REFERENCE · WEIGHT AND HAND
One number decides the hand, the price and the right garment — here is how to read it.
Momme (mm) is the Japanese unit the silk trade uses for weight: one momme is 3.75 grams per square yard, which converts to about 4.31 grams per square metre. It is the first number to agree with a supplier, because momme fixes the price, the opacity and how the cloth behaves on a body.
A useful rule of thumb: under 12 mm is sheer and needs a lining, 16–19 mm is the garment standard, 22 mm and up is structure. The table below converts the weights we hold into gsm and matches each band to the families and uses it actually serves.
| Momme | Approx. gsm | Category | Families woven at this weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 mm | ≈ 13 gsm | Sheer | Silk Gauze & Tulle |
| 4 mm | ≈ 17 gsm | Sheer | Silk Organza, Silk Gauze & Tulle |
| 5 mm | ≈ 22 gsm | Sheer | Silk Gauze & Tulle, Batiste & Voile, Silk Habotai |
| 6 mm | ≈ 26 gsm | Sheer | Silk Chiffon, Silk Organza, Silk Gauze & Tulle, Batiste & Voile, Silk Habotai… |
| 8 mm | ≈ 34 gsm | Sheer | Silk Georgette, Silk Chiffon, Silk Organza, Silk Gauze & Tulle, Batiste & Voile… |
| 10 mm | ≈ 43 gsm | Sheer | Silk Georgette, Silk Organza, Batiste & Voile, Silk Habotai, Silk Taffeta |
| 12 mm | ≈ 52 gsm | Garment | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Chiffon, Silk Organza… |
| 14 mm | ≈ 60 gsm | Garment | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Chiffon, Silk Twill & Foulard… |
| 16 mm | ≈ 69 gsm | Garment | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Chiffon, Silk Habotai… |
| 19 mm | ≈ 82 gsm | Garment | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Twill & Foulard, Silk Dupioni… |
| 22 mm | ≈ 95 gsm | Structured | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Twill & Foulard, Silk Dupioni… |
| 25 mm | ≈ 108 gsm | Structured | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Twill & Foulard, Silk Dupioni… |
| 30 mm | ≈ 129 gsm | Structured | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk Georgette, Silk Twill & Foulard, Noil & Raw Silk… |
| 35 mm | ≈ 151 gsm | Heavy | Noil & Raw Silk, Mikado & Gazar |
| 40 mm | ≈ 172 gsm | Heavy | Silk Charmeuse & Satin, Silk Twill & Foulard, Noil & Raw Silk, Mikado & Gazar, Brocade & Jacquard… |
| 70 mm | ≈ 302 gsm | Heavy | Silk Charmeuse & Satin |
The conversion is 1 mm ≈ 4.31 gsm. Real cloth varies by a few percent either way because finishing, washing and calendering all change the finished weight — so treat the gsm column as a cross-check, not a specification.
The same number means different things in different weaves: 8 mm organza is stiff, 8 mm chiffon is a cloud. Use the table below to find the window, then choose the family on the library.
| Application | Recommended momme | Why that window |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding Dresses | 6–8 / 8–14 / 16–25 mm | sheer veil and overlay weight, structured bridal weight, bias-cut and lined weight |
| Evening Gowns | 18–25 / 22–40 mm | couture drape weight, structured couture weight |
| Dressmaking & Ready-to-Wear | 12–22 mm | ready-to-wear weight |
| Quilting, Embroidery & Crafts | 5–16 mm | home-sewing weight |
| Sleepwear & Loungewear | 16–25 mm | next-to-skin weight |
| Lingerie & Robes | 5–8 / 12–19 mm | airy lining and overlay weight, second-skin slip weight |
| Shirts & Blouses | 12–22 mm | shirting weight |
| Suits & Tailoring | 16–25 mm | suiting weight |
| Silk Lining Fabric | 5–12 mm | lining weight |
| Curtains, Bedding & Home Decor | 19–25 mm | bedding sweet spot |
| Silk Scarf Fabric | 6–8 / 12–20 mm | float-light scarf weight, printable scarf weight |
| Kimono, Saree, Hanbok & Stage Costume | 8–30 mm | stage-ready weight |
| Baby & Children's Clothing | 6–16 mm | kidswear weight |
Two separate things get confused in sourcing conversations. Momme is weight per area. Grade — 6A being the top of the Chinese raw-silk scale — describes the evenness and cleanliness of the filament before weaving. A 6A yarn woven at 6 mm is still a 6 mm cloth, and a 19 mm satin can be woven from indifferent yarn. Ask for both, and judge the cloth by evenness, lustre, slubs and dye consistency as well as by the number.
Two widths cover almost everything we weave. 114 cm (45") is the traditional dress width and the one most garment silks are woven at; 140 cm (55") is used for interior qualities, bridal overlays and anything cut in one piece — a full skirt, a curtain panel, a circular veil. Width is not a price detail: on a 140 cm body you can often cut two garment panels where a 114 cm body gives you one, so the cheaper width per metre can be the more expensive width per garment.
If you need a specific width for a production marker, say so at enquiry — some qualities can be woven at either width, and the choice is locked at the loom rather than at the cutting table.
Silk is sold by weight of raw material, so a 30 mm satin consumes roughly two and a half times the silk of a 12 mm crepe. That is the main reason a heavy duchess costs several times what a light habotai does, and why "silk is expensive" is only half a statement — the weight is the other half.
Momme is a unit of fabric weight: one momme equals 3.75 g per square yard, or roughly 4.31 gsm. A 19 mm silk weighs about 82 gsm. Higher momme means more silk per square metre, which means higher cost, more opacity and more body.
Multiply momme by 4.31. So 6 mm ≈ 26 gsm, 12 mm ≈ 52 gsm, 16 mm ≈ 69 gsm, 19 mm ≈ 82 gsm, 22 mm ≈ 95 gsm and 30 mm ≈ 129 gsm. The conversion is approximate because it ignores width and finishing.
No. Momme is a weight, not a quality score. A 6 mm chiffon veil is better than a 30 mm one; a 30 mm duchess bodice is better than a 19 mm one. Match the weight to the job, then judge quality by evenness, slubs, lustre and dye consistency.
19 mm is the classic dress and bedding weight — opaque, fluid, comfortable. 22 mm adds body, slightly deeper lustre and more structure; it suits bias gowns, soft tailoring and pieces that need to skim rather than cling. The price difference is roughly proportional to the extra silk.
6A is the highest grade in the Chinese raw-silk grading system, based on evenness, cleanliness and reelability of the filament. It describes the yarn, not the cloth — a 6A yarn can be woven into a cheap habotai or a couture satin.
19 mm is the retail standard; 22 mm is the premium weight most luxury bedding brands use; 25–30 mm is the top of the range. Below 19 mm, sheets wear thin quickly at the pillow edge.
Describe the garment and we will specify momme and family against it, then post swatches.
SILK WEIGHTS IN DETAIL
What we actually weave at each weight — the families, the qualities, what it suits and how it sews.