Worsted
Also searched as: worsted-spun, worsted wool, woollen, woolen
A yarn-processing route using prepared, aligned and typically combed fibers.
In detail
In textile manufacturing, worsted describes a preparation and spinning route using aligned, combed fibers. It contrasts with the woollen route, which uses a different preparation sequence. The processing distinction helps explain yarn character, but does not by itself prescribe a particular garment or weave.
The science and numbers
The worsted system aims for parallel fibers and a compact, smooth yarn. Scoured wool is carded, gilled on pinned fallers, combed to remove noil and made into top; the top is then drawn and gilled down through further stages to roving and spun, usually with enough twist to bind the aligned fibers. The woollen system instead condenses carded fiber and spins it directly, keeping fibers less parallel for bulky, lofty yarn. Worsted yarns have their own traditional count, the number of 560-yard hanks per pound, so tex is roughly 886 divided by the worsted count. Fineness grading is tied to the worsted tradition: under the IWTO code Super 100s corresponds to about 18.75 microns mean diameter, and each further step of 10 is about 0.5 micron finer. Finer fibers allow more fibers per yarn cross-section at a given count, permitting finer yarns and lighter cloth.
A practical example
A worsted yarn can be used in different fabric constructions. When reading a supplier’s description, separate the processing route from fiber composition, yarn count and the eventual knitted or woven structure. That prevents one familiar word from standing in for a complete specification.
What to distinguish
Hand-knitting labels also use “worsted weight” as a yarn-size category. That usage does not establish that the yarn was manufactured by the worsted wool-processing route. Confirm which meaning the speaker intends.
Origins and history
The name comes from Worstead, a village in Norfolk, England, long associated with a smooth cloth woven from combed wool. Over time worsted came to name the whole combed-wool processing route rather than a single cloth, while woollen named the carded route. The Super S numbers used on worsted suitings are generally described as descending from the older worsted quality-number tradition, in which finer wool could be spun to higher counts.
Related terms
Sources & further reading
- International Wool Textile Organisation: First-stage processing
- Woolmark: Worsted top-making
- Craft Yarn Council: Standard Yarn Weight System
- Woolwise (University of New England): Drafting and gilling of fibrous assemblies
- ASTM: D2260 Standard Tables of Conversion Factors and Equivalent Yarn Numbers
Technical references reviewed 2026-09-22. Examples are illustrative. Industry organizations and manufacturers describe their own fields; their references are not independent product endorsements. Figures are approximate and depend on the stated test conditions.