What Is Brushed Cotton?

How is brushed cotton made?

Brushed cotton is made by passing woven or knitted cotton cloth through a napping machine, whose wire-covered rollers pull fibre ends out of the yarns and leave them standing on the surface as a soft nap. Cotton Incorporated classes napping as a mechanical finishing process, and notes that cotton can be napped in the greige (loomstate). Usage varies: Cotton Incorporated's glossary names sanding, sueding, napping and brushing as separate examples of surface finishing, while Merriam-Webster defines "brushed" simply as "finished with a nap".

The base cloth

Not every cloth brushes well. Napped fabrics are usually made with loosely spun yarns in the filling (crosswise) direction, so the wires can catch their fibres. Cotton Incorporated adds that low-twist yarns, or yarns that float or loop on the surface, give the wires easy access. For woven cloth it names plain weaves with soft-twist filling; for knits, the most common napped construction is fleece, made by laying pile yarn into the back of a single jersey.

The napping machine

Historically, cloth was napped with teasels, the hooked flower heads of a thistle-like plant (Dipsacus fullonum). Modern machines use rollers covered with steel napper wire. In a double-action napper, the main cylinder usually carries 24, 30 or 36 napper rolls, alternately wound with "pile" and "counter-pile" wire. More pile energy gives a loftier nap; more counter-pile energy gives a shorter, thicker one. The nap can be raised on one side of the cloth or on both.

Shearing and sueding

Shearing usually follows napping. A blade trims the raised fibres with a scissor action, reducing the height of stray "wild" fibres to prevent pilling or surface distortion. Sueding is a related finish: the Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion describes sueded fabrics as napped, then sheared close to the surface for a smooth, soft finish.

What are the properties of brushed cotton?

Brushed cotton feels softer and warmer than the same cloth unbrushed, because the nap traps air that acts as insulation, but it gives up some strength and its surface may wear faster.

• Warmth and softness. Cotton Incorporated describes napped cottons as having an inherent warmth and softness, appealing "particularly in colder climates".
• Strength. Napping generally reduces a fabric's strength, because the fibres pulled up to form the nap no longer help hold the cloth together. Cotton Incorporated says this loss must be allowed for when the base cloth is designed.
• Surface wear. Napped fabrics may pill more, abrade more easily even with care, or flatten with wear.
• Appearance. The nap can hide defects or obscure the weave, and light reflects off it according to the direction the fibres lie.

The sources pull in different directions on durability. The Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion says napping may improve durability, while Cotton Incorporated stresses the loss of strength.

Is brushed cotton the same as flannel?

Not quite: brushed cotton names a finish on cotton cloth, while flannel names a napped cloth that can be made of wool or cotton, so cotton flannel is one kind of brushed cotton. The Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion lists wool and cotton flannel, flannelette, outing flannel and polyester fleece among the fabrics commonly napped.

Brushed cotton is also distinct from suede, which is leather. A sueded or brushed cotton imitates its surface but shows woven or knitted yarns on the back.

How does brushed cotton appear on a clothing label?

Brushed cotton appears on a label simply as cotton, with its percentage: US and EU rules require the fibre content by name and percentage by weight, and "brushed" describes the finish, not the fibre.

• Order. In both the US and the EU, fibres are listed by name and percentage by weight in descending order, so a blend that is mostly polyester names polyester first.
• "100%" in the US. A cloth of one fibre may be labelled "100% Cotton" or "All Cotton".
• Small amounts in the US. Under US law, a fibre making up less than 5% of the weight shall be listed as "other fiber" rather than by name, unless it has a clearly established and definite functional significance, such as spandex for stretch; it may then be named with its percentage. Wool and recycled wool are the exception: they must always be named with their percentage, even below 5%.
• "100%" in the EU. Only products made exclusively of one fibre may say "100%", "pure" or "all". The regulation tolerates up to 2% extraneous fibres (5% for carded products) only when that amount is technically unavoidable in good manufacturing practice and is not added as a matter of routine.

How do you tell good brushed cotton from poor brushed cotton?

Good brushed cotton has an even, close nap over a base cloth that still feels firm, while poor brushed cotton hides a thin, weakened cloth under loose fluff that pills quickly.

1. Part the nap and look at the weave. Because a nap can hide defects and obscure the weave, scratch it aside with a fingernail and hold the cloth to the light. A dense, even weave underneath is what carries the garment.
2. Judge the nap against the cloth. The fibres in the nap no longer add to the cloth's strength. A deep, fluffy nap on a thin, see-through base is a warning sign; a modest nap on a solid base is the better bet.
3. Look for stray long fibres. Shearing trims wild fibres to prevent pilling. Long, uneven fibres standing above the nap suggest a cloth that will pill sooner.
4. Stroke it and check the panels. Run a hand both ways: the nap lies smoothly in one direction. Then compare the front panels, sleeves and back in daylight. Pattern pieces cut with the nap running different ways look like different colours.
5. Inspect the wear points on second-hand pieces. Napped fabrics may pill, abrade more easily and flatten with wear, so check cuffs, elbows, collar points and the seat of a flannel shirt or trousers for bald or matted patches.
6. Read the label. "Brushed" tells you nothing about fibre. Check the cotton percentage and whether a synthetic is listed first.