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Understanding Denim: Warp, Weft and Twill

A guide to warp, weft, and twill with simple visuals and guidelines to help you understand those terms within the context of denim.

Josh Le

Halfway through my “Introduction to Textiles” class at the University of Alberta, I had a huge eureka moment when I learned about the meaning behind the sartorial term, twill. I’d heard the term many times but never really knew what it meant until that lecture.

In this article, we will concisely break down twill, specifically within the context of denim.

What is Twill?

Twill is a sub-category of woven fabric, and woven fabric is a sub-category of a fabric.

A fabric as defined by the “American Standard Testing Material” is:

In simpler terms though, a fabric:

• is a collection of fibers and/or yarns

• has a substantial surface area in relation to thickness

• has sufficient mechanical strength to give this assembly inherent cohesion

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Woven Fabrics – Warp & Weft

 A woven fabric is:

• two or more sets of yarns (warp and weft) interlaced at right angles to each other

Warp yarns are:

• in the lengthwise direction

• yarn that runs parallel to the selvedge; in denim, it’s the dyed yarn, i.e. indigo-dyed

• also called “ends” in weaving terms

Weft yarns are:

• in the crosswise direction

• runs across the warp yarn; in denim

• typically left a natural, un-dyed color

• also called “filling” or “picks” in weaving terms

NOTE: A simple way to remember and distinguish the two is to look at the “A” in warp and the “E” in weft. The letter “A” has its two vertical strokes, which conveniently go in the up/down direction like a warp yarn. The letter “E” has three horizontal strokes, which conveniently go like a weft yarn in the left/right direction.

Twill Weave

• Weave repeats on 2 or more warp & weft yarns & diagonal lines are produced on the face of the fabric

• The interlacing pattern is over more than 1 yarn & then under 1 or more yarns with a progression of “1” to create diagonal lines

“Right-handed warp-face uneven twill” is the most common weave found in denim This is why denim is woven with a left-handed warp-face, it is marketed as ‘Left Hand Twill’ (LLHT).

The warp yarns are coloured with white filling yarns (i.e. weft). Because it is a warp-faced twill, the coloured warp yarns are predominant on the face and the white filling yarns on the back. Most often the warp yarns are indigo dyed, created the fabric in “blue jeans” (Understanding Textiles 7th ed.).

Now that you understand twill, look down at your jeans and remark how the warp and weft yarns work to make those diagonal lines in twill.

Additional Resources:

• Understanding Twills: Left Hand Twill, Right Hand Twill, Broken Twill

• 3,000 Years of Herringbone History

• Know Your Twills: 3×1, 2×1, and Plain Weave

• Source: University of Alberta, HECOL 170, Dr. Rachel McQueen

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