Assessment of Yarn Quality Parameters of Locally Spun Acrylic Yarns Used in Knitwear Production in Aba, Abia State

Acrylic yarn is the dominant raw material for hand-knit and machine-knit garments produced by small-scale knitwear enterprises in Aba, Abia State, South East Nigeria, yet systematic quality evaluation of locally spun product is largely absent from industry practice. This study assesses key yarn quality parameters including linear density accuracy, tensile properties, evenness, hairiness, and twist factor for acrylic yarns sourced from local distributors in Aba. Yarn samples of nominal counts 2/28 Nm and 2/32 Nm were collected from five domestic suppliers and evaluated using standardised testing equipment. Linear density was measured against declared counts, and tensile properties including breaking force, tenacity, and elongation at break were determined. Evenness measurement using an electronic evenness tester provided data on the coefficient of mass variation, thin places, thick places, and neps. Twist per metre measurements were compared against expected values for ring-spun acrylic. Results reveal significant variation in linear density across suppliers, with deviation from declared count ranging from minus 6 to plus 11 percent. Tenacity values ranged from 9.2 to 14.7 cN/tex across suppliers, indicating inconsistent raw material quality. Evenness coefficients of variation exceeded 14 percent for three out of five suppliers, with elevated thin and thick place counts likely to cause knitting defects. The study recommends quality audit protocols for yarn procurement by Aba knitwear manufacturers and engagement with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to establish minimum quality benchmarks for domestically traded knitting yarns in South East Nigeria. Keywords: acrylic yarn, yarn quality, evenness, linear density, knitwear