Panama Hat Grades and Weaves

The quality of a Panama Hat is determined by the fineness and evenness of it's weave along with the quality and colour of the straw. In simple terms the finer the weave, the finer the hat. Finer weaves are achieved by using thinner individual filaments of straw to weave the hat. Hats with a finer weave are more flexible, roll easily and are less prone to damage. However hats with a finer weave take much longer to produce and prices reflect this. Reducing the width of the straw by half multiplies the amount of work by four so to produce a hat twice as fine takes four times as long. For example a Standard Fedora taking a day or two to weave retails at £18 while a Extra fine Fedora which might take 30 times as long to weave would retail at well over £120.

The weave itself should be even and regular with no gaps or bumps. Ideally every straw should be the same width and fit together and the rows should be straight and even. The weave should have the appearance of rows of small diamond shapes. Some irregularity is unavoidable in hand woven hats, a reflection of an individual weaver's personal style. It is also usual for weave density to decrease slightly from the crown of the hat to the brim although this can be reduced by the addition of extra filaments during the weaving. Variations also occur in straw thickness, length and colour.

Panama Hat Weaves

Two styles of weave are common, Brisa and Llano although at first sight it can be hard to tell these apart. The brisa weave is characterised by a regular diamond pattern while the Llano weave has a herringbone weave. The Llano weave produces a finer result however, due to its more intricate design, takes longer to produce and thus results in more expensive hats.

Coloured Weaves

It is possible to weave hats from straw filaments which have been pre dyed to create often complex woven patterns in the hat. This however can increase the production time and hence the price.

Grading Panama Hats

Grading is a measure of weave density per inch. This is determined by counting the number of straws that run in one direction within an inch (2.54 cms) and deducting 10 (ten). The larger this number, the higher the "grade". Hat grades range from 1 to 20 and take between 1 to 60 days to weave. The majority of hats available range from grade 2 to grade 8. This weave density measure is used for classifying hats woven in the area around Cuenca.

The series of images below illustrates a range of grades from 2 - 12 in a Llano weave.

Enjires measure the quality of the extra-fine hats woven in the Manabi Province around the town of Monticristi When a hat is held to the light, a series of concentric rings in the crown, called "vueltas" are visible. These are created as additional strands of straw called "enjires" are inserted in the weave of hats to maintain the fineness of the weave as the crown widens. A hat's enjires are simply determined by turning it upside down, and counting the circles on the inside of the crown. The larger this number the higher the quality.

Inner Crown of a Grade 8 Llano Hat showing Vueltas where additional filaments are added.

Pachacuti's Range of Grades

Pachacuti imports hats in the Brisa weave in four grades Standard (Grade 2/3), Superior (Grade 4), Fine (Grade 8) and Extra Fine (Grade 10-12).Not all hats are available in all grades from stock (for availability please see our retail and wholesale pages). It is possible to place special orders for hats in other grades or in Llano weave if required. Please email or phone for details.

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