# Yarn — What We Work With | Govardhan Overseas

> Wet-spun long-line and dry-spun tow linen yarn from 2.5 to 60 LEA. Retting, scutching, hackling explained. Yarn QC: CSP, RKM, U%, IPI. EXL, DLX, Super, Normal grades. Hemp, cotton, viscose, lyocell, silk. Three decades of natural-fibre handling.

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     02 / A Capabilities · Yarn

# The yarns
we work with.

Three decades of natural-fibre yarn handling. Long-line wet-spun for fine apparel, tow dry-spun for textured constructions, and the full spectrum of cotton and cellulosic blending partners. The list below describes what we accept and process — not where we buy from.

## Linen — wet spun and dry spun

Linen is our flagship fibre and the bulk of what passes through our looms. Two distinct spinning routes give us two distinct quality grades:

### Long-line wet-spun linen

The premium grade. Long flax fibres, combed and prepared into a roving, are spun while passing through a hot water bath. The water softens the natural pectin in the fibre and lets the individual flax filaments slip and align — producing a fine, smooth, lustrous yarn with low hairiness and good evenness. Wet-spun linen is what you reach for when you need fine apparel shirting, dress fabric, suiting, lace, or premium home textiles where the hand and lustre matter.

We work with wet-spun linen across the full count range — from medium counts for general apparel fabric through to fine 50-, 60-LEA counts for the highest-end shirting and dress goods.

### Tow dry-spun linen

The textured grade. Shorter flax fibres (the "tow" remaining after combing) are spun without water, producing a yarn with more visible texture and a more rustic hand. Dry-spun linen is used for upholstery, drapery, heavier home textiles, and constructions where the textile character of linen is the point — not its smoothness.

Coarser counts in the 10–25 LEA range are typical here. The yarn is less even than wet-spun but more interesting visually, and it weaves well into dobby and jacquard constructions where the texture adds depth to the figure.

## From plant to yarn — how flax becomes linen

Flax goes through several stages before it becomes a spinnable fibre. Understanding these stages matters because they determine the quality and character of the yarn that arrives at our plant.

- **Retting.** Harvested flax stems are laid in the field (dew-retting) or soaked in tanks (water-retting) so that natural microbial action loosens the bast fibres from the woody core of the stem.
- **Scutching.** The retted stems are mechanically beaten to break away the shives (woody core), leaving the raw bast fibres.
- **Hackling.** The scutched fibres are combed through progressively finer pin fields. This separates the **long-line fibres** (the longest, finest, straightest fibres — the premium fraction) from the **tow** (shorter, tangled fibres — used for coarser yarns).
- **Spinning.** The hackled fibre is drawn into a roving and spun — either wet-spun (through a hot water bath, producing fine smooth yarn) or dry-spun (without water, producing coarser textured yarn).

The European flax we work with is grown in the Normandy–Belgium belt and hackled and spun in India. The quality of the retting and hackling directly determines how fine a count the spinner can produce — which is why long-fibre wet-spun linen commands a premium.

## Counts handled (LEA / Nm)

Linen yarn is measured in LEA — a traditional count where one LEA represents the length of a 300-yard hank per pound of yarn. Higher LEA means finer yarn. We work across the full commercial range, from very coarse furnishing weights through to premium fine-count shirting:    Count Metric Nm Spinning route Typical use    **2.5 LEA**`—`Dry-spunVery coarse; jute-like, utility **5 LEA**`—`Dry-spunHeavy upholstery, canvas **6.5 LEA**`—`Dry-spunHeavy furnishing (up to 700+ GSM) **10 LEA**`6.06 Nm`Dry-spunCoarse furnishing, heavy drapery **14 LEA**`8.48 Nm`Dry/wetFurnishing, heavy apparel **16 LEA**`9.69 Nm`Dry/wetFurnishing, slub apparel, jacquard **25 LEA**`15.15 Nm`Wet-spunMid-weight apparel and furnishing **33 LEA**`20.00 Nm`Wet-spunShirting, lightweight furnishing **40 LEA**`24.24 Nm`Wet-spunMost common apparel count **44 LEA**`26.66 Nm`Wet-spunFine shirting, light furnishing **50 LEA**`30.30 Nm`Wet-spunFine apparel **60 LEA**`36.36 Nm`Wet-spunPremium fine-count shirting

Other counts (20, 30, and intermediate values) are available on enquiry. For European buyers who read in Nm: multiply LEA by 0.606 for the approximate Nm equivalent.

