Fabric Specification: Targets, Units and Confirmations

Define composition and construction

Record fibre requirements and the construction or reference basis. Mark mandatory values and flexible directions separately. Give known technical values their units and source. Avoid turning a category name or a sample’s appearance into a confirmed composition.

State weight with a clear unit

Use GSM for mass per area or identify grams per linear metre explicitly. Converting a linear weight to GSM requires a stated width in metres. Keep the original value and width basis visible. An unknown width prevents a reliable conversion; it should not become zero.

Separate usable and total width

State which width the garment’s cutting plan requires. Record units, measurement conditions and any excluded edge area. A total-width figure is not automatically usable width. Ask for the finished value and tolerance needed for the actual delivery specification.

Include methods and tolerances

Keep method, conditions and acceptance range in dedicated fields. Ask for missing details to be agreed. A target without a method or condition may be difficult to compare with a later report. Do not add a remembered standard number or an assumed pass level.

Control the specification revision

Give the sheet a project ID and revision and link the approved sample. Record the source of each factory-confirmed value. When a property changes, issue a revised sheet and review affected approvals. Preserve the older version so the next recipient can see what changed.

Resolve a specification that looks complete but is not comparable

A sheet may include composition, weight and width while leaving their meanings ambiguous. Check whether weight is GSM or grams per linear metre, whether width is total or usable and whether values apply to the accepted finished state. Identify which figures are targets and which are confirmed.

For a test requirement, include the intended method, conditions and acceptance basis agreed by the buyer. Do not borrow a generic grade from a website or leave a test name without a decision threshold. A complete-looking table can still produce incomparable quotations if its units and scope are missing.

Use a controlled target and confirmation comparison

Keep the original target in one column and the factory proposal or confirmed value in another. Add the evidence reference and the reviewer’s decision. If a proposal does not meet the target, record an exception or requested revision rather than overwriting the requirement.

This is especially important when a garment trial leads to a revised article. Ask which earlier values remain valid and which need remeasurement or review. The accepted specification should belong to the identified sample revision, not to an accumulation of unlinked values from earlier discussions.

Illustrative unit error: 600 grams is not automatically 600 GSM

Assume a hypothetical finished fabric weighs 600 grams per linear metre and the stated conversion width is 1.50 metres. Dividing 600 by 1.50 gives 400 grams per square metre. The original linear-weight figure should remain visible alongside the calculated area weight.

If the conversion width is unknown, leave the conversion unresolved instead of assuming it. Distinguish the measured width basis from the usable cutting width. This example is arithmetic only; it does not specify an available article, a measurement method or an acceptance tolerance.

Release one specification revision to all teams

Give the sheet an article ID, revision and date. Identify the reference sample and the approvals or reports that support it. Keep unresolved points with owners and decisions required before commitment.

Send the same accepted revision into the RFQ, garment trial, order handover and inspection request. If a later change is authorised, update the affected records and state what has been superseded. A controlled specification prevents the sourcing team quoting one width while the garment factory cuts against another.