How a yarn is spun shapes its strength, hand and price as much as the fibre. Here are the three main staple-spinning systems compared.
Ring spinning
The classic system: fibres are drafted and twisted on a ring frame. It makes the finest, strongest, smoothest yarn across the widest count range — the choice for knitwear, fine shirting and quality fabric. See combed cotton.
Rotor (open-end) spinning
Fibres are fed into a high-speed rotor, producing a bulkier, very uniform yarn in coarser counts at lower cost — ideal for denim, towels and heavy fabric. See open-end yarn and our guide on ring-spun vs open-end.
Air-jet / vortex spinning
Air jets wrap fibres to form yarn at very high speed, giving a low-hairiness, low-pilling yarn with a distinct hand — used for certain knit and blended fabrics.
Choosing a system
Ring for fineness and strength, rotor for economical coarse yarn, air-jet where low pilling and speed matter. We help you match the spin to your fabric and budget.
We supply ring-spun and open-end yarn matched to your fabric and budget.
More in our yarn guides and glossary.