count

Generally spun yarns are numbered in terms of length per unit area and the system is called as count. One count is 840 yards (one hank) of yarn is made from one pound of fiber and is designated as 1s. In this system the weight of one pound of fiber is kept constant while the amount of yarn drawn from it varies. For example, if the same one pound of fiber is used for making 4 hanks of yarn (840 x 4= 3460 yards) then the count is written as 4s. It is an indirect system which indicates that larger the number finer is the yarn. However there are different hank lengths followed for different fibers. The woolen (1 hank is 300 yards) and worsted (1 hank is 560 yards) systems are similar to the cotton system, except that hanks are of different lengths.