Two rolls of non-woven can carry the same width and behave differently, because the figure that matters is not the nominal value but where the process sits inside the tolerance.
What width actually controls in non-woven
Wide goods reduce seams on covers and bags.
The number is easy to quote and hard to hold, and the difference between those two things is what you are actually buying.
For Non-woven fabric, the working range is 160-320 cm. Inside that band the choice is commercial; outside it, the product changes category and so does the price.
What 160-320 cm does not tell you
| Position | Value | Effect on non-woven | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor | 160 | Lowest cost, least margin for process variation | Low CD strength within a season |
| Working middle | 160-320 cm | Predictable performance at a normal price | Nothing to negotiate, nothing to explain |
| Ceiling | 320 cm | Best performance, highest cost | Cost the end product may not recover |
The middle is where most programmes should sit, and it is the hardest position to defend in a price meeting because it has no story attached to it.
The figure that decides the outcome is not width itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes 160-320 cm without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure width
The reference method here is Colour fastness to rubbing, run to ISO 105-X12, with an acceptance of >= grade 3-4. The method is the easy part; sampling and conditioning are where reports diverge.
Measure on the goods as delivered, not on the greige or the pre-finished material. The figure that matters is the one in the product your customer receives.
Record the measured value rather than pass or fail. A marginal pass on width tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
Width does not stand alone
Width moves with hydrophilic / hydrophobic (specified, not assumed) and with colour fastness (>= grade 3-4). Tightening one usually costs money in another, and a supplier who accepts every tolerance without comment has either not understood the interaction or is planning to substitute.
This is why a specification written as a list of independent tolerances is weaker than one written as a construction. The list lets a supplier satisfy each line while missing the product.
The clause to write for width
The line below is the version we can quote against without inventing anything. Width appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Polypropylene spunbond, 80 gsm +/- 5 %, 160 cm, MD tensile >= 30 N/5 cm, CD >= 18 N/5 cm, UV stabilised, Pantone 19-3906 TCX
Write it once and reuse it. The buyers who avoid claims are not stricter than everyone else; they send the same well-written clause every time.
When width goes wrong
Low CD strength. Material tears across the roll when pulled or sewn.
The cause is usually fibre orientation biased to machine direction, typical of cheap spunbond.
The test that catches it: Tensile MD and CD per ISO 9073-3; require both figures.
What to specify instead: Specify a CD:MD ratio above 0.6, or choose a cross-laid process.
The pattern is consistent: the failure appears months after delivery, is hard to attribute, and the cost lands on the buyer. That is the argument for measuring width on every lot rather than on the development sample.
Four questions about width, before you order
- What tolerance do you hold on width, and what did your last three lots measure against it?
- Which method do you use for colour fastness to rubbing, and which laboratory signs the report?
- When width falls outside 160-320 cm, do you rework, downgrade, or ship and hope?
- Which of hydrophilic / hydrophobic or colour fastness would you move first to hit a lower price?
The answers are more useful than a certificate, because they show whether the process is controlled or merely inspected. Full ranges for non-woven are on the product page, and the measurement regime is described on the quality control page.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Do you quote MD and CD strength?
Yes, and you should insist on it. A single tensile figure usually means MD only, which hides the direction that fails.
Can you supply UV-stabilised material?
Yes, with a stated exposure period. ‘UV treated’ without hours or months is not a specification.
From quotation to specification in seven lines
Leave the tolerance and the method out and every dispute is settled by whoever needs the goods more.
- Colour fastness (>= grade 3-4): state where in the band this order sits. The middle of the band is not what a tolerance is for.
- Hand: the figure you will accept inside the soft / crisp / embossed band, the tolerance on it, and the method used to measure it.
- Process (spunbond / spunlace / needle punch / SMS): name the number, not the word. If the answer only repeats the band, ask which point inside it is being offered for this order.
- Weight: 15-200 gsm is the market band. Fix the figure you will test at goods-in, and the instrument you will test it with.
- Who inspects: third-party, in-house or none, decided in advance, with the AQL level written down.
- Reference sample: the signed sample is the definition of the colour, not the photograph in the catalogue.
- Price validity: the period during which the quoted figure holds, and what happens to it when the raw-material index moves.
Questions worth asking before the price is agreed
The questions below are the ones that cannot be answered from a catalogue, which is exactly why they are worth asking.
| Question | Answer that should worry you | Answer that holds up |
|---|---|---|
| Who signs the test report, and against which standard? | “Our QC department signs it.” | A named standard, a named method and a signature that belongs to somebody who can be asked again next year. |
| How do you hold hand at soft / crisp / embossed? | “That is standard for us, no problem.” | The last three lots’ readings, the instrument used and who signs the report. Edge fraying starts here. |
| What happens if weight misses the 15-200 gsm requirement? | “It will not happen.” | A re-test clause, the tolerance on the re-test, and the point at which the lot is remade rather than discounted. |
Need width specified and tested against your end use?
Send the end use, the quantity and the destination market, and we will come back with a specification that meets it, a price at your volume and the test reports that back it up. Samples are free for qualified programmes; we charge the courier only.
Related reading
Sample cut with your values on it · Neutral packing and private label · Consolidation, documents and lead times
