Ring-Spun vs Combed Cotton, and What Pre-Shrunk Means

Raw cotton arrives at the spinning mill in bales of tangled fibre. It is opened and cleaned, then carded: wire-covered rollers separate the fibres and lay them roughly parallel in a soft rope called sliver. Some cotton is then combed as well. The sliver is drawn out, thinned further and finally spun into yarn, either on ring frames or on open-end (rotor) machines.

So "combed" and "ring-spun" are not alternatives. Combing is a cleaning step; ring spinning is a spinning method. A yarn can be carded and open-end, carded and ring-spun, or combed and ring-spun.

Carding leaves short fibres and some fine impurities in the sliver. Those short fibres stick out of the finished yarn, which makes the fabric a little fuzzier, weaker and more prone to pilling.

Combing passes the sliver through fine combs that pull out the short fibres and remaining impurities. The yarn that results is smoother, stronger and more even, so the fabric feels softer, looks cleaner and gives a crisper print. Combing throws away part of the cotton as waste, so combed yarn costs more.

On a ring frame, the fibres are drawn out and twisted continuously as the yarn winds onto a bobbin. It is slower, but the fibres lie tightly and evenly, so the yarn is fine, smooth and strong. Open-end or rotor spinning throws the fibres into a spinning rotor and pulls the yarn out of it. It is much faster and cheaper, but the yarn is coarser and hairier, and the fabric feels drier and less soft.

A newer variant, compact spinning, condenses the fibres just before twisting, for an even smoother yarn with less hair. You may see it called compact or compact-spun cotton.

Cotton yarn thickness is often given as an English cotton count (Ne): the number of 840-yard hanks of yarn in one pound. The higher the number, the finer the yarn. A "30 singles" or Ne 30/1 yarn is finer than a 20s and heavier than a 40s.

Finer yarns make lighter, smoother, drapier jersey; thicker yarns make heavier, more structured fabric. As a rough guide, 30s is the classic everyday fashion tee, 20s and below suit heavyweight tees, and 40s suits very light, fine ones. Yarn count and fabric weight go together, so give both in your specification. Our GSM guide covers fabric weight.

Cotton fabric shrinks when it is washed and dried, because knitting and finishing stretch it and the wash lets it relax. Pre-shrunk fabric has been put through a process before cutting that removes much of that shrinkage. Knits are usually compacted: the fabric is fed through a machine that compresses it lengthwise. Woven cottons can be sanforised, a similar mechanical pre-shrinking process.

Pre-shrunk does not mean zero shrinkage. Some always remains, and a heavy tumble dry can still shrink a garment. That is why buyers agree a maximum shrinkage, for example 5% in length and width, measured with a standard wash test. Common methods are AATCC TM135 for fabrics and TM150 for garments in the US, and ISO 5077 internationally.

• Write the fabric in full: for example "100% combed ring-spun cotton single jersey, Ne 30/1, 180 GSM, compacted".
• Agree a shrinkage limit and ask for wash-test results on the bulk fabric.
• Wash the sample yourself three times, measure it before and after, and check that the side seams have not twisted round to the front.
• Compare the feel and surface of the bulk with the approved sample.

Our tech pack guide includes a free template with a place for each of these. At Nevear the minimum is typically 50 pieces per item, samples take 2–3 weeks, and bulk orders usually arrive 3–4 weeks from the order date, shipping included. See our t-shirt page for the fits and fabrics we make.