Weaving and knitting: two fabric routes with opposite scheduling problems

The warp is the commitment

Before a loom weaves anything, thousands of ends must be warped, sized and drawn or tied into the machine, work measured in shifts rather than minutes. That preparation is largely independent of how many metres follow, so cost per metre falls steeply with order length and a short order can be dominated by set-up. Mills respond by grouping orders that share a warp, keeping standard constructions available and pricing bespoke short runs at a level that surprises new buyers. It also means a design change affecting the warp is a different proposition from one affecting only the weft.

Knitting trades set-up cost for machine specialisation

Circular knitting machines change yarn and adjust structure quickly, so a knitter can serve short development runs and react within a season. The constraint moves elsewhere: gauge and cylinder diameter are fixed properties of each machine, so the fabric range a mill can offer is determined by the machines it bought. Widening the range means buying more machines rather than reprogramming existing ones. Flat-bed knitting, used for panels and fully fashioned pieces, adds programming time per style, which reintroduces a development burden that circular knitting largely avoids. Buyers therefore ask about gauge and cylinder size before discussing design, because the machine list constrains the offer far more than the mill willingness does.

Commission processing against buying your own yarn

A mill working on commission converts a customer's yarn for a fee, avoiding raw material exposure and working capital but earning only a conversion margin and accepting whatever quality the yarn brings. A merchant mill buys yarn, makes fabric on its own account and sells at a market price, taking fibre price risk and inventory risk in exchange for a wider margin and control over its own quality. Many mills run both, using commission work to fill machines during weak periods. The trap is doing so at rates that fail to cover the depreciation those machines are consuming.

Faults are counted, and the count decides who pays

Fabric is inspected and graded against a points-based system that classifies defects by size, converting quality into a number the customer can accept or reject. Slubs, broken ends, holes, barré and stains all accumulate points, and a piece over the agreed threshold is downgraded or returned. Because the same defect may originate in yarn, in the machine or in handling, disputes are common and traceability from beam or lot to piece is what settles them. Mills that keep loom-level records and inspect before despatch avoid arguments they would otherwise lose.

Greige stock as a lead-time weapon

Undyed fabric can be held and coloured to order, which compresses the lead time a customer experiences from months to weeks. Mills that hold greige in popular constructions can quote fast turnaround and win reorder business during a season, but they carry the risk that construction goes out of favour and the stock ages. The decision is essentially about which forecast error is cheaper: holding fabric nobody wants, or losing repeat orders because the response time is too long. Mills serving fast-moving apparel usually conclude that some greige exposure is unavoidable.

Frequently asked questions

Is knitted or woven fabric the better choice for a new clothing range?

It depends on the garment and on how fast you need to move. Knitted fabric stretches, drapes and suits jersey, sportswear and casual pieces, and knitting mills accommodate short runs more readily, which helps a new brand. Woven fabric offers stability and structure for shirting, tailoring, denim and outerwear, but warp preparation pushes minimum quantities up. Many young brands start with knits for that reason and add wovens once volumes justify the minimums.

Why are fabric minimum order quantities per colour so high?

Because the binding minimum is usually set by dyeing rather than by fabric formation. A dye vessel has a working load below which shade reproducibility suffers and cost per metre rises sharply, so mills quote a minimum per colour that reflects the machine, not the customer's needs. Combining several colours in one order does not help, since each requires its own batch. Buyers needing small colour runs generally work through converters who aggregate demand.

What should a buyer check before placing fabric with an unfamiliar mill?

Whether it can reproduce the fabric a second time. Ask how construction, yarn lot and machine settings are recorded, how inspection is carried out and against what grading rules, what shade tolerance it works to, and whether it can supply the same fabric in a later season. A convincing first sample proves very little; the risk sits in the bulk delivery and in the repeat order. Physical testing evidence for weight, shrinkage and colour fastness should accompany the offer.