Piece goods

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Woollen piece goods Shawls.jpg
Woollen piece goods

Piece goods were the textile materials sold in cut pieces as per the buyer's specification. The piece goods were either cut from a fabric roll or produced with a certain length, also called yard goods. Various textiles such as cotton, wool, silk, etc., were traded in terms of piece goods. The prices were determined as per the fabric quality. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

John Forbes Watson classified Indian textiles into two types: piece goods and loom goods. Piece goods are materials that must be cut and sewn before they can be used, whereas loom goods, such as scarves and Saris, are ready to use after leaving the loom. [6]

Production

Many Indian clothes were ready to wear after leaving the loom. These were simple pieces of cloth of dimensions suited to the purposes. Lungi, Dhoti, and Sari are few specific examples of drape clothes. Other cloths produced according to specified dimensions are:

Trading practices

Textile piece goods have been sold globally in many varieties, including grey, bleached, or dyed and prints. [22] [23] And the practice is still being followed by many buyers. The knitted fabric is traded by weight also.

History

Historically drapers and cloth merchants were trading in piece goods. India was famous for its handloom cotton piece goods. Many fabrics of coarse to fine cotton qualities such as Baftas, calicos, and muslins were used to be exported during the Mughal era.

There are records stating that in 1664 the East India Company imported 273,746 pieces of cotton cloth from India (approximately 4.2 million sq. meters). This increasing trend finally peaked in 1684 at 1,760,315 pieces (or 26.9 million sq. meters). [24] [25] Woolen and silk piece goods were also traded. [26] [27] [3] [28] [29] Woollen piece goods for example shawls were exported from Kashmir. [30]

The exports were continued until the British cloths emerged in the 19th century. [31] Substantial quantities of various piece goods were exported from Madras in 18th and 19th century. Punjum cloths accounted for a sizable portion of Madras' exports in the 18th century. Punjum, Salampores, Palampores, Chintz, Book muslin and Longcloth, varieties of Ghingahm were among the piece goods which were exported to America from Madras. [32] : 22, 429  [20]

During the 1920s, the Philippines was the largest market for cotton piece goods exported by the United States of America. [33]

Currently

Several textile piece goods are still traded with different HS codes to differentiate the weave, structure, and composition. For example, HS code 51123030 stands for hundred percent wool, and 58109100 is for woven dyed cotton with embroidery piece goods. The Harmonized System, or HS, is an identification code developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). [34] [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calico</span> Type of textile

Calico is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than canvas or denim. However, it is still very cheap owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslin</span> Cotton fabric of fine plain weave

Muslin is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percale</span> Closely woven plain-weave fabric

Percale is a closely woven plain-weave fabric often used for bed covers. Percale has a thread count of about 140 or higher and is noticeably tighter than twill or sateen. It has medium weight, is firm and smooth with no gloss, and washes very well. It is made from both carded and combed yarns, and may be woven of various fibers, such as cotton, polyester, or various blends.

Longcloth refers to a plain cotton cloth originally made in comparatively long pieces.

During the Sangam age, industrial activity was considered ancillary to agriculture and was mostly domestic, not factory-based. Simple workshops where the blacksmith made the wheel or the carpenter his wooden wares could be called factories of a sort. Weaving, pearl fishing, smithy and ship building were some of the prominent industries of the ancient Tamil country. Cotton and silk fabrics from Madurai and Urayur were in great demand; the textiles from these regions were well known for their high quality. Korkai was the center of pearl trade and produced pearls that were sought after not only in Tamilakam, but in the kingdoms of north India and Rome. Smithy was an essential industry, because the blacksmith manufactured many of the tools and objects used in daily life. The flourishing overseas trade was supported by the shipbuilding industry that produced a variety of ocean and river craft. There were several ancillary industries such as carpentry, fishing, salt manufacture and construction that supported the trade and economic activity of this age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolt (cloth)</span> Roll of fabric

A bolt is a piece of cloth woven on a loom or created by a knitting machine, as it is processed, stored and/or marketed. Consequently, its dimensions are highly variable – flexible and dependent upon the manufacturing, machinery, quantity, size, thickness and quality of the product. It is a unit used in manufacturing, transport and inventory. It is also used as a descriptor for wallpaper, which uses different fabrication machinery. Being encompassing, it is by its nature a generic and ambiguous term of convenience and context, used to describe fabric and wallpaper.

The textile industry in India traditionally, after agriculture, is the only industry that has generated huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labour. The textile industry continues to be the second-largest employment generating sector in India. It offers direct employment to over 35 million people in the country. India is the world's second largest exporter of textiles and clothing, and in the fiscal year 2022, the exports stood at US$ 44.4 billion. According to the Ministry of Textiles, the share of textiles in total exports during April–July 2010 was 11.04%. During 2009–2010, the Indian textile industry was pegged at US$55 billion, 64% of which services domestic demand. In 2010, there were 2,500 textile weaving factories and 4,135 textile finishing factories in all of India. According to AT Kearney’s ‘Retail Apparel Index’, India was ranked as the fourth most promising market for apparel retailers in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslin trade in Bengal</span>

Muslin, a cotton fabric of plain weave, was historically hand woven in the areas of Dhaka and Sonargaon in Bangladesh and exported for many centuries. The region forms the eastern part of the historic region of Bengal.

