Wholesale Linens Glossary - B

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Base Fabric - The underlying substrate of a coated fabric.

Basis Weight - The weight of a unit area of fabric. For example, ounces per square yard and grams per square centimeter.

Basket Stitch - A knit construction where purl and plain loops are combined to create a basket weave effect.

Basket Weave - A variation of the plain weave in which two or more warp and filling threads are woven side by side to resemble a plaited basket. Basket weave fabrics have a loose construction and a flat appearance.

Bidirectional Fabric - A fabric with reinforced fibers in two directions. i.e., the warp (machine) direction and filling (cross-machine) direction.

Binding - Narrow folded fabric sewn around a seam or edge to support, protect, or change its appearance.

Bleach Proof - The result of a special dyeing process that resists color loss from a textile product when introduced to a chemical beaching agent. The term "bleach proof" is most often used in connection with beauty salon towels.

Bleeding - Loss of color by a fabric or yarn when immersed in water, a solvent, or a similar liquid medium as a result of improper dying or the use of poor quality dyes.

Blend - A yarn obtained when two or more different fibers are combined into a single yarn.

Broadcloth - A tightly woven, lustrous cotton or polyester/cotton blend fabric in a plain weave with a crosswise rib. Broadcloth resembles poplin, but the rib is finer. Also, broadcloth has more picks than poplin.

Bulk - The purchase of large quantities of identical products at a reduced cost. Sometimes wholesale linens are purchased in bulk by the end user to save money. In other cases, they are purchased in bulk by distributors who re-sell the wholesale linen products to end users in smaller quantities.

Bunting - A soft, flimsy, loose-textured, plain weave fabric used most frequently in flags. Bunting was originally made from cotton or worsted yarns, but today's flags are made primarily from nylon or acrylic fibers.

Burr - A protruding, ragged edge raised on the surface of metal. Burrs can be created in both home and professional laundry equipment. If not filed to a smooth finish, burrs will destroy the wholesale linens being processed in the equipment.