The reed is the loom's comb. Each slot (dent) is where warp ends pass through. The reed decides how dense the warp is; picks decide how dense the weft is. Together they fix the quality and the weight of the cloth. This guide covers working out ends from the reed.
You need four numbers
- Reed count — the number of dents. Check whether it is per 1 inch or per 2 inches (the Stockport way). Both are found in Surat.
- Ends per dent — usually 2, sometimes 1, 3 or 4.
- Panna (reed space) — the width the warp is spread over in the reed, in inches. It is a little more than the grey cloth width.
- Selvedge ends — the extra ends at both edges.
Body ends = EPI × panna
Total ends = body ends + selvedge ends
Example 1 — reed per inch
Reed 72 dents per inch, 2 ends per dent, panna 58 inches, 64 selvedge ends (32 + 32).
- EPI: 72 × 2 ÷ 1 = 144
- Body: 144 × 58 = 8,352
- Total: 8,352 + 64 = 8,416 ends
Example 2 — reed per 2 inches
Reed 120 (per 2 inches), 2 ends per dent, panna 63 inches, 48 selvedge ends.
- EPI: 120 × 2 ÷ 2 = 120
- Body: 120 × 63 = 7,560
- Total: 7,560 + 48 = 7,608 ends
Take the same reed as per inch and you get an EPI of 240 and 15,168 ends — double. Both the beam and the costing go wrong.
Put your own numbers into the ends from reed calculator — you can choose "1 inch" or "2 inch" there.
Watch the selvedge
To make the edges strong, the edge dents often carry more ends (say 4). If those dents are inside the panna, their first 2 ends each were already counted in the body — add only the extra ends. For example, 8 dents of 4 ends on each side: extra = 8 × (4 − 2) × 2 sides = 32.
Metric reeds
Some reeds are marked in dents per 10 cm. 10 cm = 3.937 inches, so 250 dents / 10 cm = 250 ÷ 3.937 = 63.5 dents per inch.
Working backwards: reed from ends
The beam card gives total ends and you want the reed:
8,200 ends, 80 selvedge, panna 65.5, 2 per dent: (8,200 − 80) ÷ 65.5 ÷ 2 = 61.98 → a 62 reed. If the answer isn't close to a whole number, re-check the panna or the ends per dent.
What picks do
Picks (PPI) are the weft threads in one inch of cloth. Ends decide the warp weight, picks the weft weight. That is why costing treats them separately:
Weft kg / 100 m = picks × panna × weft denier ÷ 90,000
Example — from ends to weight
The 8,416 ends from Example 1, 75 denier warp, 8% crimp; 150 denier weft, 52 picks, panna 58 inches; grey width 56 inches.
- Warp: 8,416 × 75 × 1.08 ÷ 90,000 = 7.57 kg per 100 m
- Weft: 52 × 58 × 150 ÷ 90,000 = 5.03 kg per 100 m
- Total 12.60 kg per 100 m → GLM 126 → at 56 inches (1.42 m) about 89 GSM
Had the 2-inch mistake given 15,168 ends, the warp alone would come to 13.65 kg. The full GSM and taka weight working is in the taka weight guide, and the calculator is Fabric Weight & GSM.
Common mistakes
- Mixing per inch and per 2 inches. Confirm with the reed maker or the reed's label. Get it wrong and the ends double or halve.
- Working ends from the grey width. Ends come from the reed space (panna), not the cloth width.
- Confusing dents with ends. A 72 reed means 72 dents; at 2 ends per dent that's 144 ends per inch.
- Counting selvedge twice. See above — add only the extra ends.
- Confusing picks with weft denier. Picks are density, denier is thickness. They are separate numbers.
In Loomiro
In Loomiro, each quality's reed, picks, panna and ends go into the quality master once. In Costing, picking a quality fills all of these in, and if the ends are blank they are taken as reed × panna. The same ends are used for beam weight and yarn cost — beam weight is covered in the beam weight guide.