## Other natural fibres

### Hemp

Bast-fibre cousin of linen with a similar spinning profile but a coarser, more textured hand. Hemp is naturally strong, antimicrobial, and a good rotation crop with low input requirements. We work with hemp on its own (typically in the medium-coarse count range) and as a blending partner with linen, cotton, and viscose for buyers wanting hemp's character on a softer base.

### Cotton

Used both on its own (combed and carded ring-spun cotton) and as a blending partner for linen. Linen-cotton blends in 55/45 and 70/30 ratios are one of our largest categories — softens the hand of linen, improves wrinkle recovery, and reduces the price point compared to 100% linen without losing the cool drape that defines the category.

### Viscose, lyocell, micro modal

The cellulosic blending family. Viscose adds fluid drape and rich colour uptake. Lyocell (Tencel) is the high-end sustainable cellulosic — strong, silky, and forestry-certified. Micro modal brings exceptional softness. All three are commonly blended with linen for dress fabric and luxury home textile constructions.

### Silk

Mulberry silk is the most common silk we work with, primarily as a blending partner for linen in linen-silk constructions including jacquards. Silk brings sheen, drape, and a luxury price point; linen brings structure and the natural-fibre story.

### Polyester (including recycled)

Polyester is occasionally blended with linen-cotton for performance constructions. Recycled polyester is available under our GRS scope for buyers needing recycled-content claims on a blended fabric.

## Grades

Within any count, linen yarn is further classified by the length and integrity of the flax staple. We accept all four standard grades and select on order based on the customer's construction and end use:

- **EXL (Extra Long)** — premium long-staple, smoothest hand, lowest hairiness, used for high-end apparel and fine home textiles
- **DLX (Deluxe)** — high quality long-staple, used for quality apparel and home textiles
- **Super** — upper mid-grade, standard for most commercial linen apparel
- **Normal** — standard commercial grade, used where cost is the primary driver

## Incoming yarn quality parameters

Every incoming yarn lot is reviewed against the supplier's lot report before it reaches the loom. We track the standard linen-yarn quality parameters and reject sub-spec lots:

- **CSP** (Count Strength Product) — count multiplied by single-strand breaking load. The primary strength metric for linen yarn. Sub-spec CSP is a rejection criterion.
- **RKM** — breaking length in kilometres. A complementary tensile measure.
- **U%** (Uster unevenness) — variation in yarn diameter as a percentage. Lower is more uniform.
- **IPI** (Imperfection Index) — count of thin places, thick places, and neps per 1,000 metres. Lower is cleaner yarn.
- **Count CV%** — coefficient of variation of the yarn count within the lot.
- **Hairiness** — measure of fibre protrusions from the yarn core. Affects fabric hand and appearance.
- **Elongation at break** — percentage stretch before the yarn breaks.

Lot reports follow the standard Uster-format convention. Test results are available to qualified buyers on request.

## Colour states

- **RB (Raw Bleached)** — white, suitable for printing or pale-coloured finishing
- **RL (Raw Natural)** — unbleached, retaining the natural warm colour of the flax
- **N (Natural)** — undyed, close to raw flax colour
- **Dyed** — yarn-dyed under our certification scope to any shade per the customer specification

## Traceability

Every yarn lot we receive is logged with a goods receipt note and assigned a lot number that travels with the yarn through every subsequent stage — warping, weaving, finishing, dispatch. For GOTS, OCS, and GRS-certified orders, the chain-of-custody documentation links the finished fabric Transaction Certificate back to the original yarn lot via the Control Union scope.

