15 Types of Cotton Fabric That you Should Know for Your Business

Though, there are numerous types of cotton fabrics based on the thickness, formation, origin of cotton stables, and composition of the fabric, this article will provide you with sufficient knowledge about the 15 most commonly find cotton fabrics in the market.

Further you will get to know the proper use of each fabric in daily life as well as comparison and differenciation of often confesed fabrics.

homesewingexpert.com 15 types of cotton fabric that you should know for your business types of cotton fabric
Type of Cotton FabricFabric WeightUse
LawnLightweightUsed in babywear, handkerchiefs, and a wide range of women’s dresses, especially of Indian culture – shawls, kurtas, sari, shalwar kameez, and more. Also a popular fabric in the fashion industry.
PolycottonLightweightUsed highly in t-shirts and many other garments due to improvements in durability and shrinkage properties.
Seersucker FabricLightweightUsed for the summer season with similar puckered patterns of gingham fabric.
Cotton GauzeLightweightMainly used in breathable cotton dressings like babywear, lingeries, and nighties, and excessively in surgical dressings.
MuslinLightweightUse in a wide range of breathable dressmaking, breathable and soft blankets, and many soft baby garments.
Egyptian cottonMediumweightIn premium clothes like linens for bedsheets and napkins, bath robes, to make linens and daily use fabrics like bedsheets, towels, and many luxurious apparels.
Brushed CottonMediumweightThis fabric is primarily used in peculiar napped textured shirts and blankets.
Jersey Knit CottonMediumweightUsed for stretchy cotton apparel – from undergarments to sweatshirts and jackets.
Cotton ChenilleMediumweightBesides dome décor, blankets, shawls, carpets, and rugs, it is getting popularity in the fashion industry in recent years.
ChambrayMediumweightExclusively used in shirts that have a similar appearance to denim.
GinghamMediumweightUsed in clothing and with checkered, striped, and dotted patterns, especially for the tropical season.
Cotton BroadclothMediumweightIt is used in dressmaking, mostly in shirts, and often in a blend with rayon and polyester.
DenimHeavyweightDominates in jeans and jackets.
CalicoHeavyweightThis economical fabric is used in various crafting projects like upholstery, quilting, or DIYs, and also in curtains and aprons.
CanvasHeavyweightUse sailboats, tents, marquees, shoes, and of course, as a canvas for oil painting

Types of Cotton Fabric

If you want to start a textile business or are curious about fabrics, then here are 15 common types of cotton that is all you need to know.

Product list iconLawn

Egyptian Cotton

The lawn is a famous plain woven cotton fabric of Indian origin that is well known for its extremely fine and crisp finish. This is a lightweight and semi-transparent fabric that is dyed in elegant colors. 

This is used in a large range of fabrics that ranges from handkerchiefs to babywear and from traditional Indian-origin apparel to modern garments. 

Product list iconPolycotton

Egyptian Cotton

As the name suggests, it is a cotton and polyester blend, not 100% cotton. Polycotton has from 35% polyester to 50% polyester.

Due to added polyester, the fabric is more wear-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, weather-resistant, and shrink-resistant. And the cost for these features compromises cotton’s softness and non-allergic properties.

Product list iconSeersucker Fabric

Egyptian Cotton

In appearance, seersucker is somewhat similar to gingham fabric with puckered stripes, checks, or dots. 

The only difference is their weight. Seersucker is a lightweight plain woven cotton fabric that is used for summer clothing.

Product list iconCotton Gauze

Egyptian Cotton

This is an extremely fine and porous plain woven cotton fabric used mainly in breathable surgical dressing and in some crafting projects. 

Product list iconCotton Muslin

Egyptian Cotton

Muslin is a highly lightweight, thin, seethrough, and delicate fabric mainly made of cotton. And there is a range of weights in which muslin is available. 

Due to extra fine and lightweight construction, this fabric is highly breathable and considered as a premium fabric. It is used in blankets, bedding, and luxurious clothes. 

