Linen Fabric: Weights, Shrinkage and Pre-Washing
Linen is one of the oldest textiles and one of the most rewarding to sew and wear. It is also one of the fabrics that most often surprises people in the wash, because many linens shrink more than cotton and change character dramatically as they soften. This guide covers how linen is described by weight, which weights suit which projects, how to measure and allow for its shrinkage with the site's Fabric Shrinkage Calculator, and how to care for it. Weight conversions use the Fabric Weight Converter.
What linen is
Linen is woven from the fibres of the flax plant. The long fibres inside the stem are separated from the woody core by retting, breaking and scutching, then combed (hackled) into long, fine line fibres and shorter tow fibres. Long line fibres spin into smooth, strong yarns for fine linens; tow makes coarser yarns. The result is a fibre that is strong, stronger wet than dry, absorbent, quick-drying and cool to wear, with a characteristic slub texture and a tendency to crease.
"Linen" is sometimes used loosely for linen-look fabrics, and many fabrics are linen blends: linen-cotton, linen-viscose and so on. Check the fibre content. A blend behaves differently from pure linen in shrinkage, creasing and drape.
Linen weights
Linen is sold by weight in GSM or ounces per square yard. Rough ranges, which vary between mills:
| Weight | oz/yd² | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|
| About 110 GSM | 3.24 | Light blouses, handkerchiefs, summer shirts, sheer curtains |
| About 150 GSM | 4.42 | Shirts, dresses, lightweight bedding |
| About 180 GSM | 5.31 | Dresses, skirts, bedding, table linen |
| About 230 GSM | 6.78 | Trousers, jackets, aprons, heavier table linen |
| About 300 GSM | 8.85 | Upholstery, cushions, bags, heavy curtains |
The ounce figures are the converter's exact conversions of the GSM in the first column. Linen feels lighter on the body than cotton of the same weight because it is crisp and stands away from the skin, so it is common to choose a slightly heavier linen than you would a cotton for the same garment.
Why linen shrinks
Like other cellulose fibres, flax absorbs water and swells. Woven linen is held under tension in weaving and finishing; when it is wet and agitated, the yarns relax and the cloth contracts. Linen that has been washed or pre-shrunk in finishing, sometimes sold as washed or stonewashed linen, has already had much of this shrinkage taken out. Unwashed linen, often crisper and stiffer, can shrink considerably more, and shrinkage in the length and width usually differs.
There is no single figure for linen shrinkage. It depends on the yarn, the construction, the finishing and how you wash and dry it. Testing is the only reliable way to know.
Measuring it
Cut a sample at least 50 cm square. Mark a measured distance along the warp and across the weft with a permanent marker or thread tacks. Wash and dry it exactly as the finished item will be treated. Then lay it flat without stretching and measure again.
Two illustrative results:
- a 100 cm warp mark that comes back at 96 cm is 4% shrinkage;
- a 100 cm warp mark that comes back at 92 cm is 8% shrinkage.
These numbers show how to read a test, not what to expect from every linen. Test both directions. The guide to measuring shrinkage with a wash test covers the method in full.
Allowing for it when buying
If you will pre-wash, buy enough that the length after washing covers the project. Work out the length the project needs with the Fabric Yardage Calculator, then enter it in the shrinkage calculator's pre-cut mode with your measured shrinkage. For 3 m needed after washing:
- at 4% shrinkage, buy 3.13 m;
- at 8% shrinkage, buy 3.26 m.
Remember width: if the linen also shrinks across the width, the usable width after washing is narrower, and a narrower width needs more length. Rerun the yardage figure with the washed width. The guide to buying extra for shrinkage walks through that.
Pre-washing linen
For garments and household linen that will be washed, pre-washing linen is almost always worthwhile. It takes out shrinkage, softens the fabric, and shows you how much it creases and how the colour holds. To do it well:
- finish the raw ends with a zigzag or overlocker, because linen frays readily;
- wash as the finished item will be washed; many people wash linen two or three times before cutting to take out most of the shrinkage;
- dry as the finished item will be dried; tumble drying shrinks and softens more than line drying, and some makers deliberately tumble-dry linen for a softer, rumpled finish;
- straighten the grain and press while slightly damp before cutting.
Do not pre-wash linen that will be used for upholstery, structured jackets or anything that will be dry-cleaned, unless you want the washed character; test an offcut instead.
Sewing with linen
- Fraying: finish seams with French seams, flat-fell seams, overlocking or binding.
- Grain: linen is easily pulled off-grain; cut on a flat surface and handle pieces gently.
- Pressing: linen tolerates a hot iron and presses well, best with some moisture; press on the reverse for dark colours to avoid shine.
- Needles and thread: a universal or sharp needle in a size to suit the weight; cotton or polyester thread.
- Creasing: linen creases. Blends with viscose or cotton crease a little less; some finishes reduce creasing but change the hand.
Linen blends compared
Blends are common because they soften some of linen's habits. Each changes the behaviour in a different way:
- Linen-cotton, sometimes called linen union when the warp is cotton and the weft linen, is softer and creases a little less than pure linen, and is often more affordable. It is a common choice for upholstery and table linen.
- Linen-viscose drapes more fluidly and creases less, but viscose is weaker when wet and can shrink noticeably, so wash it gently and test it before cutting.
- Linen with a small share of polyester or nylon creases less and dries even faster, at the cost of some breathability and of linen's biodegradability.
- Linen with elastane adds stretch for fitted trousers and skirts; keep wash and dryer temperatures moderate to protect the elastane.
Because each fibre in a blend shrinks by its own amount, a blend's shrinkage is not the average of its parts. Test the actual fabric. When comparing a blend with a pure linen in a listing, convert both weights to the same unit first, so you are not comparing a GSM with an ounce figure.
Caring for linen
Most linens can be machine-washed at moderate temperatures, but follow the care label: dyes, finishes and blends change what is safe. Avoid overloading the machine, which sets creases. Do not over-dry, as very dry linen can become brittle along fold lines; remove it slightly damp and press or hang. Store linen clean and dry, and refold table linen along different lines from time to time so the folds do not wear.
What the tools cover
The converter gives exact GSM and ounce figures for comparing linen listings; its weight bands are rough labels. The shrinkage calculator turns your test into a percentage and a pre-cut length. Neither can predict how a particular linen will behave before you test it, and they say nothing about fibre quality, which shows in the evenness of the yarn and how the fabric softens.