Fabric Classification

What are the common fabrics used for clothes? And what are natural fibres, chemical fibres and recycled fibres? What is the difference? What are the traits of polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex, and other ‘spandex’ types?

The main raw material for clothes is textile fibre. Manufacturers can process textile fibres to make yarns. Manufacturers can process yarns to make flat fabrics. After a certain process, fabrics become the material for making clothes. The process to make clothing materials is: textile fibre → yarn → fabric → clothing materials. This article will explore fabrics from the angle of textile fibres. It will cover their classification and characteristics.

Beginner’s knowledge of textile fibres

We can divide textile fibres into two types: natural and non-natural.

Natural fibres

People obtain natural fibres from nature, and they can use them in textiles. They are of two types: plant fibres and animal fibres. Plant fibres are fibres from the artificial cultivation of plants. They are mostly cellulose. Examples include cotton, kapok, flax, and ramie. Animal fibres are from artificially bred animals. They are mostly protein. They include silk from mulberry and sericea silks, and wool, cashmere, mohair, and rabbit hair.

Non-natural fibres

Non-natural fibres, also called chemical fibres, are fibrous substances. Chemical methods and mechanical processing obtain them. Researchers can divide them into two types: man-made and synthetic fibres. This is based on various sources of raw materials and processing methods.

Manufacturers make a man-made fibre from wood, soy, milk, and other natural materials. They call it regenerated fibre. They are chemically processed into a polymer solution. Then, they spin the solution and post-process it into fibres. Fibres made from chemically processing natural cellulose materials, like cotton, wood, and bagasse, are called man-made cellulosic fibres. They are also known as regenerated cellulosic fibres. There are many types, such as viscose, tencel, modal, cupro-ammonia, and acetate fibres. They vary by raw materials and processing techniques. Fibres made from chemically processed substances with natural proteins are called man-made protein fibres. They’re also known as regenerated protein fibres. They include soy, corn, and milk fibres.

Manufacturers make synthetic fibres from coal, petroleum, natural gas, and other substances. A chemical process turns them into a solution. Then, they spin and post-treat. The types of synthetic fibres are very diverse. This is due to differences in raw materials and production processes. They include polyester, polyamide, acrylic, spandex, polypropylene, and other kinds of ‘spandex’.

We can divide textile fibres into filament and staple fibres. They base this on their lengths. A fibre is a filament if it is tens or even hundreds of meters long. There are two types: natural and chemical fibre filaments. Only silk is filament in natural fibres, the rest are staple fibres. Chemical fibres are usually filament after processing. They can then cut them into staple fibres as needed.

A breakdown of common garment fabrics

Natural Fibre Fabrics

1. Cotton Fibre

Cotton fibers are mainly from cotton. And cotton can be divided into three types based on fiber properties: long-staple, fine-staple, and coarse-lint. Long-staple cotton is a thin, glossy, high-strength cotton. The most famous is Egyptian long-staple cotton. They use it to make high-grade cotton textiles. Fine-staple cotton is the most widely planted, high-yielding variety. It accounts for over 90% of China’s cotton. Coarse cotton is an early Chinese textile. It has short, coarse fibres, so it feels hard. Genetically modified technology creates natural coloured cotton products. It grows coloured cotton, so they don’t need dyeing.

Cotton fibres are generally hygroscopic. They have good dyeing properties. And they are comfortable to wear, soft, durable, and firm, but less elastic. They are widely used in underwear, outerwear, and socks.

1.1 Types of cotton fabrics and their properties

01. plain fabric

Plain fabric is a type of plain tissue fabric. It has a simple, compact structure and a flat surface. It includes bleached, dyed, and printed fabrics. Based on yarn fineness, plain fabric has three types: coarse, medium, and fine. There are many types of plain fabrics. They are widely used. You can use them for shirts, pyjamas, and more based on their thickness.

02.Hemp yarn

The plain fabric’s weave creates fine stripes and small gaps along its length. It is changeable. Therefore, hemp yarn fabric is cool, light and breathable, comfortable to wear. They name it because it feels like hemp. There are bleaching, dyeing, printing and colour weaving varieties. It is suitable for making shirts, skirts, handkerchiefs and decorative fabrics.

