What is your minimum order per colour?

It depends on the base fabric and whether the shade is from our stock range or a custom lab dip. Stock shades start considerably lower than custom ones. Send the fabric and shade you have in mind and we will quote the exact minimum rather than a marketing number.

Can you match a colour I already sell?

Yes. Send a physical swatch, a hex value, or a colour reference from your existing supplier. We produce three lab dips against it and you approve the closest one on real fabric before bulk dyeing starts.

What does GSM actually change?

GSM is grams per square metre — the fabric's weight. Lower weights are lighter and more sheer with a fluid fall; higher weights are more opaque, warmer and hold their shape. Every base fabric in our range runs across a band rather than a single fixed weight, so you choose where in that band your product sits.

How long does production take?

Around 15 days from approved sample to finished goods for a standard order. Full sampling takes around 10 days and lab dips happen before that clock starts. If your deadline is tighter, tell us the date up front — we would rather say no than miss it.

What volume can you handle?

Our capacity is about 500,000 pieces per month, so repeat programmes and seasonal peaks do not push your next order down the queue. Small first orders are welcome too — capacity is there for when you scale.

Which countries do you ship to?

We currently export to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. If your market is not on that list, ask — it usually just means we have not shipped there yet, not that we cannot.

Do you supply roll goods or finished hijabs?

Both. We can ship fabric by the roll for your own cutting and sewing, or deliver finished pieces cut, hemmed, labelled and retail-packed under your brand.

Can you produce our labels and packaging?

Yes — woven labels, care labels, hang tags, thank-you cards, retail sleeves and rigid gift boxes are all finished in-house. Upload your logo in the customization studio to see it placed on each one.

Which certifications can you provide?

The mill holds OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and BSCI. Certification availability for a specific order still depends on the fabric and dye route, so tell us which standard your market requires and we will confirm in writing what we can supply for that order.

Hijab Fabric Yarn Count: What 30s, 40s and 50s Mean

GSM says how heavy a hijab fabric is. Yarn count says how fine the yarn inside it is. They are separate measurements, and a specification that names only one leaves the other free to move. Two modal hijabs can both weigh 180 g/m² and still feel different, look different held to the light, and drape differently, because one was knitted from 30s yarn and the other from 50s. This guide explains what the count measures, how it interacts with weight, and how to write both into a specification without confusing one for the other.

What the Number Actually Measures

Yarn count in the English cotton system — Ne — is an indirect measure. It is the number of 840-yard hanks of yarn that together weigh one pound. A 30s yarn means thirty 840-yard hanks weigh a pound; a 50s yarn means fifty hanks weigh that same pound. Because the weight is fixed and the length grows, a higher number is a finer yarn.

Reading the scale: 20s and below is coarse, 30s is coarse-to-medium, 40s is the middle, and 50s and above is fine. Modal hijab bases are commonly specified between 30s and 50s, and the range behaves the way the numbers suggest — the coarse end carries body and the fine end carries fluidity. Our own 30s, 40s and 50s modal bases are described along exactly that line on their fabric pages.

Two things the number does not tell you.

It does not measure the fabric. Count describes the yarn; GSM describes the finished cloth. "40s" and "40 GSM" are unrelated quantities that happen to share a figure, and buyers have specified one while meaning the other.

It is not complete without the ply. Yarn sold as 40/1 is a single 40s strand. Yarn sold as 40/2 is two 40s strands plied together, and the resultant count is 20s — a far heavier yarn. So "40s" on its own does not identify anything, and two mills quoting "40s" can be quoting yarns of very different weight per metre.

Count and GSM Are Independent Axes

A target GSM can be reached from more than one count. The mill adjusts stitch length — the amount of yarn in each loop — and the machine settings to land on the weight. What changes is how the fabric is built up.

At the same GSM, a finer count means more, smaller loops per unit area. That denser loop packing is why a 50s base at 180 g/m² reads tighter and more opaque than a 30s base at the same weight: same grams, more stitches, smoother surface. A coarser count at that weight means fewer, larger loops, which reads more open, more textured and often more matte.

At the same GSM	Coarser count (30s)	Middle (40s)	Finer count (50s and above)
Yarn diameter	Thicker	Medium	Finer
Loops per unit area	Fewer and larger	Middle	More and smaller
Surface	More texture, matte	Balanced	Smoother
Coverage	Lower	Middle	Higher
Hand	Fuller, more body	Balanced	Softer, silkier
Drape	Weightier, holds a fold	Balanced	More fluid
Knitting	Faster, more forgiving	Standard	Slower, tighter tolerances
Where it suits a hijab	Structured wraps and folds	The mainstream everyday base	Lightweight and fluid premium drape

Where Count and GSM Get Confused

Three specification errors come up repeatedly.

A number with no unit. If a quotation says 40 and the sample arrives lighter or coarser than expected, the buyer and the mill may have read the same figure differently. Write the unit every time.

