What is GMS？
GMS refers to the unit of weight. expressing grams, the singular is gm, and the plural is GMS.
GMS is usually used in grams per square meter, a unit of weight used to measure the density of fabrics. The full form of GSM is grams per square meter (grams/m2), for example, a 200 GMS T-shirt means that the knitted cotton fabric used to make the T-shirt weighs 200 grams per square meter of area.
- GMS influences the quality of fabric
GSM is one of the main fabric quality parameters. When you need to buy fabric or need to do fabric development, you have to know the GMS requirement of the fabric first.
The thickness of the fabric depends on the yarn thickness (thread count) and the density of the yarns in the woven fabric. Another way is to use thicker yarn, which can add thickness to the fabric. This increases the fabric weight per unit area.
If you choose a fabric with a lower GMS, you will get a lighter, thinner fabric. We like to wear lighter textured clothing in summer and thicker textured clothing in winter. Sweatshirts and fleece jackets are made from higher GMS fabrics (200-300 gsm). So, if you are doing a project where you make your clothing, you will need to choose a GMS depending on the clothing.
- Fabric consumption of garment VS fabric GSM
A certain number of yards of fabric are required to make a garment. More specifically, whether it is a knitted fabric or a woven fabric, a fixed width of cloth is required. This area is the amount of fabric used by the garment. Whether the GSM of the fabric increases or decreases, you need the same length of fabric.
If you are using a woven fabric, the unit of measure is meters (or yards). For example, you going to make a woven shirt. For this, you will need 2 meters by 46 inches wide fabric. The GSM of the fabric is assumed to be 160 GSM. If the fabric GSM increases, the required fabric weight for a garment (2m length) will increase. This in turn increases the need for yarn and cotton per shirt. Therefore, the cost of fabric consumed per garment will increase accordingly.
In knitted garments, the unit of measure for fabric consumption is the gram. Knitted garments also require a certain length of fabric. If the GSM of a single fabric increases, so does the fabric usage, and vice versa. Therefore, clothing costs will vary accordingly.
- A formula for Calculating fabric GSM using
In the absence of GSM testing equipment, you can estimate the approximate fabric GSM of a fabric sample from the fabric construction. To calculate fabric GSM from fabric construction, many fabric professionals use a formula.
The fabric gsm calculation formula is:
Fabric GSM=(EPI/warp count + PPI/Weft count) x (100 + crimp%) x 0.2327
Note: Fabric yarn count – warp count as well as weft yarn count.
Warp and weft density – End per inch (EPI) and picks per inch (PPI).
Warp and weft crimp percentage.
How to Choose Fabric According to Fabric GSM?
Fabric density refers to the number of warp yarns and weft yarns in columns per square inch, and the yarn count is the most basic unit of finished fabrics. The higher of density, the better the quality. The higher the yarn count, the finer the yarn.
The higher the count, the higher the quality of the raw material, and the higher the requirements for the spinning and weaving mills, the higher the cost of the cloth.
The choice of GSM fabric depends on the end use and target cost of the garment to be made. If you want to make the price lower of your T-shirts, you need to make the cost of your fabric lower. There is a way to do that by reducing the fabric GMS, For jersey t-shirts, you can use fabrics with a GMS between 120 and 180 GMS, while for fleece jackets you can choose fabrics with a GMS between 200 and 300 GMS.
Why Do You Need GSM Test Report?
In a large-scale garment manufacturing environment, fabric GSM testing is done by the garment manufacturer during the fabric development phase or the fabric procurement phase. While GMS is approved at the time of fabric development, factories need to test mass-produced fabrics.
Fabric GSM can be measured internally using the basic test equipment explained above. Whether you are a fabric manufacturer or a garment manufacturer, you need to provide fabric test reports to your buyers. Fabric GSM is one of the components of the fabric test report, you need a signed test report from a reputed or buyer-approved third-party testing laboratory.
Conclusion
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