Reed Denting Plans and Fabric Width Control
topic
Reed denting determines the number of warp ends per reed dent, typically 1, 2, or 3 ends per dent for most fabric constructions, with reed count expressed in dents per centimetre or dents per inch governing the warp sett in the reed that determines woven fabric width, with denting plan variations including skip denting for open fabrics, grouped denting for stripe emphasis, and selvedge reinforcement denting with additional ends per dent at fabric edges for improved selvedge integrity.
Role
Determines the physical fabric width and warp sett in the reed that govern the woven-in width that fabric will relax to after weaving, requiring the reed denting plan to compensate for the anticipated fabric take-in from the reed width to the relaxed woven width for each fabric construction, and with selvedge denting reinforcement being particularly important for rapier and air-jet loom selvedges where edge integrity without shuttle selvedge formation requires stronger denting at the fabric edges.