Momme is a term derived from Japanese and serves as a weight measurement unit for authentic silk. Momme, often abbreviated as mm, signifies the weight in pounds of a fabric piece measuring 45 inches by 100 yards. That's an incredibly long length, equivalent to the size of a football field! To provide a more relatable measurement for sheets, one momme is approximately 4.340 grams per square meter. Eight momme fabric weighs about 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.
A higher momme indicates a heavier and denser weave. During the silk production process, the silk factory adjusts the density and yarn count of the silk thread to control the fabric's weight, or momme. For instance, a 30 momme charmeuse pillowcase has the weft and warp of silk fibers woven closer together compared to a 19 momme charmeuse pillowcase. Higher momme silk fabrics also use thicker yarn. In this regard, momme is similar to thread count, which is commonly used to measure the weave of cotton sheets.