Mercerization is one of the terms in our jeans and denim glossary. For information about more jeans terms, please visit our Denim Glossary.

Mercerization
A treatment of cotton yarn or fabric to increase its luster and affinity for dyes. The material is immersed under tension in a cold sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) solution in warp or skein form or in the piece, and is later neutralized in acid. The process causes a permanent swelling of the fiber and thus increases its luster.