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Katan is silk yarn twisted tight and woven close, which gives a firm, lustrous cloth with body — it holds a heavy border, keeps its pleats and does not cling. It is the usual base for wedding sarees and for the brocade weaving called Banarasi, so the two names travel together: a "Katan Banarasi" is Banarasi brocade woven on a Katan silk ground.

Katan without brocade is a saree in its own right — a plain or lightly figured silk in a deep colour with a woven border — and a good choice for a guest who wants richness without weight.

Because the yarn is pure silk, the cloth should feel warm and dry to the hand and crush softly; a polyester sold as Katan feels cool and slippery and springs back.