Abstract: A papermaker's fabric having a smooth surface and a prolonged life includes flat machine-direction yarns which define the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The fabric has two layers of cross-machine direction yarns, each of which is interwoven with the flat machine-direction yarns. Other machine-direction yarns, of round cross section, weave with the cross-machine-direction yarns in the two layers to bind the two layers together. The knuckles of these round machine-direction yarns are within the fabric with respect to the planes defined by the flat machine-direction yarns, and, as a consequence, are less susceptible to degradation by heat and abrasion. The round machine-direction yarns may be used to seam the fabric. A longer fabric life follows from the protection of the round machine-direction yarns by the flat. The papermaker's fabric is particularly useful as a dryer fabric on the dryer section of a papermachine.