[Request yarn specs or sampling →](https://govardhan.net/contact?type=yarn)

## Technical reference

A glossary of the terms used across this page and the textile industry at large. Useful for procurement teams who need to speak the same language as the mill.

### Count systems

- **LEA** — traditional linen count. 1 LEA = 300 yards of yarn per pound. Higher number = finer yarn.
- **Nm (Metric count)** — 1 Nm = 1,000 metres of yarn per kilogram. Higher = finer. Multiply LEA by 0.606 for the approximate Nm.
- **Ne (English cotton count)** — 1 Ne = 840 yards per pound. Higher = finer. Not the native system for linen but sometimes requested by cotton-origin buyers.
- **Denier** — weight in grams of 9,000 m of yarn. Used for filaments (polyester, silk). Higher = coarser. The inverse logic of count systems.

### Fibre preparation

- **Retting** — controlled microbial rotting of the flax stem to separate the bast fibres from the woody core. Dew-retting (in the field) or water-retting (in tanks).
- **Scutching** — mechanical removal of the shives (woody core) after retting.
- **Hackling** — combing the scutched flax through progressively finer pin fields. Separates long-line fibres (best) from tow (shorter, coarser).
- **Long fibre (long-line)** — the longest, straightest fibres from hackling. Used for the finest yarns.
- **Short fibre / tow** — the shorter fibres from hackling. Used for coarser or slubbier yarns.
- **Wet spinning** — flax sliver passed through warm water before twisting. Produces finer, smoother, stronger yarn. The preferred route for premium apparel linen.
- **Dry spinning** — flax spun without the water bath. Coarser, more slub character. Used for heavy furnishing and rustic constructions.

### Yarn quality parameters

- **CSP (Count Strength Product)** — count multiplied by single-strand breaking load. The primary strength metric for linen yarn.
- **RKM** — breaking length in kilometres.
- **U% (Uster unevenness)** — variation in yarn diameter. Lower = more uniform.
- **IPI (Imperfection Index)** — thin places + thick places + neps per 1,000 m. Lower = cleaner.
- **Count CV%** — coefficient of variation of yarn count within the lot.
- **Hairiness (H)** — measure of fibre protrusions from the yarn core.
- **Elongation at break** — percentage stretch before yarn breaks.

### Weaving vocabulary

- **Warp** — lengthwise yarns on the loom.
- **Weft (pick)** — crosswise yarns, inserted pick by pick.
- **Reed** — metal comb that spaces warp yarns and beats the weft. Reed count = dents per inch.
- **EPI (ends per inch)** — warp yarns per inch.
- **PPI (picks per inch)** — weft insertions per inch.
- **Plain weave** — each weft passes over/under alternate warps. The simplest construction.
- **Dobby** — shedding mechanism that lifts small groups of warp yarns. Produces geometric patterns (herringbones, chevrons, diamonds).
- **Jacquard** — high-capacity shedding mechanism that lifts individual warp yarns. Enables complex figured and decorative weaves. Measured by hook count: more hooks = finer individual warp control.
- **Rapier loom** — weft insertion via rigid or flexible rapier rods. Dornier rapier looms are the high-end European standard.

### Fabric states

- **Greige (grey)** — fabric as it comes off the loom, before any processing.
- **RFD (Ready For Dyeing)** — greige that has been singed, desized, scoured, and prepared for dye uptake.
- **Bleached** — whitened fabric.
- **Natural** — undyed, in its natural fibre colour.
- **Yarn-dyed** — woven from pre-dyed yarns. Produces checks, stripes, and plaids with locked-in colour.
- **Piece-dyed** — dyed as a finished piece after weaving.

### Fabric measurements

- **GSM (grams per square metre)** — the primary weight reference in commercial textile trade.
- **oz/yd² (ounces per square yard)** — the US trade equivalent. 1 oz/yd² ≈ 33.9 GSM.