Difference Between Material, Textile, Fabric, and Cloth | Part 4

What Is Cloth?

Cloth is often thought of as just another word for fabric. However, it’s a bit different. Cloth refers to fabric in a relatively raw or unfinished state, still in large rolls or sheets, waiting to be transformed into a finished product. It might not be ready for the runway(=catwalk=podium) just yet, but it’s a step closer than other textile materials like yarn. You can think of cloth as the “before” phase of fabric. While fabric is ready to be sewn into a specific product in garments, upholstery(=the cloth used for covering furniture), or home décor, cloth might still need further processing, such as pre-treating, dyeing, printing, or cutting before it reaches its final state in clothing applications. Plus, cloth typically refers to materials made through weaving, knitting, and tufting, but seldom through nonwoven manufacturing techniques. In everyday language, cloth also refers to simple but functional items that are usually not yet tailored to specific textile products with a definite end purpose. We commonly use the word cloth to describe towels, tablecloths, and cleaning rags. For instance, we turn to this term in verbal expressions like “dishcloth” and “washcloth”, where it evokes a touch of utility(=creates a sense of usefulness). upholstery(=the cloth used for covering furniture) tufting = a type of textile manufacturing in which a thread is inserted on a primary base See also Difference Between Material, Textile, Fabric, and Cloth | Part 1 Difference Between Material, Textile, Fabric, and Cloth | Part 2 Difference Between Material, Textile, Fabric, and Cloth | Part 3