03.Bali Yarn

It is a thin, semi-transparent cotton-type plain fabric. They weave it with fine, extra-strong twisted yarns, known as glass yarn. Clear eyelets, light and crisp, good transparency, comfortable and breathable. Suitable for making shirts, skirts, children’s clothing, handkerchiefs and other clothing and apparel.

04.Fine Spinning

Fine spinning is the use of a very fine, combed cotton and a polyester-cotton blend to make plain fabrics. The fabric is smooth, soft, and light like silk. They call it “silk” because its spun fibers resemble silk. It is good for summer clothing, especially shirts and pajamas. You can also use it for embroidered items, bedspreads, tablecloths, and curtains. They are all decorative.

05. Poplin

Poplin is a fine, high-density cotton plain fabric. They named it for its silk-like style. The fabric has a 5:3 ratio of warp to weft. The weft yarns are relatively straight, while the warp yarns are more bent. This gives poplin a clear, uniform, diamond-shaped pattern. The texture is light and thin, the cloth surface is smooth, and the handfeel is smooth.

06. khaki

Khaki is the tightest twill in the cotton fabrics. It has a clear, fine, dense, steep diagonal grain. The texture is dense, thick, flat, and straight. It’s firm and wear-resistant. But, due to the tightness of the larger, the dyes don’t penetrate the cloth core. So, the clothing’s collar, cuffs, and trousers may develop white, folded, and cracked areas.

There are many types of khaki. They include: single-sided, double-sided, yarn, half-line, full-line, combed, semi-combed, and fully combed.

Khaki is suitable for making all kinds of uniforms, jackets, trousers, windbreakers and so on. After different finishing processes, there are several khakis. We print, flash, rainproof, wash, and brush them.

07.Beige

Beige is a kind of cotton twill fabric. It has a slight tightness. Its warp and weft yarns are fine. Its density is close to a 45° twill angle. The grain is wide and flat. The structure is loose, and it feels soft. There are varieties of yarn wabi-sabi, half-line wabi-sabi and full-line wabi-sabi. The front of yarn beige is right twill, which is suitable for all kinds of men’s and women’s garments after dyeing. Beige yarn for the left twill, after printing. It is suitable for women’s and children’s fashion clothing.

08.Gongshen

There are horizontal satin and straight satin, are satin organisation of cotton fabrics. The fabric is smooth and delicate. It has the luster of silk and satin. But, it is not very wear-resistant. Silky satin surface Section more for bedding.

09.Corduroy

Weft pile fabric has a cut, plush surface. It looks like towering strips or other shapes of cotton. Velvet rounded like a wick also uses this method. They call it corduroy. The fluff is full and neat. It’s thick, soft, and firm. It’s also wear-resistant. The pattern is beautiful and elegant.

010.Velvet

Velvet has four types: single-sided, double-sided, thick, and thin. Single-sided velvet has a twill, or beige, print on the front. The reverse side is plain. Double-sided velvet has a short, dense pile on both sides. The front side is the pile. It is suitable for making men’s and women’s pyjamas, underwear, shirts, and kids’ clothes. Colour woven plaid velvet suits plain and natural style shirts and outerwear. They print ‘Pei Pei Flannel’ with animals, flowers, and cartoons. It’s for infants’ and children’s clothing.

011. Denim

Traditional denim is cotton yarn, indigo-dyed, thick twill fabric. Modern denim includes many products, raw materials, and colors. Most are medium-thick or thin. They are comfortable, casual, and durable. Styles include washed and old. The use of denim has expanded to shoes, hats, bags, and decorative fabrics. Advanced denim fabrics have evolved denim. It is now suitable for social occasions, not just casual or holiday wear.

012.Bubble yarn

Bubble yarn is a thin cotton fabric. It has small, uneven bubbles on all or part of its surface. The clothes have a novel look. They are light, cool, and soft. But, they have some issues. After washing, the bubbles disappear. So, they don’t fit well. The bubble parts wear easily. The cut is loose, but not too much. Don’t use hot water to scrub and wring them. Don’t iron them after washing. Bubble young suitable for the production of children’s clothing, pajamas and so on.

