Blanket Specifications: Weight, Size, Process and Inspection

Why Blanket Specification Detail Drives Programme Outcomes

A blanket programme rarely fails on fabric choice alone. It fails on numbers left vague: weight per square metre, cut dimensions, nap direction, edge finish, and the test limits written into the purchase order. When a buyer orders a warm blanket and a mill quotes a 320 gsm brushed construction, the order can be compliant and useless, because nobody agreed what 320 gsm means after the pile is raised, or what the finished size is after hemming.

This guide sets out the specification language that procurement managers, developers, inspectors and buyers can use to describe a blanket in terms that survive sampling, bulk production and a claim. The focus is not on which fibre to choose, but on how a specification is measured, written into an order and verified.

Weight per Square Metre: Reading the Number That Matters

Weight per square metre, usually written gsm, is the most frequently quoted blanket specification and the most frequently misinterpreted. The figure on a sample is normally the finished weight of one construction, measured after washing and drying. A brushed and a smooth construction from the same base fabric do not weigh the same, and a number quoted with no measurement method leaves room for argument.

How to read a weight specification

A usable weight specification names four things: the fibre mix, the base fabric gsm before raising, the finished gsm after the process route, and the conditioning method used before weighing. Write the finished gsm as the number that will be checked, and state the tolerance separately, commonly plus or minus five per cent. Without a written tolerance, neither side can settle a dispute.

• Base gsm: weight of the ground fabric before any pile is raised
• Finished gsm: weight after brushing, hemming and conditioning
• Tolerance: normally plus or minus five per cent on the finished value
• Conditioning: temperature and humidity before weighing

Weight also drives packing, freight cost and shelf fit, so fixing gsm and size early lets buyers plan carton dimensions before the sample is approved.

Finished Size and Cutting Tolerance

Size is the specification most often quoted in inches and most often wrong in the finished article. Blanket dimensions are usually measured across the body, not including the hem, and the quoted size is the cut size used in production before the edges are turned in. A 50 by 60 inch blanket specified as a cut size will finish smaller than 50 by 60, and the shortfall is regularly blamed on the mill.

Standard cut sizes and how the tolerance should be written

Write the size twice: once as the cut size used in production and once as the finished size the inspector measures. The difference is the hem allowance, typically 1.5 to 2.5 cm per edge on a turned hem and greater on a double-turned edge. A finished-size tolerance of plus or minus 1.5 cm is reasonable for a turned hem. State separately whether squareness is judged.

Size and weight are not independent. If finished size and gsm are fixed, fibre weight per blanket is determined, which sets yarn use, labour hours and packed volume.

Process Routes: Brushing and Jacquard Control Points

Two process routes account for most of the visible difference between blankets that look similar in a photograph. Brushing raises a fibre nap from the ground fabric, usually with rotating wire rollers. Jacquard weaves the pattern into the fabric itself, so the design is structural rather than printed or embossed. Both add variables that must be written into the order.

Brushing and jacquard control points

For brushed construction the order should name the number of brush passes, the nap direction, and the pile height in millimetres. A single-pass and a double-pass brush on the same base fabric give different hand feel, appearance under raking light and finished weights. Nap direction matters for consistency across a set and for shading after washing. An unspecified nap will be inspected as inconsistent and sent for rework.

For jacquard, specify the pattern repeat size in centimetres, the number of colours, and whether the design must align with a matching pillowcase or sheet. Confirm whether the jacquard is woven on the face only or on both faces, and whether a reverse-side binding is required. A jacquard and a printed blanket at the same price differ in drape, colour depth and edge finish.

• Brushing: pass count, nap direction, pile height, minimum pile height after washing
• Jacquard: pattern repeat, colour count, face and reverse construction, alignment
• Both: matching tolerance across pieces and pattern position near the hem
• Cutting: cut size per panel, panel count, one dye lot and roll

Edge Hemming and Construction Detail

Edge construction is where a blanket most often fails a first inspection, because it is the part most easily rushed at the end of a run. Four edge types cover most of the market: a single turned hem with a straight stitch, a double-turned hem, a mitred corner finish, and a separately woven bound edge. Each has a different cost, appearance and failure mode.

