Uniform fabric terms: T

T

Taber abrasion

An abrasion test that rubs a flat disc of cloth with rotating abrasive wheels. Its cycle counts cannot be compared with Martindale or Wyzenbeek results. Read the guide on Taber abrasion

Tariff line

A single code in a country's customs tariff, at the level duty rates are actually set, usually eight digits. Trade agreements grant concessions tariff line by tariff line, which is why a benefit on apparel does not automatically extend to fabric.

Tariff rate quota

A set volume of a good that may enter a country at a lower duty, or duty free, with anything above that volume paying the normal rate. In 2026 the United States said it would set textile quotas of this kind for Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia, sized on their purchases of US cotton; India is not on that list.

Tear strength

The force needed to continue a tear once a fabric has been cut or snagged, reported against a named method. It matters more than tensile strength for workwear, because most garment failures start at a snag rather than from even pulling across the cloth. Read the guide on Tear strength

Technical bid

The first part of a two-part tender, holding the eligibility documents, specification compliance and test reports. Only bidders whose technical bid qualifies have their price bid opened. Read the guide on Technical bid

Telegraphic transfer (TT)

A direct bank-to-bank transfer of funds, the simplest way an advance or balance is paid on a fabric order. It is often paired with an advance-and-balance split and carries none of the document mechanics of a letter of credit. Read the guide on Telegraphic transfer (TT)

Telex release

An instruction from the shipper to the carrier to release cargo at destination without the original bill of lading being presented there. It removes the courier and bank leg from the release, which is why the release method is worth settling at order stage rather than after arrival. Read the guide on Telex release

Temple

A device at each edge of the cloth on the loom that holds the fabric at full width near the fell, so the edges are not drawn in and chafed by the reed. Read the guide on Temple

Temple mark

Distortion or small pin marks near both selvedges, left by the temples that hold the cloth out to full width at the loom. Because it sits at the edges it often falls outside the cuttable width. Read the guide on Temple mark

Tencel

The brand name Lenzing uses for its lyocell and modal fibers. A spec that says Tencel is naming a branded lyocell, which is stronger when wet than viscose and costs more. Read the guide on Tencel

Tender

A formal invitation from a government department, public body or large institution for suppliers to bid against a fixed specification, quantity and set of terms, with the award going to the bid that meets the specification at the lowest evaluated price or best score. For uniform fabric the tender document fixes the cloth to be supplied, the tests it must pass, the delivery schedule and the security deposits, so a supplier's room to change any of them ends when bids close. Read the guide on Tender

Tensile strength

The force a fabric strip withstands before breaking when pulled along the warp or weft, reported against a named test method. Blend, yarn count and setting all move it, and some crease-resistant resin finishes lower it in exchange for recovery. Read the guide on Tensile strength

Terylene

An early trade name for polyester fiber that stuck in Indian trade usage, where it is still used to mean polyester generally. It survives in the shorthand TR and TC. Read the guide on Terylene

Terylene

The British trade name under which polyester fiber was first sold. It survives in South Asian cloth markets as the T in TR, the name for a polyester-viscose blend. Read the guide on Terylene

Test report

A per-lot document recording measured results against named methods, typically GSM, width, shrinkage, colour fastness and strength. It is a different thing from a certification: a report says what one lot measured, while a certificate says a system or a product class was assessed, and a tender that asks for one will not accept the other. Read the guide on Test report

Tetron

A trade name for polyester (Tetoron, from Teijin), still used loosely in Indian markets. Tetron cotton usually means poly-cotton, but the word gives no ratio, so ask for the written composition. Read the guide on Tetron

Texturised yarn

Polyester filament yarn that has been crimped, looped or twisted and heat-set so the straight filaments gain bulk, a matte, spun-like surface and a small amount of mechanical stretch. In suiting it is the usual way to get stretch and a softer hand without adding elastane. Read the guide on Texturised yarn

Than

A single roll or piece of fabric as despatched. There is no standard length behind the word, so a than is only as defined as your purchase order makes it. Always confirm the length in metres. Read the guide on Than

