Marking threads
Thread marking plays a key role in choosing the right yarn for the job you will be using these threads for. The basic information we are interested in is composition, thickness/fineness, winding, thread color and manufacturer.
Again, I will try to summarize the most commonly used thread designations and thread construction as simply and as clearly as possible.
- first let’s take a look at the so-called “Ticket Numbering” - a commercial reference system for numbering finished threads
- tex - how much does a single thread with a length of 1,000 m weigh (g).
- dtex - how much does a single thread with a length of 10,000 m weigh (g).
- Nm - how many (m) are single threads weighing 1g
- NeB - how long (yards) is a 1lb single thread
Rarely do we encounter only a simple thread. Often, the resulting thread consists of several finer fibers. The process of joining these threads together is called scanning. The construction of the yarn is indicated by writing “x” and the number after the mark. For example, 33 tex x2x8 indicates a yarn that consists of 2 threads and each thread is made up of eight staple fibers. So this thread is composed of a total of 16 fibers with a strength of 33 tex.
***LINEN 33 Tex x2x8***
A little more detail
All numbering systems use either a unit weight, varying the length, or a fixed length, varying the weight, to indicate.
Ticket Numbering
a commercial system of numbering finished threads, which gives us the manufacturer’s reference number for the given thread size, and the higher the number, the finer the thread. “CAUTION” the number in one type of thread is not the same as in another. 40 in cotton will be completely different from polyester thread.
tex
Official yarn fineness designation. It is a metric unit that expresses the weight in gram units per 1000 meters of yarn. Specifically, the designation 50 tex means that 1000 m of yarn weighs 50 g. The lower the Ttex value, the finer the yarn. This unit was introduced on the basis of an international agreement from 1967. To make the world not so simple, different countries still use different numbering. This is where the so-called conversion tables and counters come from. However, I would no longer classify this here; who would like to count on it and who has to will surely find it :-)
dtex
Similar to tex, with the only difference that here we have a length of 10,000. This designation is for very thin and light threads.
Nm
Official designation for thin threads. Again, this is a metric system expressing the number of meters of single yarn in one gram. For example, Nm 50 means that 50 m of yarn weighs one gram. 4 The higher the Nm value, the finer the thread.
NeB
From “Number English Cotton Yarn Count”. Specifically, it is a “number yarn count” system, which expresses how many yards of yarn are needed for one pound (about 0.45 kg) of a given material. For example, a value of 20 NeB means that 20 yards of cotton yarn weighs 1 pound.
In case you notice any missing information or inaccuracies, I would like to assure you that I am a human, not a robot :-). If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at roman@jimot.cz, or directly under this article on Facebook.
Roman