# Fabric weight chart

Fabric weight falls into six working bands: under 80 g/m² is sheer, 80–120 is light, 120–200 medium, 200–300 heavy, 300–400 very heavy, and anything above that is upholstery and tarpaulin territory. Four units describe the same property — grams per square metre, ounces per square yard, ounces per running yard and momme — but only the first two describe the cloth alone. The other two depend on how wide the roll is.

Source: https://fabricmeasure.com/charts/fabric-weight-chart/
Last updated: 2026-08-20 (method v1)
Published by FabricMeasure.

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## The bands

| Band | g/m2 | oz/yd2 | Typical fabrics |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Very light | 0-80 | 0-2.4 | Chiffon, organza, voile, fine lining. Sheer; needs care to sew. |
| Light | 80-120 | 2.4-3.5 | Lawn, batiste, shirting, quilting cotton, dress cotton. |
| Medium | 120-200 | 3.5-5.9 | Poplin, twill, jersey, linen, most dressmaking and quilting. |
| Heavy | 200-300 | 5.9-8.8 | Denim, drill, curtain fabric, light upholstery, bag fabric. |
| Very heavy | 300-400 | 8.8-11.8 | Upholstery weight, heavy canvas, outdoor fabric, coating. |
| Extra heavy | 400+ | 11.8+ | Heavy upholstery, tarpaulin, rug and carpet backing. |

## The four units

| Unit | Written | Describes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grams per square metre | g/m² | The metric standard, and the only one that describes the cloth rather than the roll. |
| Ounces per square yard | oz/yd² | The US standard for most woven fabric. |
| Ounces per running yard | oz/yd | Used for denim and canvas. Depends on the roll width, so it says as much about the roll as the cloth. |
| Momme | mm | The silk unit: the weight in pounds of 100 yards by 45 inches. |

```
g/m2 = oz/yd2 x 33.9057474748823
g/m2 = momme x 4.3399
oz per running yard = g/m2 x roll width in metres x 0.9144 / 28.349523125
```

Only g/m2, oz/yd2 and momme compare two fabrics fairly. Ounces per RUNNING yard
rises with the roll width even when the cloth is identical, so a figure quoted
without a roll width beside it is incomplete.

Weight does not predict durability (measured by rub test), drape (independent of
mass) or shrinkage (wash a test piece).

## Common questions

### What GSM should curtain fabric be?

Most curtain fabric sits in the 200–300 g/m² band, heavy enough to hang in folds rather than flutter. Lighter cloth below 150 g/m² works for voiles and sheers where the point is light coming through; interlined curtains can go heavier still, because the interlining rather than the face fabric is doing the hanging.

### Why does the same fabric have two different weights quoted?

Because one of them is per square yard and the other per running yard. Ounces per running yard weighs a yard of the roll at whatever width it happens to be, so a 60-inch roll gives a bigger number than a 45-inch roll of identical cloth. Only g/m² and oz/yd² compare two fabrics fairly.

### What is momme, and why is silk measured in it?

Momme is the weight in pounds of a piece of silk 100 yards long and 45 inches wide, a unit the silk trade has kept for its own reasons. One momme is about 4.34 g/m², so 19 momme charmeuse is roughly 82 g/m². Because the width is fixed in the definition, momme does compare fairly — unlike ounces per running yard.

### Does weight tell me how hard-wearing a fabric is?

Only loosely. Weight describes mass per area, not construction: a dense weave and a lofty one at the same weight behave completely differently, and abrasion resistance is measured separately by rub test rather than inferred from weight. Weight is a good guide to drape and to whether your machine will cope, and a poor guide to durability.

## Related tools

- [Fabric GSM calculator](https://fabricmeasure.com/conversions/fabric-gsm-calculator/): g/m², oz/yd², running-yard ounces and momme — plus the weight of an unlabelled fabric from a swatch.
- [Fabric width chart](https://fabricmeasure.com/charts/fabric-width-chart/): Standard roll widths in both systems, and the gap between the label and the cloth.
- [Upholstery fabric calculator](https://fabricmeasure.com/calculators/upholstery-fabric-calculator/): An editable panel list instead of a rule of thumb — with the cutting plan and the seams it implies.
- [Fabric width converter](https://fabricmeasure.com/conversions/fabric-width-converter/): Pattern written for one bolt width, fabric bought at another — work out the equivalent length.