Buyers often specify weight before structure. “Send me a 280 gsm.” We send three, and they feel like three different fabrics, because at the same weight a jersey, a bouclé and a cable are doing entirely different things with that 280 grams.
Weight sets the total mass per square metre. Structure decides where that mass sits — in a flat plane, in loops, or in ridges — and that in turn decides drape, warmth and what the cutter can do with it. Below is the ladder we actually knit, from 250 to 400 gsm, with the garment block each weight is suited to and the one it is not.
250–255 gsm: the layering weight
At this weight the fabric has enough body to hold a seam but still folds. Two articles sit here, both at 185 cm:
- #2178 Áo thun giữ nhiệt Dralon rắn — 250 gsm, 95% polyester / 5% spandex, smooth face.
- #7899 Áo thun giãn nhiệt Dralon nâng cấp — 255 gsm, 26% polyester / 67% rayon / 7% spandex, softer and more fluid.
These are the fabrics you put under something else. A base layer, a slim turtleneck, a long-sleeve tee under a sleeveless knit vest. The 185 cm width is the practical reason we knit them wide: a size M body panel plus a sleeve fits two-up with less waste than on 165 cm, which matters when the style is sold at a layering price point rather than a coat price point.
Do not use them as the outer layer of a winter coat. At 250 gsm the fabric has no structure of its own; it will follow whatever the interlining does, and if you have no interlining it will follow the wearer.
270 gsm: the dress weight
#2538 Vải dệt kim mịn pha len Silk-Touch is 270 gsm at 165 cm, 25% polyester / 48% rayon / 6% spandex / 21% nylon. The high nylon-to-rayon ratio is deliberate: rayon gives the liquid drape, nylon keeps the recovery so a fitted dress does not bag at the knee after an hour of sitting.
This is the weight we recommend for column dresses, bias-cut skirts and anything with a cowl. It has enough mass to hang without clinging, and enough elastane to move with the body rather than against it. The trade-off is pressing: 270 gsm with this much rayon will shine under a hot iron. Steam from a distance and let it cool on the form.
If your pattern has a waist seam and a gathered skirt, this is also the weight that will show every gather. Check the sample on a real body before you commit to a 500-piece run.
280 gsm: the workhorse, and why it is not one fabric
Six of our articles sit at 280 gsm. They are not variations on a theme; they are different structures that happen to share a number.
| Article | Structure | Thành phần | Best block |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2409 | Bouclé loops | 71% P / 17% R / 5% N / 2% W | Oversized cardigan, cocoon coat |
| #2406 | Cable | 71% P / 17% R / 5% SP / 5% N / 2% W | V-neck cardigan, sweater dress |
| #2407 | Chevron floats | 60% P / 27% R / 3% SP / 3% W | Knit blazer, wide-leg trouser |
| #2610 | Porcelain texture | 78% P / 15% R / 3% acetate wool / 4% SP | Soft-shoulder blazer, skirt suit |
| #2527 | Brushed surface | 92% P / 8% R | Fuzzy knit top, hooded knit |
| #2521 | Slub jersey | 81% P / 16% R / 3% SP | Relaxed tee, soft shirt-jacket |
The practical rule we give buyers: at 280 gsm, pick by the surface you want to see, not by the weight. All six will carry the same pattern. Only three of them will carry the same seam.
300–400 gsm: the outerwear band
Above 300 gsm the fabric starts to have its own opinion about the body. Two articles cover this band:
- #2260 Kết cấu tai lúa mì Đan nặng — 300 and 400 gsm, 160 cm, with a vertical column that holds a lapel.
- #2367 Vải dệt kim cao cấp Euro-Cotton Velvet — 380 gsm, 165 cm, 95% polyester / 5% spandex, dense and matte.
At this weight you are buying structure, not drape. A 400 gsm knit coat will stand away from the body; that is the point. What you have to watch is the seam. Four layers of 400 gsm at an armhole is roughly 1.6 mm of fabric before you add thread. Reduce the seam allowance, grade the allowance, or use a taped seam — but do not simply overlock it and hope.
The other cost is wearer weight. A 400 gsm coat at 1.4 m of fabric per garment is about 560 g of fabric before lining and trims. On a hanger that reads as substantial; on a customer in a warm shop it reads as heavy. Sample it in the climate you are selling into.
How the ladder maps to a six-piece capsule
If you are building a autumn/winter knit capsule rather than a single style, the weights can be assigned almost mechanically:
- Base layer: 250–255 gsm thermal jersey (#2178, #7899).
- Dress: 270 gsm silk-touch (#2538).
- Cardigan: 280 gsm cable or bouclé (#2406, #2409).
- Knit blazer or trouser: 280 gsm chevron or porcelain (#2407, #2610).
- Soft top: 280 gsm brushed (#2527).
- Outerwear: 300–400 gsm wheat ear or 380 gsm velvet (#2260, #2367).
That is five weights and eight articles across one range — enough differentiation for a shop floor without asking the mill for eight separate qualities.
What to check when the weight is the only constant
When two articles share a gsm, the differences live in the tolerances. Ask for weight measured after relaxation, not off the machine. Ask whether the quoted width is greige or finished. And ask for the shrinkage figure in both directions — a 280 gsm bouclé and a 280 gsm jersey will not shrink the same amount, and if you cut both from one marker you will find out at the wash test.
We keep rolled stock of every article in this ladder in Keqiao. One roll (25–35 kg) is the minimum for sampling, stock ships in 24–48 hours, and custom dyeing starts at 500 kg per colour. If you are unsure where a style belongs on the ladder, send the tech pack and we will tell you which weight we would cut it in — and which we would refuse to.
Yêu cầu báo giá or ask for the weight-ladder swatch card.
Các loại vải được đề cập trong bài viết này
- #2178 Áo thun giữ nhiệt Dralon rắn — 250 gsm, 185 cm
- #7899 Áo thun giãn nhiệt Dralon nâng cấp — 255 gsm, 185 cm
- #2538 Vải dệt kim mịn pha len Silk-Touch — 270 gsm, 165 cm
- #2610 Acetate Wool Blend sứ kết cấu dệt kim — 280 gsm, 165 cm
- #2527 Đan kết cấu mờ đầy sao mờ — 280 gsm, 165 cm
- #2367 Vải dệt kim cao cấp Euro-Cotton Velvet — 380 gsm, 165 cm