Bafta is a kind of calico, initially made in India.

Khasa was a high-quality variety of calico cloth that was manufactured and used for clothing in the Mughal Empire.

Qutni(cuttanee, couthnys, Koetnies, Kutni) is an old silk and cotton mix cloth with a striped pattern. Qutni is a satin weave structure with silk in warp and cotton in the weft. It was made In Gujarat, India. Qutni was also produced at Damascus, Aleppo, Hama.

Alacha is a lightweight striped cloth made primarily of silk, sometimes cotton, or a mixture of both. The stripe pattern was evident on both sides of the fabric. A typical length of alacha is five yards. It was produced in various parts of India, for example Baikunthpur, Bihar. The cloth was popular in use for female garments such as dupattas (odhni), veils, and petticoats.

Gulbadan was a kind of striped silk produced in Hindustan. The gulbadan was a light textured cloth of silk and cotton. Gulbadan has vertical variegated stripes with a different color than the base color of the cloth. In appearance, it was similar to a glazed calico, unlike Mashru, which has the satin (lustrous) surface.The contemporary silk piece goods were Daryai and Dhupehan. Gulbadan was available in many color combinations and sizes. Gulbadan of Amritsar and Lahore were famous. "Sufi" was another name for Gulbadan striped fabric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mashru</span> Woven cloth, blend of silk and cotton

Mashru is a woven cloth that is a blend of silk and cotton. It was historically a hand-woven satin silk fabric variety found in the Indian subcontinent, and its proper use is described in the 16th-century Ain-i-Akbari.

Salampore (salempore) was a kind of cotton cloth produced in India. It had been in use since the 17th century and was exported to Europe and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulboos khas</span> A special kind of mulmul cloth made for the King and used for Royal clothing in the Mughal Empire

Mulboos khas was a special kind of mulmul cloth made for the King and used for Royal clothing in the Mughal Empire. The Mulboos khas was a kind of first-grade muslin exclusively manufactured in Royal Karkhanas notedly in places like Dacca, Sonargaon, Jangalbaree. Nur Jahan, the empress, was a great admirer of Dacca muslins. Mulboos khas was the finest and most expensive type of muslin, and it was used exclusively in Imperial use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jhuna</span> A net like muslin

Jhuna was a fine sheer fabric, an open-weave structure similar to gauze. Jhuna was used primarily in the dresses of the dancers. It was another kind of fine muslin produced in Bengal with other peers such as Buddun khas, kumees, Rang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow cloth</span> A fabric type, woven on narrow width loom

"Narrow cloth" is cloth of a comparatively narrow width, generally less than a human armspan; precise definitions vary.

Punjum was a type of Indian cotton cloth. It was produced in the Northern Circars, on the Coromandel Coastal region in South East India. Punjum was a kind of cotton longcloth that was produced in a variety of thread counts.

Delaine was a kind of mixed cloth with cotton warp and wool in the weft. Delaines have many variations such as made of undyed yarns, and also printed or piece dyed. Delaine was a type of cloth used to manufacture women's dresses that was traded in the nineteenth century under many names to suit importers and traders. Moreover, it appeared that the plaintiffs' goods differed from delaines in various other respects.

