We often receive questions from our customers on social media about poplin or ranforce asking how it’s different from cotton. Some of these terms are regional, such as ranforce or akfil, and they need to be exactly defined so the users know what to expect for their order.
Other terms like poplin are more common and luckily there’s an international knowledge of their features and can be defined more easily.
Cotton as we know, is the fiber, the meterial that can be used to create many types of fabrics, including poplin. Cotton Poplin is is a type of fabric which is opaque, soft, durable and strong. But cotton is not limited to poplin nor poplin is limited to cotton. Many types of materials can form a poplin fabric, and many other types of fabrics can result from cotton.
But usually when they say “cotton” they mean cotton fabric. Because there are different cotton fabrics and only one of them is called poplin. So, what is poplin anyway? And what makes poplin poplin?
What is poplin?
Poplin is a type of cotton fabric known for its smooth, tightly woven texture and subtle ribbed effect. It is made using a plain weave with a fine warp yarn and a thicker weft yarn, which gives it a crisp feel and slight sheen. This structure makes poplin lightweight yet durable, breathable, and resistant to wrinkles, making it a popular choice for dress shirts, summer clothing, and even home textiles. What sets poplin apart is its balance of softness and sturdiness, offering a refined look while remaining comfortable to wear.
Here are key distinctive features of poplin fabric:
- Poplin is made of 100% cotton; it means there is no polyester mixed in.
- It is made of thick cotton yarns (esp. weft yarn), making it heavy and durable, yet light enough to be used in children’s clothes. Other types of cotton fabrics (such as cambric and cotton voile) use finer yarn to achieve less weight and thinner finish and partly transparent fabrics. The number of Warp yarns is nearly double
the number of weft yarns in poplin fabric (because of using finer yarns for warp). - Poplin is breathable since it’s made of pure cotton.
- Because of its special weave, poplin is smooth and even (not as soft and shiny as satin) and less likely to crease or wrinkle. therefore, it’s perfect for making pleats if that’s what you need (as in garmets, bed linens, etc).
In Turkey, the poplin fabric is widely known as ranforce. And this word has roots in French language, meaning re-inforced. And it implies to the strength of this type of fabric. So, if you ever visit Istanbul and decide to order fabrics, remember, ranforce is just another name for poplin. Similarly, the word “akfil” means plain color. And it usually means poplin fabrics with no design, just simple colors.
Differences between poplin and cotton
Now we have an understanding of cotton poplin fabric features. It is a thick and durable, yet soft and breathable type of fabric. And cotton is the material that forms poplin. Organic cotton fabrics are very popular in clothing industry and of course poplin is mainly used in bedding, as bedspread or pillow cover or duvet cover. The uses of this type of fabric are many. If you have questions or have intersting stories about your experience with these fabric types, you can share with us via the comments below.
