What Does Carding Mean?

Carding as a word is used in two contexts, a torture process and a textile manufacturing process.

The torture process of carding consisted of tearing out the sufferer's flesh with combs made of metal. These combs were originally used to comb wool.

Carding in textiles refers to the process wherein washed or raw strands of fibre are brushed in order to make them suitable for textile production. Carding involves the untying, cleaning and straightening of fibre to make it ready for the textile process. This can be done manually or by machine.

An assortment of fibres is suitable for the process of carding. These include llama, fibre obtained from soy beans (soy silk), bast, even dog hair. Most common examples of carded fibre are wool and cotton. Some fibres that cannot be carded include flax, that is threshed instead of carded.

Carding also serves to make blends of two or more diverse fibres of different colours.