Georgette, chiffon and crepe are all made with high-twist yarns, and the difference lies mainly in weight, sheerness and surface texture. Georgette is a medium-light fabric with a slightly crinkled surface and a fluid drape, chiffon is lighter, finer and sheer, and crepe is a broader family with a pebbled surface and a wider range of weights. In Surat all three are usually woven from polyester filament, though viscose and silk versions exist. Buyers often confuse them because the names are used loosely in the market, so it is worth being precise in a specification.
Quick comparison
- Weight: chiffon is the lightest, georgette sits in the middle and crepe is usually the heaviest.
- Sheerness: chiffon is sheer, georgette is semi-sheer and most crepes are opaque.
- Surface: chiffon is smooth, georgette is finely crinkled and crepe is pebbled or grainy.
- Hand: chiffon is soft and floating, georgette is slightly dry and springy, and crepe has more body.
- Typical use: chiffon for overlays and dupattas, georgette for sarees and dresses, crepe for unlined garments.
Georgette
Georgette is woven with crepe-twist yarns in both warp and weft, usually with alternating twist directions, which pulls the fabric into a fine crinkle when it is finished. The result is a fabric that is slightly dry to the touch, drapes well and does not cling. It is semi-sheer rather than fully transparent, and it is often lined for dresses but worn unlined in sarees. Polyester georgette in Surat is typically sold in a few standard weights, with the heavier qualities used for sarees and dresses and the lighter ones for scarves and overlays.
Chiffon and crepe
Chiffon uses finer yarns and a more open construction, so it is lighter and more transparent than georgette. It has a smooth, soft hand and a floating drape, and it is usually layered over another fabric or lined. Because it is fine, chiffon is harder to cut and sew than georgette and more likely to show weaving faults, so inspection standards should be stricter.
Crepe describes any fabric whose surface has been given a pebbled or grainy texture, usually through high-twist yarns but sometimes through a weave or a finish. It covers a wide range, from light crepe de chine to heavier moss crepe and crepe-back satin. Crepe is generally opaque and heavier than georgette, which makes it suitable for unlined dresses, blouses and trousers. When asking for crepe, a buyer should state the weight in grams per square metre and the construction, because the word alone fixes neither.
How we help
We visit weaving and process units to match your reference swatch to the right construction rather than the nearest market name. We audit the units, send sealed samples to an NABL-accredited lab for weight, shrinkage and colour fastness, inspect rolls before loading and supervise loading. Weekly updates keep you informed, and we hold one approved supplier plus one backup. A free 20-minute sourcing review is a good first step if you have swatches to match.