Product list iconEgyptian Cotton / Pima Cotton / Sea Island Cotton

Egyptian Cotton

This is formed from an extra-long staple of cotton used to make premium appeals and linens that are priced due to its delicate procedure of hand-picking its long fiber staples. 

Due to the extra-long length of its fiber, Egyptian cotton products are fine, highly durable, and comfortable to use as they have a gentle touch. 

Product list iconBrushed Cotton

Egyptian Cotton

This cotton fabric is a medium-weight cotton fabric that undergoes a mechanical brushing process to raise the surface fiber gently. As a result, the fabric has a softer and napped touch on both sides of the fabric.

This fabric is mostly used in peculiar napped textured shirts and blankets. However, this is a mid-priced fabric due to the additional brushing process.

Product list iconJersey Knit Cotton

Egyptian Cotton

This knitted fabric is made from cotton yarn that is softer, warmer, and more stretchy (up to 35% of the original length) than woven cotton. Knitting adds thickness and breathable space, and elegance to the fabric.

However, the intricate process of knitting makes it expensive cotton fabric. Still, compared to wool knit jerseys, it’s much more economical.

In the market, you will find two types of cotton knit jerseys: Single knit fabric is light that is excessively used for undergarments, and Double knit fabric is much heavier and warmer and is used for sweatshirts, jackets, pants, and more.

Product list iconCotton Chenille

Egyptian Cotton

Chenille has its name due to its fuzzy pile yarns from which it is made. It has a soft and fluffy texture with a shimmy appearance. Also, this medium-weight fabric is extremely durable.

Traditionally this fabric was used in dome décor, blankets, shawls, carpets, and rugs only, but not it is gaining popularity in the fashion industry as well. 

Product list iconChambray

Egyptian Cotton

In appearance and colors, Chambray is similar to Denim, but where denim is made from twill weaving, chambray is made from plain weaving. Thus Chambray is much lightweight, breathable and softer.

Where denim is used in jackets and bottoms, chambray is used exclusively for shirts.

Product list iconGingham 

Egyptian Cotton

This is a common plain woven cotton fabric that has stripes, checks, or dots, giving it a dual-tone pattern. This dual-tone pattern reflects a contrast of dark with light color.

This fabric is mainly used in formal and semi-formal men’s dresses, especially dress shirts. This fabric can have a range of weights and often comes with a blend with other materials to minimize cotton shrinkage.

Product list iconCotton Broadcloth / Poplin

Egyptian Cotton

This is a medium-weight mercerized plain woven fabric that is highly durable. Due to additional processing, this fabric becomes shrink-resistant, weather-resistant, and tougher.

It is used in dressmaking, especially in formal shirts made of cotton-polyester or cotton-rayon blend to add additional properties.

Product list iconDenim

Egyptian Cotton

Denim is an extremely durable wrap face twill woven fabric with peculiar texture, sturdiness, and comfort. 

Denim comes in a wide range of colors blue, brown, black, and more, but the most common color is indigo. 

The most common application of denim is in jeans and jackets, and it completely dominates them.

Product list iconCalico

Egyptian Cotton

This is a heavyweight plain woven fabric that comes in raw form as it’s unbleached and not fully processed. Thus having husks and coarse texture is still far less coarse than denim or canvas.

Due to lack of processing, this fabric is exceptionally cheap, infects the cheapest cotton fabric you will find, and is used in various crafting projects.

Product list iconCotton Canvas

Egyptian Cotton

This is an extremely durable plain woven cotton fabric that is heavy and coarse.

It has particular applications where study and tough fabric are required, like in sailboats, tents, marquees, shoes, and of course, as a canvas for oil painting. 

Conclusion

I hope you have acquired sufficient knowledge about the common types of cotton fabrics that you are going to deal with if you are interested in starting a relevant business. Even if you are curious about the fabrics and your dress, I hope this article was a guide to all the basic information that you must know about.

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