determining weight of cloth?

**jhockin** · 29th November 12, 01:00 PM

I know this has been discussed before, but I'm wondering if "advertised" "weight" of different cloths ( such as kilting tartan vs tweed) really means much?
In my searches, both on this forum, there seems of be a variety of ways of measuring "weight". If I find, for example, Harris Tweed advertised as 18/19 oz. per yd., double width, on one website, and what appears to be the same pattern, on another website, but only in single width, but advertised as 18/19 oz. per yd. - will the single width likely be the same "weight", or twice the "weight"??

Or, do I/should always ask, each seller/producer, exactly how they calculate the "weight" of their cloth , and then try to calculate how it compares, to compare "apples to apples"??

**sydnie7** · 29th November 12, 01:34 PM

Weight is based on the cloth in double width. Even if you are buying single width, the stated weight is based on that cloth's [theoretical/calculated] weight when woven double-wide.

Just like paper, if you're at all familiar with that measurement system. 20-lb paper is the same thickness whether you are buying sheets of letter size, legal size, ledger size, etc.

**jhockin** · 29th November 12, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by sydnie7

Weight is based on the cloth in double width. Even if you are buying single width, the stated weight is based on that cloth's [theoretical/calculated] weight when woven double-wide.

Just like paper, if you're at all familiar with that measurement system. 20-lb paper is the same thickness whether you are buying sheets of letter size, legal size, ledger size, etc.

Do you/does anyone know if this is "theory", or , in the "real world", applicable to all producers/mills/weavers?

**sydnie7** · 29th November 12, 05:20 PM

Mr. Newsome presents it as a generally accepted standard.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 29th November 12, 06:52 PM

Yup. I remember years ago occasionally seeing heavy kilt weight single width cloth described as "8 oz" but that's been a while. I think it tended to lead to confusion, as people would automatically associate the 8 oz description with a super light spring weight and forget to account for the fact that the cloth was single width. So these days people would describe the cloth as 16 oz regardless of whether it was 29" wide or 54" wide. It's been a long time since I've seen single width cloth described that way.