“Super 120s” is printed on more swatch cards and suit labels than almost any other grade, and it is often sold as a step up. The number is real, but it measures one thing only: how fine the wool fibers are.
Super 120s is the sweet spot for most men buying a suit they will wear regularly: it feels noticeably smoother than coarser wool, yet holds up to a weekly rotation far better than Super 150s and above. Finer fibers feel softer, but they also wrinkle more easily and wear faster, so the highest grades make the most sense for suits you wear less often.
What the Super Number Actually Measures
The Super number sets the maximum average diameter of the wool fibers in the cloth, measured in microns. That is all it describes. It says nothing about the weave, the weight, the color or how well the suit is made.
The Micron Scale
A cloth labeled Super 120s must be woven from wool with an average fiber diameter of 17.75 microns or finer. For scale, a human hair is several times thicker. Each step up the scale tightens the limit by half a micron:
- Super 100s: 18.75 microns or finer
- Super 110s: 18.25 microns or finer
- Super 120s: 17.75 microns or finer
- Super 130s: 17.25 microns or finer
- Super 150s: 16.25 microns or finer
- Super 180s: 14.75 microns or finer
Those gaps look tiny on paper, but your skin notices them. Finer fibers bend more easily, so the cloth feels smoother and drapes more softly.
Where the Numbers Came From
The numbers grew out of the old Bradford count, a system English spinners used to grade wool by how many hanks of yarn, each 560 yards long, they could spin from a pound of combed wool. Finer wool spun more hanks and earned a higher number. Today, the IWTO, the wool trade’s international standards body, ties each Super grade to a measured average fiber diameter. So the label is a real standard, not marketing fluff.
Why It Applies to Worsted Wool
Super labels are used on worsted cloth. To make worsted yarn, the wool is combed so the long fibers lie parallel and the short ones are removed, then spun into a smooth, tight yarn. Here is the catch: finer fibers make softer yarn, but each strand is weaker unless the spinner adds twist or uses more fibers. That single trade-off explains why the grades behave so differently once you wear them.
How the Common Grades Compare
Each step up the scale trades some durability for softness.
| Grade | Max Fiber Diameter | Feel | Durability | Best Use |
| Super 100s | 18.75 microns | Smooth, firm, crisp | High | Daily office suits, hard-working trousers |
| Super 120s | 17.75 microns | Soft with good body | Good | Most-worn suits, a first custom suit |
| Super 130s | 17.25 microns | Softer, more fluid drape | Moderate | Suits worn once or twice a week |
| Super 150s | 16.25 microns | Very soft, slight sheen | Lower | Occasion and evening suits |
| Super 180s | 14.75 microns | Silky, delicate | Low | Rarely worn special-event suits |
Why Finer Is Not Automatically Better
Very fine wool is a joy to touch on a swatch. Wear it four days a week, though, and it creases faster at the elbows and behind the knees, loses its press sooner and can develop shine where it rubs. A Super 180s suit on a heavy rotation will look tired well before a Super 120s worn just as often. That is why tailors steer busy clients toward the middle of the scale. The finest cloths are beautiful. They simply suit a narrower life.
The Specs That Matter Just as Much
Two cloths with the same Super number can wear completely differently, because weight, weave and twist all change the result. A Super 120s twill of around 12 ounces feels substantial, drapes with authority and shrugs off desk-chair friction. A Super 120s plain weave of around 8 ounces is a light summer cloth that needs gentler handling. High-twist yarn, at any grade, springs back from wrinkles and resists abrasion. For the wider picture on weights and weaves, see our expert guide to choosing suit fabrics.
Which Grade Fits Your Schedule?
Start with one question: how many hours a week will you be in this suit? The more you wear it, the lower on the scale you should look.
The Daily Office Suit
For suits worn three or more days a week, Super 110s to 120s is the range we recommend most. You get a soft hand without the fragility of the finer grades. If you suit up five days a week, a Super 100s or 110s twill in navy or charcoal makes a tough anchor for the rotation, with Super 120s suits filling in around it.
Frequent Travel
On the road, yarn twist matters more than the Super number. A mid-weight, high-twist Super 110s or 120s will come out of a garment bag looking far better than a soft Super 150s. Darker solids and subtle patterns help hide whatever creases remain.
Weddings and Special Occasions
A suit you will wear a handful of times can go finer. Super 130s or 150s gives a fluid drape and a gentle sheen that photographs beautifully. If you want the suit to start a second life at the office afterward, Super 120s makes that much more realistic. Our guide to wedding suits for the groom covers the style side of the day.
Hot Weather
A finer grade is not a cooler grade. Breathability comes from a light weight and an open weave, so choose those first, then the Super number.
This is where seeing cloth in person beats reading labels. At a fitting, we put Super 100s, 120s and 150s swatches side by side, talk through how often you will actually wear the suit, and match the grade, weight and weave to your week. If you would like to explore the options for your own suit, book a fitting and bring your calendar along.
How to Judge a Swatch
A label tells you fiber fineness. Your hands tell you the rest. Hold the swatch in good light and scrunch it in your fist for a few seconds: good cloth springs back with few creases. Then ask for the full specs, including fiber content, weight and weave, because those numbers matter as much as the Super grade.
Fit matters as much as fiber. Tight spots create friction, and friction wears fine cloth fast, so a Super 120s jacket that pulls across the back will age much faster than the same cloth cut with proper room. Our guide to how a men’s suit should fit covers the shoulders, sleeves and trouser break to check.
Where Fine Wool Wears First
On a fine worsted, the trousers give out before the jacket, at the inner thigh, seat and pocket edges. Keep your wallet and phone out of the back pockets, and if a suit is in heavy rotation, order a second pair of trousers so the jacket and pants age at the same pace. Above all, give fine wool a full day off after each wear so the fibers can relax and shed their wrinkles.
Choose the Grade for the Life You Will Give It
The best Super number is the one that matches your week. For a suit that works hard, Super 120s gives you softness you can feel without asking you to baby it.
Across the Cincinnati metro, and now in Orlando and Winter Park, our concierge fittings bring the swatch books to your home or office, so you can feel the difference between grades before you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Super 120s better than Super 100s?
It is softer, not better. Super 100s is firmer and more durable, which makes it great for a suit worn four or five days a week. For most other schedules, Super 120s strikes the better balance between comfort and wear.
Does a higher Super number mean a better-made suit?
No. The number only describes the fineness of the wool fibers. How the jacket is cut, constructed and finished is a separate question entirely, and a well-made suit in Super 110s will outperform a poorly made one in Super 180s.
Is Super 120s wool scratchy?
Very rarely. At 17.75 microns or finer, the fibers are fine enough that most people find the cloth smooth against the skin, especially with a shirt and trouser lining in between. If you are very sensitive to wool, handle a swatch on the inside of your wrist before you commit.
Why does my fine wool suit look shiny in places?
Shine usually comes from friction or heat flattening the fibers, most often at the seat, elbows and knees, or after pressing without a cloth. Finer grades show it sooner. More rest between wears, steaming instead of ironing, and a fit with enough room all help prevent it.
