Width is agreed in centimetres on the PO. Confirm whether the quoted figure is total, usable or cuttable before you cut from it.
Fabric Width: Nominal, Usable and Cuttable
Fabric width is the distance from selvedge to selvedge. The figure that decides cutting yield is the cuttable width, which excludes the selvedges that cannot be used in finished goods.
Fabric width is the distance from one selvedge to the other. It decides cutting yield, what a roll can be made into, and how much fabric a project wastes — which is why it is one of the first three numbers on any fabric PO.
But there are three different widths, and using the wrong one is the most common way a buyer plans badly.
Total, usable, cuttable
| Term | What it measures | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Total width | Selvedge to selvedge, as woven | The loom setting |
| Usable width | Total minus selvedge, defects and edge distortion | The mill's quality call |
| Cuttable width | What can actually be cut into panels | Usually total minus 1–2 cm per side |
Cuttable width is the number that matters for planning, because cutting yield is calculated on it. A 280 cm roll quoted at total width may only give you 276 cm you can cut into, and on a cutting plan with a 120 cm panel that difference changes the number of panels per roll.
Why the same cloth has two widths
A mill quotes greige width and finished width separately because they are different measurements of different stages:
- Greige — off the loom, before heat setting, calendaring or washing. Wide: on Weaverine waterjet programs, 160–330 cm.
- Finished — after the finishing route. Narrower: typically 150–315 cm, because heat setting and relaxation pull the cloth in.
Quoting only one of them is a specification gap. The shrinkage allowance agreed on the PO is what reconciles them.
Width and cutting yield
Cutting waste follows from the ratio of cuttable width to the panel you need:
- A wide roll lets you run two panels plus a border where a standard roll gives one and a remnant.
- The same nominal width with a 2 cm wider selvedge allowance reduces yield on a large repeat.
- Quilting, mattress and wide-window cutting plans are where the difference is largest, because the repeat leaves little slack to absorb it.
If a project depends on yield, ask for the cuttable width on a specific lot, not the width from a catalogue.
What to put on the PO
- Width in centimetres, named as greige or finished
- Tolerance, when it matters — width plus ± gives a cutting plan something to work with
- Usable or cutable width if the project is yield-sensitive
- Shrinkage allowance by direction (warp and weft are not always the same)
- GSM on the same line: a wide, heavy roll and a wide, light roll take the same container space and cost very differently
Standards and units
- Centimetres for quotation, to avoid an inch conversion rounding into a real width difference.
- Tolerance is a commercial term, not a measurement standard — agree it in writing.
- Width is usually verified on a relaxed, conditioned sample, since a cloth pulled tight measures narrower than the same cloth lying flat.
Read next: GSM for the other half of the specification, shrinkage rate for why the width changes, wide-width fabric for the construction side, and fabric width options for the widths we run.
Spec tools
Common questions
How is fabric width measured?
- From selvedge to selvedge, across the cloth as it leaves the loom, under a defined tension. Width is a physical dimension of that roll, not a property of the weave name, and the same construction can be woven at more than one width.
What is the difference between total, usable and cuttable width?
- Total width is the edge-to-edge measurement. Usable width excludes defects, the selvedge and any edge distortion. Cuttable width is what can actually be cut into panels, and it is normally 1-2 cm narrower on each side than the nominal figure. Cutting yield is calculated on cuttable width, so the difference is where cutting waste quietly appears.
Does width change after finishing?
- Yes, and it is why a greige width and a finished width are not the same number. Heat setting, calendaring and washing can pull the cloth in both directions, and the shrinkage allowance agreed on the PO is what reconciles the two.
Should I write width in cm or inches?
- In centimetres, because that is how the mill quotes it and it avoids an inch rounding error turning into a real width difference. On wider goods, name the width and the tolerance together: a 280 cm roll at ±2 cm is a different cutting plan from one quoted without a tolerance.
What widths does a home-textile mill normally run?
- Standard weaving runs narrower, around 140-160 cm, while wide-width waterjet looms run 160-330 cm in greige. On Weaverine programs the greige sits at 160-330 cm and the finished cloth typically comes in at 150-315 cm after heat setting — which is why the two numbers appear separately on a quotation.
Related Terms
Sourcing fabric width or a polyester equivalent? We quote mill-direct programs from 5,000 m per specification.
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