When picking a fabric, there are many considerations to take in.  When you’re looking at fabric and you may see “70d” labeled on it, what does that mean? Well, the “d” stands for denier.

A denier is a unit of measurement that expresses fiber thickness of individual threads or filaments in fabric or textiles. This is done by using a single strand of silk as a reference for one denier where 9000m of the strand would equal one gram.

Standard fabrics are typically between 40d and 80d. Heavy duty fabric — used for backpacks and tents — can be between 100d and 600d. A fiber with a denier of less than one is considered a microfiber.

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This is an important number to know especially for outerwear or athletic wear. These pieces have to be lightweight enough so that they don’t weigh down the user. However, you must also consider how much the garment will be subject to abrasions since lower denier fabrics will not hold up to intense wear and tear.

The denier of tights and pantyhose also matter greatly. A smaller denier will produce a see through product while a higher one will be more opaque.

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