Combed vs Carded Cotton
Combed cotton has short fibres removed before spinning, producing a smoother, stronger, longer-lasting yarn; carded cotton skips that step, which is cheaper but leaves the fabric rougher and more prone to pilling.
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This is one of those distinctions that rarely gets explained clearly to a buyer sourcing apparel for the first time, and it's genuinely one of the bigger levers on both cost and perceived quality — often more noticeable to the end wearer than the GSM number is.
What carding and combing actually do. Both are processing steps that happen before cotton fiber gets spun into yarn. Carding aligns the fibers roughly and removes larger debris, but leaves short, irregular fibers mixed in with the longer ones. Combing is an additional step performed after carding — it removes those short fibers entirely, leaving only the longer, more uniform ones behind. Combing costs more because it's an extra process and because a portion of the raw cotton is discarded as waste in the process — you're paying for a more refined input, essentially.
Why the short fibers matter so much. Those short fibers left in carded cotton are the primary cause of pilling — the small fabric balls that form on a garment's surface after wear and washing. They're also weaker points in the yarn, meaning carded cotton fabric is generally less durable and more prone to fraying at stress points over its lifespan. Combed cotton, by removing those short fibers, produces a smoother yarn surface, which translates to a softer hand-feel, less pilling, and a fabric that photographs and drapes better.
Where each makes sense. Carded cotton isn't a lesser material in every context — it's a legitimate, cost-effective choice for basic, budget-tier apparel where the buyer's market is price-sensitive and pilling over time is an acceptable tradeoff. Combed cotton makes sense where the buyer is positioning a product as premium, or where garment longevity and a smoother feel directly support the price point being charged to the end customer. Using combed cotton for a genuinely budget line is often unnecessary cost; using carded cotton for a premium line is a mismatch that shows up in customer complaints within a season.
How to check which one you're actually getting. Ask directly — "is this combed or carded cotton?" — rather than assuming from a general spec sheet. If a sample feels noticeably rougher than expected, or you can see small fiber irregularities poking out of the yarn under close inspection, that's often carded cotton being presented without the distinction being volunteered. A reputable supplier will state this clearly without you having to press for it.
Our approach. We specify combed vs. carded plainly on every cotton apparel quote, because the price difference is real and a buyer deserves to make that call for their specific market rather than discover the fabric grade after the fact. If your positioning calls for carded cotton to hit a price point, that's a legitimate sourcing decision — we just want you making it knowingly.
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