What is Momme Silk?

What is Momme Silk?

Momme(mm) is used to measure density of silk fabrics and provide understanding of the quality in a silk fabric.

The formula for calculating the momme number is: grams per square meter / 4.3056. For example, if a material with a width of 1.14 meters has a weight of 100 grams per meter, then the thickness of the material is 100/(1.14*1)/4.3056=20.4mm; if the material is 1.40m, The width is 100/(1.40*1)/4.3056=16.6mm.

Silk is measured by weight either by grams or by momme (mm). 28 grams = 1 ounce. 8 momme = 1 oz. In determining the right silk for your purposes, silk under 20 momme is considered lightweight, 20 to 28 is considered mediumweight and anything above that is considered heavyweight. You can calculate that if a 20mm silk charmeuse sells for $18.00 it would stand to reason that a 30mm would be more expensive and so on. The more body (weight) that a silk has, the longer the shelf-life.

The average momme weight for silk ranges from 12 momme - 22 momme. 22 momme being of a higher quality, and a longer expected lifespan. The higher the momme weight, the higher the amount of silk used, and the more expensive and greater quality the silk is. The higher the weight in mommes, the more durable the weave, and the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use. And, the heavier the silk, the opaquer it becomes.