References

  1. ↑ "Definition of PIECE GOODS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  2. ↑ Wingate, Isabel Barnum (1979). Fairchild's dictionary of textiles. Internet Archive. New York : Fairchild Publications. p. 455. ISBN   978-0-87005-198-2.
  3. 1 2 Chaudhury, Sushil (2020-03-10). Spinning Yarns: Bengal Textile Industry in the Backdrop of John Taylor's Report on 'Dacca Cloth Production' (1801). Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-07920-3.
  4. ↑ Blanco, A. E. (2019-11-29). Piece Goods Manual: Fabrics described; textile, knit goods, weaving terms, etc., explained; with notes on the classification of samples. Good Press.
  5. ↑ Office, United States Patent (1925). Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1686.
  6. 1 2 A Monograph on Silk Fabrics Produced in the Northwestern Provinces and Oudh. Printed at the N.-W. Provinces and Oudh Government Press. 1900. p. 70.
  7. ↑ Peck, Amelia (2013). Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 305. ISBN   978-1-58839-496-5.
  8. ↑ Rømer, Ludvig Ferdinand; Mer, Ludewig Ferdinand R. (2000). A Reliable Account of the Coast of Guinea (1760). British Academy. p. 266. ISBN   978-0-19-726218-4.
  9. ↑ Issawi, Charles (1988-07-14). The Fertile Crescent, 1800-1914: A Documentary Economic History. Oxford University Press. p. 383. ISBN   978-0-19-536421-7.
  10. ↑ Ray, Haraprasad (1993). Trade and Diplomacy in India-China Relations: A Study of Bengal During the Fifteenth Century. Radiant Publishers. p. 89. ISBN   978-81-7027-202-1.
  11. ↑ Sangar, S.P. (1969). "Silk Cloth in the 17Th Century". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 31: 233–240. ISSN   2249-1937. JSTOR   44138372.
  12. ↑ Forming ... to the hand-book of the economic products of the Punjab. Engineering College Press. 1872. p. 66.
  13. ↑ FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 222 ''Sohrén gulbadan is made in pieces 36 feet long by 1 foot 4 inches wide . The ground is scarlet with thin yellow and green lines . It is made either of silk or cotton , and is in common use for shirts and trousers among the women of all classes ...'' Baluchistan District Gazetteer Series - Volume 6 - Page 222books.google.co.in › books Baluchistan (Pakistan) · 1907
  14. ↑ ''These are often of dark green crepe with a red border . c ) Sohren gulbadan is made in silk or cotton pieces ( 36 feet x 16 inches ) . The material is scarlet with thin yellow lines . This material is used for shirts and trousers among all classes of ...'' Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, ...books.google.co.in › books 1954 ·https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Papers_of_the_Peabody_Museum_of_Archaeol/8mOaDpv505MC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=sohren+gulbadan&dq=sohren+gulbadan&printsec=frontcover
  15. ↑ Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth. Internet Archive. New York ; London : Norton. p. 339. ISBN   978-0-393-01703-8.
  16. ↑ Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth. Internet Archive. New York ; London : Norton. p. 349. ISBN   978-0-393-01703-8.
  17. ↑ Chaudhury, Sushil (2020-03-10). Spinning Yarns: Bengal Textile Industry in the Backdrop of John Taylor's Report on 'Dacca Cloth Production' (1801). Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-07920-3.
  18. ↑ Chaudhury, Sushil (2020-03-10). Spinning Yarns: Bengal Textile Industry in the Backdrop of John Taylor's Report on 'Dacca Cloth Production' (1801). Routledge. ISBN   978-1-000-07920-3.
  19. ↑ Kumar, Raj (2008). Encyclopaedia of Untouchables Ancient, Medieval and Modern. Gyan Publishing House. p. 227. ISBN   978-81-7835-664-8.
  20. 1 2 Watson, John Forbes (1867). The Textile Manufactures and the Costumes of the People of India. Allen. p. 84.
  21. ↑ Shujaa, Mwalimu J.; Shujaa, Kenya J. (2015-07-13). The SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America. SAGE Publications. p. 713. ISBN   978-1-4833-4638-0.
  22. ↑ Administration, United States Office of Price (1943). Press Releases. p. 334.
  23. ↑ Dillon, Michael (2008-08-07). Chinese Economic History up to 1949 (2 vols). Global Oriental. ISBN   978-90-04-21786-7.
  24. ↑ Chaudhuri, Trading World, Table C.14, p. S47
  25. ↑ Richards, John F. (1995). The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press. p. 198. ISBN   978-0-521-56603-2.
  26. ↑ Mann (F.S.S.), James A. (1860). The Cotton Trade of India: A Paper Read Before the Royal Asiatic Society, London, 21st January, 1860. Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane, W.C. p. 7.
  27. ↑ The British Trade Journal. Benn Brothers. 1889.
  28. ↑ Malani, K. P. Sipahi; Soni, Hans Raj (1936). Indian Economics: A General Survey of Indian Economic Problems. Nand Kishore.
  29. ↑ Burnell, A. C.; Yule, Henry (2018-10-24). Hobson-Jobson: Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words And Phrases. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-136-60332-7.
  30. ↑ commerce, India dept of finance and (1880). Review of the trade by land of British India with foreign countries [afterw.] Review of external land trade.
  31. ↑ Stein, Burton (2010-02-04). A History of India. John Wiley & Sons. p. 215. ISBN   978-1-4443-2351-1.
  32. ↑ Milburn, William (1825). Oriental Commerce, Or, The East India Trader's Complete Guide: Containing a Geographical and Nautical Description of the Maritime Parts of India, China, Japan, and Neighbouring Countries ... with an Account of Their Respective Commerce ... Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen.
  33. ↑ Hiram Nones (1932), Philippine Cotton Piece-goods Market, Washington: US Government Printing Office
  34. ↑ "Import Data and Price of textile piece goods under HS Code 5112 | Zauba". www.zauba.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  35. ↑ "Export Data Of Textile Piece Goods Under HS Code 5810 | Textile Piece Goods Export Data Of India". www.indiatradedata.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
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