2. hemp fibre

Hemp fibre comes from a type of hemp plant. It is the world’s first human fibre. Compared with cotton fibre, hemp fibre production is less, is a more precious fibre. Hemp fibre absorbs moisture and conducts heat well. So, hemp fabric is great for summer. It keeps you cool and wicks sweat.

2.1 Types of hemp fabrics and their properties

2.1.1 Ramie Fabric

2.1.1.1 Pure Ramie Fabrics

Pure Ramie Fabric refers to fabrics made from pure Ramie fibres.

(1) Summer Fabric

Summer cloth is a generic term. It refers to hand-woven pure Ramie fabric, a traditional Chinese textile. It is mainly made of plain weave. Summer cloth, made from fine yarn, is tightly knit and even-coloured. It is suitable for shirts, tunics, and suits. Coarse yarn weaves a summer cloth. It’s a loose tissue. Its colour and lustre are poor. It’s suitable for mosquito nets, linings, and some decor.

Summer cloth was a tribute to its long, strong fibers. It was warm in winter, cool in summer, and “light as a cicada wing, thin as rice paper, flat as a water mirror, as fine as silk.” It became a treasure of the royal family and dignitaries. In the 1930s, it won a Gold Medal at the Paris International Exposition. The characteristics of summer cloth are as follows.

Summer cloth is firm, stiff, and smooth. It breathes, absorbs sweat, and transfers heat. It is comfortable and cool to wear. And it has small shrinkage, strong color, and is not easy to deform or fade. It is also easy to wash and fast-drying.

② Summer cloth can be anti-fouling, anti-static, dust is not easily adsorbed.

Summer cloth can inhibit bacteria, corrosion, and mildew. Clothing and bedding made from it have antibacterial properties. They provide health benefits.

(2) Sharp yarn

They make sharp yarn from combed linen yarn. Someone has burned it and finished it. This gives the fabric a silk-like luster and smoothness. It is suitable for high-grade shirts and skirts.

2.1.1.2 Ramie Blended Fabrics

Ramie Blended Fabric refers to the fabrics made from Ramie fibre and other fibre blends. Such as polyester and linen blended fabrics. They maintain the stiffness of linen and the wrinkle resistance of polyester. But, they also overcome the downsides of both: poor moisture absorption of polyester and the wrinkling of linen. Also, linen and cotton blended fabrics. They keep the stiffness of linen and the soft feel of cotton. The result is a soft, glossy, crisp fabric with the style of linen.

2.1.2 Linen fabric

Linen fabric is ‘cool’ and has a ‘cool feeling.’ It breathes, is washable, shrinks less, and resists dirt. It’s easy to clean and doesn’t fade in sunlight.

We can divide linen fabrics by raw materials and use. By raw materials, they are pure linen, linen blends, and interwoven fabrics. By use, they are fine linen, linen underwear, and linen outerwear.

2.1.2.1 linen fine cloth

It usually means fine, medium-sized linen yarn woven into fabrics. The fabric is mainly plain, with a bamboo style and medium tightness. Including cotton and linen interwoven fabric, hemp polyester, hemp cotton, suitable for shirts.

2.1.2.2 linen underwear materials

For linen underwear, use a fine-gauge yarn with 40tex or less. It should be dry and uniform, with hemp particles. A commonly used plain tissue is good. It should have moderate tightness. Alkali shrinkage or mercerisation can increase the fabric’s tightness and stability.

2.1.2.3 Linen outerwear material

Organisation with plain or herringbone pattern, with thicker yarn, rough style. Pure linen fabric wrinkles easily and has poor dimensional stability. So, it is often blended with polyester or treated with alkali and resin. This makes it better for outerwear fabrics.

3. Wool Fibre

The most common natural wool fibres are sheep wool and cashmere. Also used are mohair, rabbit hair, and alpaca hair. Australia has the world’s best and most-produced wool: merino. China is a big producer and exporter of cashmere. Wool is mainly for outerwear, winter clothes, scarves, and gloves. Cashmere is for cashmere sweaters, coats, and high-end suits.