The order should specify hem width, stitch type and density, the number of mitred corners, the thread material, and the tolerance for waviness. A waviness tolerance expressed as a maximum deviation over a given edge length is far more useful than a phrase such as neat and even.

• Hem width: finished allowance in millimetres, measured after pressing
• Stitching: lock stitch at a stated density, three to four stitches per centimetre
• Corners: mitred or square, with a minimum distance to the raw edge
• Edges: maximum waviness over a 50 cm span, and the lighting used

Testing Requirements: Shedding and Colour Fastness

Two test families decide most blanket claims. Fibre shedding describes how much loose fibre leaves the blanket during use and washing. Colour fastness describes how much colour leaves the blanket in contact with moisture, friction and light. Both are method-specific: a result is only comparable with another if the method, specimen size and conditioning are stated.

Shedding and colour fastness test matrix

Shedding is commonly assessed by counting loose fibres released from a conditioned specimen over defined agitation cycles, or by weighing the specimen before and after a controlled tumble. Colour fastness is assessed against water, perspiration, rubbing and light, each graded on a numbered scale. The order should name the method for each property, the acceptable grade, and the conditioning environment used.

State the conditioning environment explicitly, because a result obtained in a dry laboratory at low humidity differs from the same test in a humid room, and that difference is the first point of dispute when a claim arrives. Record the batch, dye lot and production date with the result. A single failing blanket is far more often a process question, such as a brush setting drifting late in a run.

Inspection and Acceptance Checklist

Inspection works better when the purchase order and the inspection checklist are the same document. An inspector can only verify what was written down, and a buyer can only claim against what was agreed. The sequence below reflects how a blanket is normally checked, from carton opening to final report.

1. Open a defined percentage of cartons and confirm count, folded dimensions and label
2. Verify finished weight on a calibrated balance, measured away from hems
3. Measure finished length and width at marked points and check corner squareness
4. Inspect hems and edges under standard light, checking stitch density and waviness
5. Compare brushing or jacquard with the reference sample, checking nap and repeat
6. Draw samples for testing to the agreed method and retain a sealed portion
7. Record each result against its tolerance and separate acceptable from rejectable
8. Release the shipment only after the report matches the samples and batch records

Keep a sealed reference sample from the approved bulk with the laboratory report, so a later claim is judged against something concrete, and note which measurements were taken by the mill and which by the inspector.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between base gsm and finished gsm on a blanket order?

Base gsm is the weight of the ground fabric before the process route is applied. Finished gsm is the weight of the completed blanket after brushing, raising, hemming and conditioning. Both should be stated, because a quoted figure without a definition can be read either way. Acceptance is judged on the finished value with a tolerance of about five per cent.

How much weight variation between blankets in the same order is acceptable?

Judge individual units against the stated finished gsm and its tolerance rather than against each other, and hold the shipment average within a tighter band. A few per cent of variation between units is normal, driven by fibre and humidity differences. A systematic drift across the run points to a changed fibre lot or a shifted brushing setting.

How do I specify the edge so the hem is not rejected at inspection?

State the finished hem width in millimetres, the stitch type and density, whether corners are mitred or square, the maximum permitted waviness over a 50 cm span, and the thread material. Describe the hem in the order rather than in a sample approval email, and confirm that measurement is taken after pressing, which changes the apparent width.

What colour fastness and shedding results should a blanket order require?

Name the method and the minimum grade for each property rather than asking for good colour fastness. In practice that means a stated grade for rubbing dry and wet, for washing and perspiration, and for light, plus a shedding assessment expressed as fibre release or mass loss over defined cycles. The order should also specify the conditioning environment.