Than, Gaj, Panna: Fabric Unit Conversion Chart

The units you will hear

Fabric buying in India runs on a mix of metric, imperial and trade units, often in the same conversation. Knowing which is which stops the most common quoting mistakes.

Why a than is not a fixed quantity

A than is how cloth is packed, not how it is measured. Most uniform suiting rolls run 30 to 50 m, but the exact length depends on the fabric weight, the roll diameter and the mill. Two thans of the same shade can differ by several meters.

This matters when a quantity is agreed in thans rather than meters. Always ask for the meters per roll in writing, and check the meterage marked on each roll against the delivery challan when the goods land.

Panna is width, and it changes what a meter is worth

Panna is the width of the cloth, quoted in inches. Most of our fabric is 147 cm, which is 58 inch, and several suitings are 150 cm, about 59 inch, so both sit in the 58 to 60 inch panna bracket. Narrower shirting and lining cloths run 142, 91 or 89 cm, so check the width on the product page. Narrow cloth is commonly 44 inch, about 110 cm.

A meter of 58 inch cloth carries about a third more fabric than a meter of 44 inch cloth. That is why a lower rate per meter on narrow cloth often works out dearer per uniform. The shirting version of that sum, with the per-square-metre and per-shirt comparison side by side, is in 36 inch vs 58 inch shirting. Normalise both quotes to the same width before you compare anything.

A rough normaliser: meters at 44 inch is about meters at 58 inch multiplied by 1.3.

Converting a quote cleanly

• Yards to meters: multiply by 0.91. Meters to yards: multiply by 1.09.
• Inches to cm: multiply by 2.54. 44 inch is 110 cm, 58 inch is 147 cm, 60 inch is 152 cm.
• Thans to meters: ask for the actual meters per roll, never assume a standard.
• Different widths: convert both quotes to price per square meter, then compare.
• Always confirm whether a rate is per running meter or per yard before you compare two numbers.

What we quote in

We quote and supply in running meters, with the width stated per quality, most commonly 147 or 150 cm, and the meterage marked on every roll and stated on the invoice. Export orders are quoted the same way, with the width converted to inches if a buyer works in imperial.

If you have a requirement in yards or in thans, send it as it stands and we will convert it and confirm the meters back to you before anything is woven.

Short pieces, and why a cutting room cares

A delivered quantity is not automatically delivered in usable lengths. Weaving and finishing produce some pieces that are shorter than a full roll, and every mill despatches some proportion of them. For a buyer counting metres they are simply metres. For the cutting room they are not interchangeable with a full roll at all.

The reason is the marker. A cutting plan is laid out over a continuous length, and the longer the run, the better the pieces interlock and the less falls away at the ends. Fill the same order with short pieces and the marker has to be re-laid for each one, with its own end loss, so the same number of metres yields fewer garments. This is why two deliveries of identical quantity can produce different garment counts, and why the cutting room blames the fabric when the real variable was piece length.

So put it in the order rather than discovering it at delivery. Two lines are enough: a minimum acceptable piece length, and a maximum share of the delivery that may arrive as short pieces. Ask as well how short pieces are billed, since practice varies, and a piece too short to lay a marker on is not worth the same to you as a full roll even if the metres are identical.

Where short pieces are unavoidable, they are still useful if they are planned for. Small parts, pocketing, facings, patch pieces and sample garments all cut happily from lengths that would be wasted on a full marker, so a cutting room that knows in advance which rolls are short can route them rather than fight them.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many meters is one than of fabric?

Usually 30 to 50 m for uniform suiting, but a than is a packing unit rather than a fixed measure. Ask the supplier for the meters per roll in writing and check it against the marking on the roll at delivery.

Is a gaj the same as a yard?

Yes. Gaj is the Hindi word for a yard, which is 0.91 m. One meter is 1.09 gaj.

What does 58 panna mean?

Panna is the width of the cloth in inches, so 58 panna is fabric about 58 inch wide, which is 147 cm. It says nothing about the length or the quality of the fabric.

How do I compare a 44 inch quote with a 58 inch quote?

Convert both to price per square meter by dividing the rate per meter by the width in meters, then compare. As a shortcut, you need about 1.3 times as many meters of 44 inch cloth to make the same garments.

How many yards in a meter of fabric?

1.09 yards. Going the other way, one yard is 0.91 meters, so 100 yards is about 91 meters.

Do you sell by the than?

We sell in running meters and mark the meterage on every roll. If your requirement is written in thans or yards we will convert it and confirm the meters with you before production.

How many meters are in a roll of fabric?

There is no fixed figure. Rolls generally run 30 to 50 m, but the length depends on the fabric weight, the roll diameter the mill packs to, and the order itself. A roll is a packing unit, not a unit of measure. Ask for the meterage per roll in writing, and check the length marked on each roll against the invoice when the goods reach you.

What are the length and width of 1 meter of cloth in cm?

One meter of cloth is 100 cm of length. The width is a separate specification and is not implied by the length: it is whatever the fabric was woven to, commonly quoted in India as panna, so 58 panna is roughly 147 cm. When you buy a meter you are buying 100 cm along the roll at whatever the roll width happens to be, which is why width has to be confirmed on the quote rather than assumed.

How many inches are in a meter of fabric?

39.37 inches. This applies to length along the roll and to width: a 150 cm width is about 59 inches, and a 112 cm width is about 44 inches.

What is a short piece, and does it count as full metres?

A short piece is a length shorter than a full roll, and every mill despatches some. The metres are real but they yield fewer garments, because a cutting marker laid over a short length loses more at the ends. Billing practice varies, so ask. Better still, put a minimum acceptable piece length and a maximum share of short pieces in the order, and route the short ones to pocketing, facings and small parts.