Fabric weight describe the heaviness or lightness of the fabric and determines how the fabric will behave in a home environment. Many people thinks that the thread count of the fabric is an indicator of the quality of the fabric. However, thread count is only an number of yarns in one inch of fabric.
It does not indicate the thickness of the yarns in the fabric. Thus, thread count is not an accurate representation of the weight of the fabric. The best way to determine the fabric weight is by look at the grams per square meter of the fabric, or the GSM of the fabric.
What Fabric Weight and GSM Mean
The higher the GSM of the fabric is, the more heavier and thicker the fabric will be. The lower the GSM of the fabric is, the lighter the fabric will be. When purchasing bedding, the weight of the fabric need to provide the correct amount of temperature control within the bed.
Bedding fabrics that is considered lightweight will have a lower GSM. The lower the GSM of the fabric is, the more air that can move through the fabric. This is an advantageous attribute for those who wish to sleep in a cool environment.
For those who want to sleep in a warm environment, heavier fabrics with a higher GSM is desirable as the fabrics will trap more heat around the sleeper. Thus, determining if one desires a warm or cool sleep environment will dictate the fabric weight of the bedding products you should purchase. Fabric weight also determine how much light can pass through curtains.
For those who would like to allow light into the room, one should purchase lightweight fabrics, such as voile and chiffon. These fabrics has a low GSM as well as allow light to pass through the fabric. For those who would like to block the entry of light into the room, one should purchase heavy fabrics with a high GSM.
These fabrics will block a higher percentage of light entering the room due to the high density of the fabrics. Thus, the weight of the fabric used for the curtains will dictate how much light enters the room and how much privacy the curtains will provide for the residents in the room. The fabric that will be used for upholstery must also be purchased according to it’s fabric weight.
This is because the fabric weight will dictate the life span of the fabric. For furniture that is used by many individual, it is best to use lightweight fabrics. However, the lightweight fabrics will thin over time with use.
For furniture that is high in traffic, it is best to use upholstery with a high GSM to stand up to the wear and tear of frequent use of that furniture. For decorative furniture that is not used often, one can purchase use of lighter fabrics. However, for furniture that is used by many individuals in the household, it is best to purchase heavy fabrics to allow for the durability of the upholsterys fabric.
Another reason that the fabric weight is important to consider is in the process of cleaning the fabric. Heavy fabrics, such as velvet and wool, will trap more dust and oils in the fabric. Because of this, the heavy fabrics may require professional dry cleaning to avoid damage the fibers of the heavy fabric.
Additionally, the lightweight fabrics may be difficult to clean as well. However, the reason that the fabrics are often difficult to clean is because they are fragile and may tear with any heavy cleaning processes. Thus, using a heavy wash cycle on a lightweight fabric can ruin the fabric.
The methods for cleaning the fabric will have to be determined based off the GSM of the fabric. Finally, the different fabric weights of the products can be used together to control the temperature within a room. Many people use bedding products of different fabric weights layered on sleeping individuals to control the temperature of the individuals in the room.
For instance, one may use a sheet with a light fabric weight, a duvet of medium fabric weight, and a blanket of heavy fabric weight. Using products of different fabric weights will allow for the addition or removal of the mass of the products to change the temperature in the room. Thus, using products of different fabric weights will allow individuals to adjust the climate in the room in which they are sleeping.
When considering the different fabrics that are available for purchase, one should always consider the GSM of the fabric. The GSM of the fabric will tell individuals the weight of the fabric, and the weight of the fabric will tell individuals in what way the fabric will work within the home of those who wish to use such fabric product.