Thin and thick places

Yarn imperfections counted per 1,000 m: stretches whose mass is at least a set percentage below (thin, usually -50%) or above (thick, usually +50%) the mean. Read the guide on Thin and thick places

Thread count

The number of warp and weft yarns per square inch, common in bedding and hospital linen specifications. It says nothing about yarn thickness, so a high count of fine yarns can weigh less than a low count of coarse ones. Uniform fabric in India is specified by GSM and ends and picks instead. Read the guide on Thread count

Tolerance

The permitted variation either side of a specified value, for example on GSM or width. Where a specification states a tolerance it is part of the specification, not a courtesy. Read the guide on Tolerance

Top-up order

A small repeat order placed against a programme that is already running, usually for new joiners, replacements or a size-mix correction. Because it is dyed after the main lot, it is the order most likely to show shade drift, which is why it should be placed against the filed reference and the original spec sheet rather than against a used garment. Read the guide on Top-up order

Tow

A thick untwisted rope of many continuous filaments, the stage before man-made fiber is crimped and cut into staple. Read the guide on Tow

TR (Terylene Rayon)

The trade name for a polyester-viscose blend, the same cloth as PV or poly-viscose. Terylene was the British brand name for polyester fiber and rayon is the generic name for regenerated cellulose such as viscose; "terry rayon" is a spoken form of the same name. Read the guide on TR (Terylene Rayon)

TR and TC

Trade shorthand in the Indian market: TR for a terylene and rayon blend, meaning polyester and viscose, and TC for terylene and cotton, meaning polyester and cotton. Neither abbreviation states the ratio, so ask for the percentages. Read the guide on TR and TC

Traceability

The ability to follow a batch of cloth back through the operations and suppliers that produced it, typically lot by lot, with records for each step. Buyers ask for it to satisfy procurement policy, forced-labour rules or a certification scheme, and what can actually be traced depends on where each operation happened, since a mill that weaves in-house and buys in yarn traces those two steps differently. Read the guide on Traceability

Transaction certificate

A certificate issued by a certification body covering one specific shipment of certified material, naming the seller, the buyer, the quantity and the certified content. It is the document that ties a particular delivery to a scheme such as GRS, as distinct from a scope certificate, which only shows that a site is certified to handle such material at all.

Transhipment

Moving a consignment from one vessel or vehicle to another on the way to its destination, usually at a hub port. Preference schemes normally allow it provided the goods stay under customs control and undergo no operation beyond unloading, reloading and preservation, and the direct-transport evidence proves it.

Transshipment

Moving a consignment from one vessel to another at an intermediate port instead of sailing direct. It is the normal routing from Indian west coast ports to many destinations, and it matters to a buyer because each handover adds a place where time can be lost and because a rolled connection can push a shipment into a later surcharge period.

Trial length

A short run of fabric woven and finished to the agreed specification so the buyer can cut and sew from it before committing to bulk. It is longer than a swatch and shorter than a production lot. Read the guide on Trial length

Tumble dry

Drying in a rotating heated drum rather than on a line. Dryer heat adds to the shrinkage and surface wear the wash causes, which is why uniform care instructions set a low to medium heat rather than the highest setting, with line drying in shade as the gentler alternative. Read the guide on Tumble dry

Twill

A weave where each weft yarn passes over two or more warp yarns in a stepped sequence, producing a diagonal line on the face. Stronger and better draping than plain weave at the same weight. Read the guide on Twill

Twist

The number of turns per unit length put into a yarn during spinning, which binds the fibers together. Higher twist holds surface fibers in and gives a firmer, crisper and more pill-resistant cloth; lower twist gives a softer, fuller handle and lets fiber ends work loose more readily. Read the guide on Twist

Two-way stretch

Trade shorthand for cloth that gives along one axis. In a woven uniform suiting that means weft stretch, so the fabric gives across its width and not along its length, which is the direction a trouser or skirt needs. This is what almost every uniform stretch programme actually buys. Read the guide on Two-way stretch

Looking for something that isn't here? The full guide library goes deeper on every term, and you can always ask us directly.