Fabric weight

What it is

Fabric weight is how much a square yard of the cloth weighs, given in ounces — a 12 oz denim weighs twelve ounces a square yard. It is a rough, useful number: it tells you more about how a cloth will feel and behave than almost anything else on a label.

It is measured on the loom-state cloth. Wash it and the number goes up a little, because the cloth shrinks and the same yarn packs into less area.

What the numbers mean in the hand

Roughly, and for cotton:

• Under 8 oz — shirting, lining, pocket bags. Drapes, folds easily, dries fast.
• 8–11 oz — light trouser and jacket cloth. Comfortable straight away, still substantial.
• 11–14 oz — the classic jean and work-jacket range. Stands up on its own a little, breaks in over weeks, holds a crease.
• Over 14 oz — heavy. Stiff at first, slow to break in, very durable, and warm.

These are bands, not rules. Two 12 oz cloths can feel quite different depending on the yarn and the weave — see Warp, weft and twill.

Why it matters here

Weight is the first decision on most projects, because it sets the trade between durability and comfort:

• The Foundry Jacket is a 12 oz denim — enough body to shrug off work, not so much that it fights you.
• The Standard Issue Jean sits in the jean band for the same reason.
• Pocket bags and linings are deliberately lighter, so a pocket is not a slab inside the garment. That choice is written up under Pocketing.

How weight wears

Heavier cloth takes longer to soften and longer to fade, and it holds the shape you wear into it. Lighter cloth is comfortable on day one and shows wear sooner. Neither is better. The material pages say what each cloth here weighs, and the care pages say what to expect from it over time.