Woven fabric

Denim

A twill fabric commonly combines colored warp yarns with pale filling yarns.

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Illustrative face of a repeating weave. Warp runs vertically; weft runs horizontally. Colors, yarn thickness and spacing are examples, not a production specification.

How it is made

Conventional denim is often a 3/1 warp-faced twill, placing more of the dyed warp on the face. Other weights and twill variations exist, including broken twills.

How to recognize it

Look for diagonal ribs and, in classic blue denim, a lighter reverse.

Common uses

  • Jeans
  • Jackets
  • Shirts

What to distinguish

Denim identifies a fabric family. Selvedge describes an edge, and raw describes a finishing state; neither is a separate weave.

Sources & further reading

Research checked 2026-09-27. Descriptions are original summaries; references support terminology and construction, not every product sold under a name.

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