Velion Shop — Velvet and velour fabrics: how the two | velionshop.com
The short answer: velvet is woven as a double cloth and sliced apart on the loom, while velour is a knitted pile with 4-way stretch.
Construction is the root difference. Velvet is woven as two face-to-face layers joined by shared pile yarns, then sliced apart on the loom into two pieces of dense cut pile. Velour is knitted as a single pile cloth, and the loop structure is what gives it stretch.
Weight separates them further. Velvet spans three bands — 130–250 gsm for apparel, 250–400 gsm for curtains and decor, 350–550 gsm for upholstery — while velour usually holds one band at 200–300 gsm. The full weight table with drape notes is at /velvet-fabric-weights.
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Stretch is the fastest field test. Velour extends in every direction and recovers, thanks to its 4-way knit; woven velvet barely moves when pulled. If a fabric stretches on the bias as easily as along the grain, it is a knit.
Width adds another clue. Furnishing velvet comes off the loom at 137–150 cm (54–60 inches), and garment velveteen is often 110–140 cm. Velour's width is set by the knitting machine rather than by a slicing loom, so it varies by maker.
Pile height on velvet runs about 1.5–4 mm, and longer piles crush and watermark more easily — a care issue covered step by step at /how-to-clean-velvet. Whichever fabric you choose, the same wash limit applies: 30 °C or colder on a gentle cycle.
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