What is the difference between woven and knit?

The first thing my boss taught me was, “What is the difference between woven and knit fabric?” Knit is t-shirt fabric. Woven is bed sheet fabric. Why is this important? When you enter into the garment manufacturing world you need to know what fabric you are working with. The first question I ask people when they contact us about garment manufacturing in Vietnam is: what kind of fabric does your garment use? If they don’t know the difference then I know their level of knowledge and experience. Another reason for knowing the difference between woven and knit is because most factories work with one fabric or the other not both. For example we are a knit factory not woven. It means that we make t-shirts, polos, hoodies, dresses using circular knitted fabrics like single jersey, pique, interlock etc. We don’t make wedding dresses or mens dress shirts using woven fabric. Below are two images that clearly distinguish the two kinds of fabric.
Also can find out what is the difference between woven and knit fabric on What The Craft website.

Don’t confuse circular knit with flat knit. Circular knit is made with a machine that knits the fabric in a cylinder and the weight is “light.” Circular knit fabric has a gauge of 12 to 22 which basically means that the fabric is thin like t-shirt or fleece fabric. Flat knit is made with a machine that knits the fabric in sheets ( or flat) and the gauge is 2 to 10. Flat knit is thick sweater fabric like your grandmother usually makes sitting in a rocking chair with two needle-sticks. Below is a picture of a circular knit machine and flat knit machine. We work with circular knit fabric. Understanding how these two machines are different is key to understanding the answer to: What is the difference between woven and knit fabric?