greige

Greige fabric is cloth that has come directly off the loom or knitting frame without bleaching, dyeing, or chemical finishing. It still carries the natural oils, waxes, and dirt accumulated during manufacturing, giving it a stiff, drab appearance somewhere between tan and grey. Greige is the intermediate product that textile mills sell to converters or that vertically integrated producers move into their wet processing departments. In cotton and cotton blends, greige is often called loom state; in wool, greasy wool or raw wool describes similar unprocessed fiber.

The word itself comes from French gris (grey) and beige, reflecting the murky colour of unfinished cloth. Most greige contains 8 to 15 percent oils and impurities by weight, depending on fiber type and production method. A 58-inch-wide cotton greige may weigh 4 to 6 ounces per linear yard; synthetic greige weighs less and handles differently because it holds fewer natural contaminants.

Greige is priced lower than finished fabric because the converter or end-user assumes the cost of scouring, bleaching, dyeing, and calendering. This arrangement gives flexibility: a mill can produce greige in standard constructions and let customers choose their own color palette and finish, rather than gambling on which colorways will sell. For manufacturers making small runs or custom orders, buying greige also reduces lead time compared to ordering pre-dyed cloth.

Greige must be kept dry during storage because moisture encourages mildew growth on the organic matter trapped in the fibers. High humidity can also cause yellowing or foxing, especially in cotton. Once in the converter's vats, greige undergoes scouring with hot water and alkali to remove oils, then bleaching with hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite to open the fiber and lighten it. The moisture content and fiber composition of greige batches can vary enough to affect dye uptake, so converters often blend greige from multiple mill lots to ensure consistency in the finished fabric.

Problems in greige usually show up later. Weak fibers, slubs, neps (fiber knots), and loom faults that might be hidden by finish or color become obvious once the fabric is wet processed, leading to waste or customer rejection. Mills that maintain poor greige quality can lose converter business. The term greige goods is standard in the textile trade, and buying greige is a common intermediate step in supply chains where specialization in spinning, weaving, and finishing is more economical than vertical integration.