Cotton Yarn 8/4

Dear users, dear authors,
what is cotton yarn 8/4?
I found this in this product text. 

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I also bought some cotton yarn recently. It’s listed there too. I’d never noticed it before. Until now, I’d mostly crocheted with mercerized cotton; this one is more of a matte yarn.

So I went ahead and looked it up online.

  The “4” at the end refers to the number of individual strands. There’s also 8/8, which means the yarn has 8 strands—it’s twice as thick and has only half the length.

I’m curious to hear what others have to say. 

The number has nothing to do with whether the yarn is mercerized or matte. The number refers to the yarn’s thickness. An “8” means that 1 g of the yarn is 8 m long. The number “4” means (as mentioned above) that 4 strands have been twisted together.
The yarn therefore has a meterage of 100 m per 50 g.
(Calculation: 50 g × 8 m = 400 m, divided among 4 strands: 400 m ÷ 4 =
100 m)

Thank you so much, dear Ruth, for the detailed explanation. I was familiar with 8 and 4 strands, but not with the calculation formula.
You’re never too old to learn something new. 😀
Best regards
Marlies

Dear Ruth, thank you very much for your comment. I added it to my wish list right away. I’ve also come across the term “8/4” when it comes to yarn, as well as filet yarn in sizes 5 or 8. Now we know what it means. Thank you for the clarification—and thank you also to Josefa for asking the question.

Best regards, Ina

When you read the product descriptions in the shop, you keep discovering new things. It’s great that you’re all so actively participating in these discussions.
Thank you all—and especially Ruth—for the information. 

This calculation formula might apply to sock yarn… but it isn’t transferable.
The individual 4 or 8 strands can have different thicknesses, which means the yardage per 50 or 100g will also vary.
For example, I have 8/4 cotton yarn with a yardage of 210m/50g (which corresponds to 4-ply sock yarn or “fingering” weight); others have 160m/50g or 170m/50g, and still others have yardages of 125m, 115m, or 105m per 50g. So it falls somewhere between “sport” and “(light) worsted,” to use some other terms (commonly used in English) that apply to more than just cotton.
That’s why you should always check the yardage on the label and do your own gauge swatch to make sure nothing goes wrong. 😊

Oh, I’ve learned something new again. Thank you, lillyschatz, for your tips.

Best regards, Ina

Thank you all—that was very informative. I didn’t know that either.
Learned something new again.

Have a great weekend👩🧶☕