Super 110s, 120s, 130s: what the number actually means

Cloth gets sold on a number. Super 110s, Super 130s, Super 150s. Higher sounds better, and shops lean on that. It is worth knowing what the number measures, because it is not quality and it is not durability.

It measures fineness

The Super number is a scale for the diameter of the wool fibre. Super 110s is roughly 18.5 microns; Super 130s is finer, around 17.5; Super 150s finer again. A finer fibre spins into a smoother, lighter, more lustrous yarn.

Finer is not the same as better

A very fine fibre is also a more delicate one. Super 150s drapes beautifully and feels wonderful in the hand. It also creases more readily, scuffs more easily, and wears through at the knees and seat sooner. It is a cloth for a suit worn occasionally, in a car, to an event.

For a suit you will actually wear — to work, on a train, sitting down for hours — the sweet spot sits lower. Super 110s to 130s is where most people get the best of both: smooth enough to look expensive, sturdy enough to survive a Tuesday.

A Super 110s from a good mill beats a Super 150s from a poor one, every time.

What matters more than the number

• Who wove it. A mill with a long reputation is buying better raw wool and finishing it better.
• The weight, in grams per metre. A 260–280g cloth is a genuine year-round weight in most of the United States. Lighter than about 240g and it wants a warm climate.
• The weave. A twill or a hopsack resists creasing far better than a flat, smooth finish at the same Super number.

Our Essential cloth is Vitale Barberis Canonico Perennial, a Super 110s pure merino. The mill has been weaving in the Biella district of Italy since 1663. We chose that cloth over a higher number on purpose: it is the one people can wear hard without babying it.