4. Silk Fibre

Silk fibre mainly comes from the cocoons of silkworms. These include mulberry, quercus, and castor silk. Mulberry silk is the highest quality. Mulberry silk fabric is a high-end clothing fabric. It has a delicate, smooth feel and a glossy finish. Silk was first produced in China, China’s silk production still ranks first in the world. Manufacturers can make silk into thin, medium, or thick fabrics. Thin silk is for summer or underwear. Thick silk is for winter warmth. In addition, silk is also commonly used in the production of dresses. Silk fabrics have poor light resistance. They can’t endure long exposure to light. They are also not alkali resistant. Wash them with a neutral detergent.

Chemical Fibres – Man-made Fibres / Recycled Fibres

1. Viscose fibre

Viscose fibre is a key type of man-made fibre. They make it from natural cellulose in cotton, wood, and reeds. The process uses chemicals. The staple fibre of viscose fibre is also known as rayon, and the filament is also known as rayon. Viscose fibre has the properties of natural fibre. It dyes well, absorbs moisture, and is cool and comfortable to wear. And it does not easily produce static or lint.

It will absorb a lot of water. Then, it will:

thicken in diameter

shrink in length

become heavier and harder

lose strength, making it less resistant to washing and prone to shrinking.

2. Tencel Fibre

Tencel is similar to viscose fibre in its raw material. But, it has a different processing method. The solvent used to make it is non-toxic and recyclable, unlike that of viscose fibre. In addition, viscose fibre is biodegradable and is an environmentally friendly fibre.

3. Modal Fibre

Manufacturers make modal fibre from natural wood pulp. It feels soft and smooth. It absorbs moisture. Its strength, in dry and wet states, is better than viscose fibre. Its shrinkage rate is also lower than that of viscose fibre. Modal fibre is also biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

4. Soya fibre

And, the above man-made cellulose fibres are different. Soy fibre is a man-made protein fibre. They make it from soybean protein through chemical processing. This process extracts the proteins that are soluble in liquid. Then, they spin the material into fibre. The production process is pollution-free and the fibre is easy to degrade. Soy fibre has a silk-like luster and a cashmere-like softness. It absorbs moisture, dries quickly, and is comfortable and warm. It resists acids and alkalis, but has poor heat resistance.

Chemical fibres – synthetic fibres

1. Polyester

Polyester is the phonetic translation of the English “dacron.” It is the scientific name for polyester fibre. Raw materials are easy to obtain. They have excellent performance and a wide range of uses. So, synthetic fibres are the fastest growing and most produced chemical fibres. Once popular in the country’s ‘indeed good’ is the polyester. Polyester fabrics are strong, stiff, and resistant to wrinkles. They absorb less moisture. They are easy to wash and dry quickly without deforming. You don’t need to iron after washing. But, it has poor permeability. It feels stuffy, generates static, and collects dust.

Different fibers have their own shortcomings. So, people use a blend of natural and chemical fibers to complement each other. They also research and improve chemical fibers. This has led to a new type of fiber called “differentiated fibers.” These are original fibers modified by physical or chemical processes. This changes the fibers’ structure and properties to match conventional chemical fibers. Physical and chemical properties are significantly different from those of conventional chemical fibres. Differentiated fibres are now widely used in apparel fabrics. They are mainly made from polyester. It can imitate natural fibers like wool, linen, and silk. Its performance and appearance can even match that of a fake.

2. Nylon

Nylon, or polyamide fibre, is the world’s first synthetic fibre. It has excellent performance and raw material resources. For a time, it was the most produced synthetic fibre. But, as polyester became popular, nylon fell to second place. Nylon has the best abrasion resistance of all natural and synthetic fabrics. Of synthetic fibres, nylon is better than polyester. It wicks moisture better and is more comfortable to wear. Nylon is lighter. So, it is better for hiking clothes, sportswear, and winter clothing.

