At Tootal, our fabrics are divided into 5 colour groups ranging from light to dark: white, pastel, medium, dark and extra dark. This classification is based on the way the fabrics are dyed. In this article you will read more about these production methods.

Piece dyeing vs Yarn dyeing

There are different methods for dyeing fabrics; it can be done at any time during the process. Textiles can be dyed as fibres, yarns, cloth or as the completed garment. Tootal supplies fabrics that are coloured by means of yarn dyeing, piece dyeing and printing.

• In piece dyeing, the cloth is woven in a neutral colour. Only after weaving is it dyed the desired colour. This procedure is widely used for popeline / plain weave cloth.
• In yarn dyeing, the cloth is woven in coloured yarns. This means the fabric is already the desired colour when it comes off the loom. This method of dyeing is commonly used for dobbies and, of course, for multi-colour designs.

The difference between these two types of fabric is reflected in the price. Yarn-dyed fabrics have the same price for all colours, while piece-dyed fabrics are composed of divided colour groups. These codes can also be found on our colour cards as suffixes behind the colour numbers. The darker the colour, the more expensive the fabric.

Volume of colouring

Sometimes colours that do not appear dark at first glance may still fall into the ‘dark’ colour group. For example, canary yellow, bright green or fire red. However, these colours require a relatively large volume of colouring dyes to create the right shade, sometimes just as much as dark blue or black.

Are you curious about which light colours are actually sold as dark colours? Check our collection page and filter your desired fabrics desription and colour group.