In every Surat weaving unit a taka goes on the scale as soon as it comes off the loom. Writing the weight down is not enough — you need to know whether that weight is right for the quality. Short picks, a finer weft lot or extra warp take-up all show up in the weight first. This guide shows how to get the expected weight from the construction, and how to work backwards from a weighed taka.
Two parts: warp and weft
Fabric weight = warp weight + weft weight. Both rest on one definition: denier = the weight in grams of 9,000 metres of yarn. That is why 9,000 appears in every formula.
Warp
In 100 m of cloth each end is roughly 100 m long — plus crimp, because the warp bends over and under the weft. Costing sheets often write this as WST: WST 110 means 10% extra warp.
Weft
Every pick in an inch of cloth carries the weft across the full reed width. Since 1 m = 39.37 inches and 1 inch = 0.0254 m, the weft length in 1 metre of cloth is about picks × panna metres.
Weft kg / 100 m = picks (PPI) × panna (inch) × weft denier ÷ 90,000
Fabric kg / 100 m = warp + weft
GLM (grams per metre) = kg / 100 m × 10
GSM = GLM ÷ width in metres · width in metres = inches × 0.0254
One taka kg = kg / 100 m × taka cut ÷ 100
Example
Quality: 8,200 ends of 60 denier warp, WST 110 (10% crimp); 150 denier weft at 50 picks, panna 65.5 inches. Grey width 63 inches, taka cut 117 m.
- Warp: 8,200 × 60 × 1.10 ÷ 90,000 = 6.01 kg per 100 m
- Weft: 50 × 65.5 × 150 ÷ 90,000 = 5.46 kg per 100 m
- Fabric: 6.01 + 5.46 = 11.47 kg per 100 m, i.e. a GLM of 114.7 g/m
- GSM: 114.7 ÷ (63 × 0.0254 = 1.60 m) = about 72 GSM
- One taka: 11.47 × 117 ÷ 100 = 13.42 kg
Put the same numbers into the Fabric Weight & GSM calculator to see every step, or into Fabric Costing to get the yarn cost as well.
Working backwards from a weighed taka
If you know a taka's metres and kilos, you don't need the construction at all:
kg / 100 m = kg ÷ metres × 100
GSM = GLM ÷ width in metres
Example
A 117 m taka of the quality above weighs 12.60 kg. GLM = 12,600 ÷ 117 = 107.7 g/m, or 10.77 kg per 100 m. The standard is 11.47, so this taka is 6.1% light. Another one weighs 13.90 kg: 11.88 kg per 100 m, only 3.6% heavy — acceptable.
A taka 6% light usually means short picks, a finer weft than ordered, or a measuring error. If it is one or two takas, re-check the length; if it keeps happening on one loom, check its pick setting and the yarn lot.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up panna and width. The weft formula uses panna (reed space); GSM uses the actual cloth width. Grey cloth is a little narrower than the reed space.
- Forgetting crimp. Take WST as 100 and the warp comes out light, so every taka looks "heavy".
- Treating a count as denier. A 30s cotton count is not 30 denier but about 177 denier. Read denier vs count first.
- Leaving out selvedge ends. Count the edge ends too — you can get the total from ends from reed and panna.
- Size and moisture. Sized warp and damp cloth weigh a little more. Weigh takas the same way every time.
How Loomiro handles it
In Loomiro each quality's reed, picks, panna, ends, yarns and standard weight per 100 m go into the master once. In Taka Entry, as soon as you key in the loom, metres and weight, the average per 100 m is worked out, and if it is more than 5% off the standard you are warned on the spot — in the same shift, not at month end. The Taka Register filters by loom, beam and quality, so you can see which loom or beam the light takas are coming from.
To see how many takas and how much cloth a beam will give, use the Beam → Taka calculator. And before quoting a new quality, get its weight from the GSM calculator.
The formula gives an ideal weight. Real takas differ a little because of sizing, moisture and finishing, so a 2–5% gap is normal; decide what is normal for your own unit.