Enter a yarn count in any one system — Nm, Ne, Tex, dtex or denier — and read the equivalent in all five, routed through Tex with exact factors. The conversion is exact; the thickness class is an indicative planning guide, so confirm the real knitted gauge with a sampling swatch.
⚠️ Conversions are exact; the thickness class is a guide. The Nm / Ne / Tex / dtex / denier math uses fixed, standard factors — those numbers are not estimates. The thickness class (lace, fingering, DK, chunky…) is an indicative planning label derived from Tex alone; the real knitted gauge also depends on plies, tension and machine, so confirm it with a sampling swatch before locking a production spec.
Nm and Ne are indirect — higher means finer. Tex, dtex and denier are direct — higher means thicker. Mixing them up is the classic sourcing error.
Every value is converted to Tex (grams per 1,000 m) first, then back out to the other four. That's why a clean Nm↔denier jump works — it goes through Tex.
These are defined ratios, not averages. Nm 30 is always Ne 17.7, Tex 33.3, dtex 333 and denier 300 — no rounding drift beyond display.
The class maps Tex to a familiar weight band. Real knit gauge still depends on plies and machine — always sample before you commit a spec.
Everything routes through Tex (g / 1,000 m). Convert your input to Tex, then read the rest straight off it:
Tex = 1000 ÷ Nm Tex = 590.5 ÷ Ne Tex = denier ÷ 9 Tex = dtex ÷ 10 Nm = 1000 ÷ Tex Ne = 590.5 ÷ Tex denier = 9 × Tex dtex = 10 × Tex An indicative reading of the Tex value — a planning label, not a gauge spec:
| Class | Tex range | Typical hand-knit equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Very fine | Tex < 20 | lace / cobweb |
| Fine | Tex 20–40 | fingering / 4-ply / sock |
| Medium | Tex 40–70 | sport / DK / worsted |
| Heavy | Tex 70–120 | aran / chunky |
| Very heavy | Tex > 120 | super-chunky / roving |
Costing the yarn into a full program? Pair this with the knitwear cost calculator and the size run calculator. New to sourcing? See our knitwear manufacturer overview and the guide for brands starting from scratch.
Nm (metric) and Ne (English cotton) are indirect counts — a higher number means a finer, thinner yarn. Tex, dtex and denier are direct counts — a higher number means a thicker, heavier yarn. Because the two families run in opposite directions, converting between them is not a single multiplier; this tool routes every value through Tex (grams per 1,000 m) as a common basis.
The fixed relationships are Ne = Nm × 0.5905, Tex = 1000 ÷ Nm, dtex = 10 × Tex and denier = 9 × Tex. For example, Nm 30 equals Ne 17.7, Tex 33.3, dtex 333 and denier 300. These factors are exact definitions, so the number crunch itself has no error margin.
Not on its own. Count is a strong indicator of yarn thickness, but the knitted gauge — needles per inch, such as 7gg or 12gg — also depends on how many ends are plied together and the machine setting. Treat the thickness class here as a planning guide and confirm the real gauge with a knitted swatch before you commit a production spec.
It is a folded yarn: two ends of a 30 Nm single twisted together, which knits roughly twice as heavy as the single — about Nm 15, or Tex 67. Enter the resulting folded count, not the single, when you want the thickness of the yarn as it is actually knitted. If a supplier's spec is ambiguous, send it to us and we will confirm the effective count.
Send your yarn spec and tech pack and we'll reply within one business day with pricing, a sample timeline and an honest feasibility read on gauge and count.