A count substitution at the same GSM. When a count is out of stock, a mill can sometimes reach the same GSM from a neighbouring count. The weight matches and the weight-based checks pass, but coverage and hand have moved. This is the substitution worth naming in the specification as not permitted without a fresh sample.

A missing ply. "40s" and "40/2" are different yarns with different resultant counts. A specification that omits the ply leaves the choice open, and the difference lands in the finished weight.

Reading and Writing the Count

Ask for four fields and most of the guesswork disappears:

Count and ply together, written as 40/1 or 40/2
GSM with its tolerance band
Stitch length, if the mill quotes it — this is the variable that links count to weight
The coverage and hand requirement in words, such as "must not shadow under a phone light" or "must hold a fold without collapsing"

The words matter because count and GSM together still do not fully determine the fabric. Stitch length is the third variable, and it is set on the machine.

Factory Perspective

Count and GSM are recorded on the same line of the sample record. They are chosen together, so they belong together. A repeat order that matches on weight but drifts on count will pass a GSM check and still feel wrong on the head.

Not every count can reach every weight. Yarn availability constrains the GSM band a base can be knitted in. When a buyer asks for a weight outside what a count will hold, the honest answer is that it needs a different count rather than a different machine setting.

A count change is a new sample. Finer yarn at the same GSM moves coverage, surface and drape at once, so we treat it as a specification change — new sample, new approval, before bulk.

Where the limit is. The relationship between count, stitch length and GSM is specific to a mill's machines and its yarn supply. A formula from one supplier's handbook will not predict another mill's fabric. Sample it and measure it.

What Buyers Should Confirm

The count written with its ply, not as a bare number
GSM with its tolerance, stated on the same line as the count
Whether a count substitution at the same weight is permitted without a new sample
The coverage requirement in words, with the lighting condition it will be judged under
Stitch length, or confirmation that the mill holds one for the approved sample
That the sample and the bulk order are made from the same yarn count
The count shown on the fabric page or quotation, checked against the specification

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 40s mean in fabric? It is an indirect yarn count in the English cotton system: forty hanks of 840 yards weigh one pound. A higher number is a finer yarn, so 40s is finer than 30s and coarser than 50s.

Is a higher yarn count better? Not in itself. At the same weight a finer count gives a smoother, denser, more opaque fabric with a softer hand, while a coarser count gives more body and texture. Which is better depends on whether the range needs fluidity or structure.

Does yarn count decide the GSM? It influences it but does not fix it. A finer yarn knitted at the same stitch length produces a lighter fabric, so a mill adjusts stitch length and machine settings to reach the target weight. That is why the same GSM can be built from more than one count.

What is 40/2 yarn? Two 40s strands plied together, with a resultant count of 20s. It is considerably heavier per metre than 40/1, which is why the ply belongs in the specification and not in a footnote.

Can I change the count and keep the same GSM? Yes, and the weight will match, but coverage, surface and drape will not. Treat it as a new development and re-approve the sample before bulk.

Next Steps

Related reading: choosing the right GSM band — hijabsourcing.com/blog/how-to-choose-hijab-fabric-gsm. The fibre-level comparison behind modal bases — hijabsourcing.com/blog/modal-vs-viscose-hijab-fabric-buyers-guide. How knit structure changes behaviour at the same weight — hijabsourcing.com/blog/hijab-knit-structure-jersey-vs-interlock-vs-rib. The cotton, bamboo, liquid and premium bases compared — hijabsourcing.com/blog/cotton-bamboo-liquid-premium-jersey-hijab-comparison. And our modal bases by count — hijabsourcing.com/fabric/modal-30s and hijabsourcing.com/fabric/modal-50s.

Send the count and GSM you are considering, the coverage or drape problem you are trying to solve, and your target quantity to susin@wennuanfactory.com. We will tell you which counts can reach that weight and what else changes along the way.

References

Cotton Incorporated. "Yarn Numbering Systems." Technical Report TRI-1014. cottoninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TRI-1014-Yarn-Numbering-Systems.pdf. Accessed 27 September 2026.

CottonWorks. "Yarn Ply, Counts and Treatments." cottonworks.com/learning-hub/yarn-manufacturing/yarn-ply-counts-and-treatments/. Updated 13 July 2026. Accessed 27 September 2026.

Textile Study Center. "Yarn Numbering System." textilestudycenter.com/yarn-numbering-system/. Accessed 27 September 2026.

Hiking Textiles. "What Is Yarn Count? Definition, Standards and Best Applications." hikingtextiles.com/what-is-a-yarn-count/. Accessed 27 September 2026.

RC Knitted. "Polyester Knit Fabric Guide: Types, Structure and Performance Explained." rc-knitted.com/news/industry-news/what-is-polyester-knit-fabric-types-structure-and-performance-explained.html. Accessed 27 September 2026.