What is the Definition of Greige Fabric?

Whether they end up as bags, shoes, tarps, linings, couches or window curtains, all fabrics begin as greige fabric.

Greige fabric (pronounced “grey” fabric) is the raw, unprocessed, and unfinished woven fabric taken directly from a loom. Greige goods are the direct product of weaving when the fabric is still in its natural state and has yet to be bleached, dyed, coated, or otherwise finished.

Many manufacturers purchase greige goods in bulk to cut & sew products or further process them by dyeing, coating, or laminating them. Some customers will use the greige goods for their printed fabrics. Greige fabric can be cotton, poly-cotton blend, nylon, polyester, or any other woven fiber.

There are several names industry professionals use to refer to greige fabrics, all of which are virtually interchangeable:

Grey fabric        

Gray fabric        

Greige goods        

Loom-state fabrics        

Despite how the name sounds, Greige is simply the international standard name for raw woven fabric, regardless of fiber. The term originated as a combination of “gray” and “beige” because Cotton Greige Fabric is typically in a gray or off-white shade.