Textile Glossary - Y

YARDAGE: The amount or length of a fabric expressed in yards. 

YARD GOODS: Fabric sold on a retail basis by the running yard. 

YARN: A generic term for a continuous strand of textile fibers, filaments, or material in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or otherwise intertwining to form a textile fabric. Yarn occurs in the following forms: (1) a number of fibers twisted together (spun yarn); (2) a number of filaments laid together without twist (a zero-twist yarn); (3) a number of filaments laid together with a degree of twist; (4) a single filament with or without twist (a monofilament); or (5) a narrow strip of material, such as paper, plastic film, or metal foil, with or without twist, intended for use in a textile construction. 

YARN CONSTRUCTION: A term used to indicate the number of singles yarns and the number of strands combined for form each successive unit of a plied yarn or cord. 

YARN DYEING: See DYEING. 

YARN DYEING DIFFERENCES: Variations in take-up of dyes by yarns, resulting in streaks in finished fabrics. 

YARN INTERMEDIATE: A generic term for products obtained during the conversion of fibers to yarn, including card webs, laps, slivers, rovings, and tops. 

YARN NUMBER: A relative measure of the fineness of yarns. Two classes of systems are in use: (1) Direct yarn number (equal to linear density) is the mass per unit length of yarn. This system is used for silk and manufactured filament yarns. (2) Indirect yarn number (equal to the reciprocal of linear density) is the length per unit mass of yarn. This system is used for cotton, linen, and wool-type spun yarns. (Also see COTTON COUNT.) 

YARN NUMBER, EQUIVALENT SINGLE: The number of a plied yarn or cord determined by the standard methods used for singles yarns. 

YARN QUALITY: Various grades of yarn designated by the producer with respect to performance characteristics, e.g., first quality, second quality, etc. 

YARN-TO-CORD CONVERSION EFFICIENCY: In tire cord, this is a measurement relating tensile strength of untwisted yarn to tensile strength of cord. Increasing cord twist or increasing yarn diameter lowers conversion efficiency. 

YARN VARIATION: See RING. 

YELLOWNESS COEFFICIENT: Measure of the color of a molded acetate disc or dope solution. Cy = 1-T4400/T6400 where Cy is the yellowness coefficient; T4400 is the transmission at 4400A (blue); and T6400 is the transmission at 6400A (orange). 

YIELD:

1. Number of linear or square yards of fabric per pound of fiber or yarn.
2. The number of finished square yards per pound of greige fabric. 

Textile Glossary - W

WALE:

1. In knit fabrics, a column of loops lying lengthwise in the fabric. The number of wales per inch is a measure of the fineness of the fabric.
2. In woven fabrics, one of a series of ribs, cords, etc., running either warpwise or fillingwise.

WARP:

1. The set of yarn in all woven fabrics, that runs lengthwise and parallel to the selvage and is interwoven with the filling.
2. The sheet of yarns wound together on a beam for the purpose of weaving or warp knitting. (Also see WARP SHEET.)

WARP BEAM: A large spool or flanged cylinder around which the warp threads, or ends, are wound in a uniform and parallel arrangement. (Also see BEAM.)

WARP-DRAWING: See DRAW-WARPING. Warp-drawn fibers may be taken up on packages other than beams.

WARP HOLDING PLACE: See STICKER, 1.

WARPING: See BEAMING.