Textile Glossary · Material · Yarn Preparation
Combed Cotton
/koʊmd ˈkɒtən/
Combed cotton is cotton yarn that has been passed through fine combs to remove short fibres, impurities, and neps — resulting in a smoother, stronger, and more uniform thread.
Understanding the Term
What combing does to cotton yarn.
After cotton is carded (the initial cleaning and alignment stage), combing takes it further. Fine metal combs pull through the fibre mass, physically removing any short fibres below a target length — typically under 12mm. What remains is a strand of long, parallel, uniform fibres.
Combing removes approximately 15–20% of the raw fibre by weight. This sounds like waste, but it's the exact opposite — you're removing the weakest links. The surviving fibres create a yarn that's noticeably smoother to the touch and far more resistant to pilling.
Not all combed cotton is equal. The quality of the starting material matters enormously. Combing short-staple cotton removes proportionally more fibre and still leaves a relatively coarse yarn. Combing long-staple cotton like Supima removes less waste and produces an exceptionally refined result.
Why It Matters
How combing improves your t-shirt.
The process that separates basic from premium.
01
Smoother Surface
Removing short fibres eliminates the tiny protrusions that cause fabric roughness. Combed cotton feels noticeably smoother against the skin from the first wear.
02
Reduced Pilling
Short fibres are the primary cause of pilling. By removing them before spinning, combed cotton dramatically reduces pill formation over the garment's lifetime.
03
Stronger Yarn
Uniform long fibres create a more consistent twist, resulting in yarn that's 15–30% stronger than carded-only cotton. This translates directly to garment longevity.
Our Standard
Combed Supima — the best of both worlds.
Our Supima cotton is combed before spinning to remove any fibres below our 20mm threshold. Starting with 35mm+ staple Supima means we lose less raw material to combing while achieving an exceptionally clean, uniform yarn. The result is a surface smoothness you can feel the moment you pick up the shirt.
35+
mm Staple
Our minimum fibre length before combing
Related Terms
Explore more textile terminology.
See how Supima compares:
Common Questions
Combed cotton — your questions, answered.
Understanding the difference between carded and combed.
Combed cotton is always smoother and stronger than carded-only cotton from the same source. But combed short-staple cotton is still inferior to uncombed long-staple cotton. The starting fibre matters.
See It in Practice
Combed Supima cotton.
Smooth from fibre to finish.
The surface tells the story. Run your fingers across it.
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