Textile Denier & Thread Count Converter
Enter a yarn count in any system and get the equivalent in all others. Denier, tex, dtex, metric count (Nm), English cotton count (Ne). Optional fabric GSM estimator from thread density. Nothing uploaded.
Input
Fabric GSM Estimator (optional)
Enter thread density and yarn counts for a GSM estimate:
Converted Values
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Denier (d) | - |
| Tex (tex) | - |
| Dtex (dtex) | - |
| Metric count (Nm) | - |
| English cotton count (Ne) | - |
Learn more: yarn count systems and fabric weight
Why bigger numbers mean opposite things in different systems
The five units on this page split into two families that run in opposite directions. Denier and tex are direct systems, measuring weight per fixed length, so their numbers grow as the yarn gets thicker. Cotton count (Ne) and metric count (Nm) are indirect systems, measuring length per fixed weight, so their numbers grow as the yarn gets finer.
Textile Learner's guide to yarn count systems sets out the same split, noting that a higher count in a direct system means a coarser yarn while a higher count in an indirect system means a finer one. Reading an indirect count as though it were a direct one is the usual reason two specs for the same thread look nothing alike.
Everything converts through tex
Whichever box you type in, the converter first turns your figure into tex and works outward from there: tex = denier / 9 = dtex / 10 = 1000 / Nm = 590.5 / Ne. That single base is why one entry fills in the other four, and why the conversion runs just as happily from a supplier's Nm figure back to denier.
A 70 denier nylon comes out as 7.78 tex, and the page shows the same yarn as 77.8 dtex, Nm 128.6 and Ne 75.9. A mill quoting 78 dtex and a spinner quoting Nm 128 are describing that yarn, not a finer or coarser one.
The opposing directions show up plainly at the fine end. A 15 denier hosiery yarn is 1.67 tex, which the same conversion puts at Nm 600 and Ne 354.3: small numbers on the direct side, large ones on the indirect side, for one and the same thread.
What denier alone tells you about a fabric
The category box under the results reads straight off the denier figure. Below 10 denier is ultra-sheer stocking and hosiery territory, 10 to 30 is sheer, 30 to 70 lightweight for dress lining and sportswear, 70 to 150 medium weight everyday clothing, 150 to 500 heavy for outerwear and bags, and 500 up is industrial and technical fabric.
Treat that as orientation rather than a specification. Linear density says nothing about weave, twist or finish, so a 200 denier ripstop and a 200 denier lining land in the same band and still behave nothing alike in the hand.
FAQ
What does the fabric GSM estimate actually calculate?
It combines thread density with the tex of each thread: (warp threads per cm x warp tex + weft threads per cm x weft tex) / 10. At 20 warp and 18 weft threads per cm, both at 20 tex, that is (400 + 360) / 10 = 76 GSM, a lightweight woven cloth. It counts yarn only, so it comes out below a finished fabric that has been coated or heavily sized.
Why do denier and dtex look so similar without being the same?
Both are direct counts, measured over different lengths. Denier is grams per 9,000 metres and dtex is grams per 10,000 metres, which is why the same yarn reads 70 in denier and 77.8 in dtex. The gap is small enough to look like a rounding difference and large enough to matter on a spec sheet.
Is a higher tex always a stronger yarn?
Higher tex means more weight per length, which usually does mean a thicker yarn, but tensile strength depends on the fibre and the twist as well. Two yarns at the same tex can break at very different loads if one is polyester and the other is a staple natural fibre.