Abstract: A dehydration element for the fourdrinier part of a paper making machine is a metal or plastic twill-weave binding fabric in which the longitudinal (warp) threads bound to the woof threads are closely spaced to each other up to the point where the longitudinal threads are tightly pressed together. The result is a substantially closed mesh in which water drawn from the pulp passes through the element by capillary action in the fine channels and diagonal openings of the cloth. Preferably the cloth is an unevenly bound twill-weave with its paper side unifilarly bound and its machine side multifilarly bound.