Comparison between Knitted and Woven Fabrics

Knitting is a method of producing the fabrics, where yarns are interlooped to form a flat fabric. Two types of knitting exist, namely, warp knitting and weft knitting whereas, weaving is another method to produce fabrics by the right angle interlacement of 2 sets of yarn –named as warp [longitudinal direction or length-wise direction] and weft [transverse direction or width-wise direction]. The prominent differences between the knitted and woven fabrics, machine and manufacturing process are mentioned below.

Comparison between knitted and woven fabrics, machine and manufacturing process:

Sl no.	Parameter	Knitted Fabric	Woven Fabric
01	Process requirement	Fabric can be produced from a single end or a cone of a yarn in case of weft knitting.	Fabric requires two sets of yarn for interlacement, one is warp and other is weft yarn.
02	Dimensional stability	Less stable. Careful handling is required for knitted fabric during wet processing and stitching.	More stable.
03	Comfort	More open spaces that give better air permeability and moisture management.	Less comfort due to tight structure.
04	Shape retention properties	Knitted garments get the shape of the wearer’s body, hence, best for undergarments.	Woven garments retain their own shape.
05	Crease resistant	High crease resistance	Poor crease resistance
06	Development route	Fabric can be produced from yarn package. So process route is very short.	Yarn preparation requires like warping, sizing drawing, etc.
07	Conversion Cost	Conversion requires no preparation, so conversion cost is low.	Conversion from yarn to fabric involves various processes. The conversion cost is higher.
08	Environmental effect	The yarn is just waxed. No need to size the yarn, so development cause less environmental hazards.	Preparation includes a sizing of warp yarn that has to remove before color application, that may cause environmental pollution

Reference: Textile Engineering by Yasir Nawab.