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Silk FAQ 13:

What is ply? What is 2-ply?

What is ply?

     Ply simply means the number of threads used for the weft when weaving silk cloth. More ply means more thickness and less smoothness.

     Few of the weavers in our area still do 1-ply fabric. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find these days. The current standard is 2-ply but we often find single-ply if we look hard.

     They are willing to weave fabric to order and buying only a few yards is possible but they will weave a total of at least 30-40 yards so it takes a month to complete.

     However, modern technological developments in the breeding of Thai silk worms now enables us to create a single (1-ply) silk yarn equal in diameter to four normal silk threads of years gone by. For example, the weavers call our striped silk “4-ply” but it's one super thick ply.