Textile Directory

Corduroy
One of the most versatile cut-pile fabrics, corduroy is
used in casual slacks and jeans, jackets, and skirts.
This 22-wale corduroy pile is
produced from bamboo rayon,
giving a lustrous, soft surface.
Corduroy is produced by introducing extra yarns in regular
row intervals that are cut and brushed, creating the brushed
rows, or “wales.” The rows are always produced in the warp
direction, so the nap direction must also be considered in garment
design and production (see Velveteen, page 102).
The number of wales in a corduroy fabric helps determine its
appearance and use. The fewer wales per inch, the bulkier the
fabric. The more wales per inch, the finer the wale and the lighter
the weight of the fabric. There is a great variety of corduroy wale
design, the most common are:
• 8–10-wale: outerwear, jackets, and casual pants.
• 16-wale: most common corduroy; pants, jackets, skirts, vests.
• 21–22-wale, sometimes called “pinwale”: used in shirts and
dresses or soft-silhouette skirts; it often has a lustrous wale.
Although most frequently used in casual clothing
that has a soft, comfortable hand, corduroy
garments are washed for further softening before
retail distribution. The washing process can be simply
laundering for a little softness or a more proprietary
“recipe” washing for a specific appearance.
8-wale corduroy
8-wale corduroy is the most commonly
used corduroy. This fabric is used in
particular for men’s pants and jackets.
The two-tone color adds a more casual
appearance to the fabric.
5-wale corduroy
5-wale fabric is used for men’s pants. Its
softness is due to the wide wale that adds
a velvety hand.
Thick and thin corduroy
There are many variations of corduroy
construction. Thick and thin, shown here,
is one example of corduroy wale variety.
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104 Structure