12 Oz Denim v. 14 Oz Denim

[tweeds]

ddml you truly are the master of the dark arts...

i will work harder

[jubei]

Bear in mind that 12.5 oz denim becomes 14 oz denim once it shrinks 10 per cent.

My freaking mind was just blown. And it totally makes sense.

[cheapmuthafukr]

some companies state the weight AFTER shrinkage too, like samurai, which makes this even more complicated....

i love denim....

[jubei]

Now here's a new question: is weight related at all to the amount of indigo denim can hold?

I was postulating that since there were more fibers compacted into a heavier denim, they could perhaps hold more indigo than a lighter denim?

[denimdestroyedmylife]

that makes sense, more dyed yarns, hence more indigo. but why does that matter?

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Now here's a new question: is weight related at all to the amount of indigo denim can hold?

I was postulating that since there were more fibers compacted into a heavier denim, they could perhaps hold more indigo than a lighter denim?

no.

and you cant generalize anything between different weights.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

i think that some heavier weights are achieved by beefing up undyed weft yarns...

[eastcoastrider27]

some companies state the weight AFTER shrinkage too, like samurai, which makes this even more complicated.

Is the indicated weight on a pair of Samurai's post shrinkage.

For example, I have a pair of 0505XX's that said 15 oz. on the tag. Does that mean 15 oz. after shrinkage?

[cheapmuthafukr]

Is the indicated weight on a pair of Samurai's post shrinkage.

For example, I have a pair of 0505XX's that said 15 oz. on the tag. Does that mean 15 oz. after shrinkage?

yeah... it is. at least im pretty sure thats how they do all thier denim... my s0500xx is 15 after shrinkage, as shown on the back flasher

[poly800rock]

so what you're telling me is that denim weight is exactly like mcdonalds 1/4 pounder?

[brandon0809b]

confused as hell..........there ar a million variables to denim that will never let any 1 question be answered, denim ,the fabric of our lives.

[viv1984viv]

confused as hell..........there ar a million variables to denim that will never let any 1 question be answered, denim ,the fabric of our lives.

man, and i thought i was getting carried away with loving denim, that is a classic quote.

[sell veg]

so samurai weighs their denim post shrink? what about other brands? if i had to guess, i would say pbjs are pre shrink? i just picked up some full count 13.7oz and they feel quite a bit lighter than the 14oz pbjs, it might also be the slub though.

[Superstar]

so samurai weighs their denim post shrink? what about other brands? if i had to guess, i would say pbjs are pre shrink? i just picked up some full count 13.7oz and they feel quite a bit lighter than the 14oz pbjs, it might also be the slub though.

Nah, I think all companies who actually weighs their denim post shrink. It would be stupid if some companies did it post and some companies did it pre.

Or I would atleast find that stupid...

[__3xL]

Wrong again superstar

[Superstar]

You learn something every day you know.

[jubei]

no.

and you cant generalize anything between different weights

rrrrargh. I realize that the properties of denim fades are probably not simple enough to be distilled down to one factor, but I still find it hard to believe that we can't narrow it down to a few factors. I do remember one thread where ringring basically said the possibilities for variation in denim were basically endless.

I guess if we didn't consider ourselves conossieurs then we wouldn't be stressing out about all of these infinitessimal details

[jays978]

Hey guys, my curiosity has peaked. How do they "weigh" the denim per say? Is it by square footage etc.?

[Paul T]

FWIW, Lee were among the first to promote heavier wieght denim. But because their denim was Sanforized - pre-shrunk - that effectively added 10 per cent or so to the weight of their jeans. Whereas Levi's fabric effectively became heavier, once it had shrunk.

As has been pointed out previously, there are so many variables that it's hard to generalise about weight. There was a big move towards heavier denim around 10 years ago, at which time a lot of fabric was OE/OE or Ring/OE, hence bulkier, too. And it looked pretty horrible. Lighter denim might well be as hard wearing as heavier stuff... although in the case of 9oz, I find it hard to get good high contrast fades, perhaps because the fabric is simply more flexible and creases less.

[jubei]

wow, looking at my 2 y.o. posts is quite enlightening... if I could message my past self, I would say the following:

yes, there is a difference in the weights: heavier denim doesn't crease as sharply as lighter denim, but extremely light denim doesn't hold creases as well as heavier denim. therefore, only fade patterns would be affected. Color, contrast and durability are other factors that are (to some extent) independent of weight.

[dr.kobas]

is it logical conclusion? or subjective statement?

[Johnnylazar]

Good job bumping a 3 year old thread.

[mlyngard]

Is the indicated weight on a pair of Samurai's post shrinkage.

For example, I have a pair of 0505XX's that said 15 oz. on the tag. Does that mean 15 oz. after shrinkage?

yeah... it is. at least im pretty sure thats how they do all thier denim... my s0500xx is 15 after shrinkage, as shown on the back flasher

so what you're telling me is that denim weight is exactly like mcdonalds 1/4 pounder?

Nah, I think all companies who actually weighs their denim post shrink. It would be stupid if some companies did it post and some companies did it pre.

Or I would atleast find that stupid...

As far as all my experience has taught me on this forum and from Gordon and other denimheads, all denim weights are while in loomstate (raw, pre-shrink). Period. All manufacturers honor this system.

Denim is weighed per square yard while raw (this applies to sanf. and unsanf). If you have 15oz denim, with an expected shrink of 10%, then your post-soak denim weight is closer to 16.5oz.

Edit - I just saw the dates of the above posts too! Holy crap, sorry, boys. Good thread and never a dull topic!

[cheapmuthafukr]

WELL... i know that on the jeans i was talking about then, the back pocket flasher said AFTER shrinkage. levis, on the other hand, measures the raw weight per square yard.