3. Acrylic

Acrylic, scientifically known as polyacrylonitrile fibre, is a late variety of synthetic fibre. It looks and feels like wool. It is often used as a wool substitute or blended with wool. It’s known as “synthetic wool” or “artificial wool.”

Acrylic fabrics are stiff and wrinkle-resistant. They are warm. Some tests show they are 15% warmer than similar wool fabrics. Acrylic fabrics have the highest light resistance of all fibres. They are ideal for outdoor clothing and sportswear. Acrylic is lighter than nylon, so it is also one of the materials for lightweight clothing. Acrylic fabrics have poor moisture absorption. They feel stuffy and uncomfortable. They also have low abrasion resistance, the worst among chemical fibre fabrics.

4. Polypropylene

Polypropylene, the scientific name for polypropylene fibre, is the lightest synthetic fibre. It is also a lightweight fabric. Polypropylene fabrics have good strength and abrasion resistance. They absorb little moisture, shrink, and resist corrosion. But they lack comfort, heat, and light resistance.

5. Spandex

Spandex, or polyurethane elastic fibre, is an elastic fibre. It’s commonly called ‘elastic fibre’. The most famous spandex is ‘Lycra’ produced by DuPont. Spandex is not usually used alone, but blended with other fibres. A small amount of spandex in a fabric can greatly improve its elasticity. It makes the garment fit snugly to the body while allowing freedom of movement.

6. Vinylon

Vinylon, scientifically known as polyvinyl alcohol fibre. Fabrics made from Vinylon look and feel like cotton fabrics. Vinylon is a synthetic fibre. It absorbs moisture and resists abrasion, acids, and alkalis. But, it has poor heat resistance and wrinkles easily. It’s cheap, so it’s used to make work clothes and canvas.

Fabric performance competition

As noted at the start, the process from fibre to fabric is ‘textile fibre → yarn → fabric → clothing material’. The yarn spun from the fibre has many structures. The fabric made from the yarn has many weaving methods. The clothing fabric will also go through various processes. The textile fibres, yarns, fabrics, and treatments all affect the clothes’ properties. Here we mainly talk about the effect of fibres on the performance of fabrics.

1. Thermal insulation

Thermal insulation is the ability of textiles to stop heat transfer. It prevents heat from moving from a high to a low temperature.

Natural fibres are better than cotton and wool. Wool fabrics are better than cotton. Hemp fibre dissipates heat quickly but insulates poorly. Its fabrics don’t stick to the body. They are smooth and cool, so they’re best for summer clothes.

Of the chemical fibres, acrylic insulation is the best. It is 15% better than wool. Polypropylene is next. Other chemical fibre insulations are poor.

2. Moisture absorption and shrinkage

Moisture absorption is the ability of clothing to absorb moisture in the air. Moisture-absorbent material can quickly soak up sweat. This keeps the skin and inner clothes dry. But, it creates a humid zone between the skin and underwear. This can make people feel hot and uncomfortable.

Fibres absorb moisture in this order: wool > viscose > hemp > silk > cotton > PVC > nylon > acrylic > polyester > polypropylene. Natural and synthetic fibres are hydrophilic. Their fabrics absorb moisture better. Synthetic fibres are less hygroscopic. They tend to be hot and stuffy. Of these, Velcro is the best and Polypropylene the worst.

Shrinkage links to moisture absorption. The fibre’s hygroscopicity causes it to shrink in the wash. Dry cleaning is best. My sister, some time ago, to buy a fabric for 100% viscose fibre shirt. The original sleeve length can cover part of the hand. It washed almost into a seven-minute sleeve. It went from an oversized fit to a slim, short model. It’s a very painful lesson. I originally only knew that wool is easy to shrink and cannot be washed, and now I know that viscose fibre is the same.

3. Anti-pilling

Wearing and washing clothes will cause friction. This will create hair and pilling. Cotton, linen, and silk fabrics rarely pill. Woolen fabrics do pilling more often. Man-made fibres are generally not prone to pilling. But, synthetic ones are.

4. Wrinkle resistance and elasticity

Wrinkle resistance is a fabric’s ability to resist deformation. Elasticity is its ability to recover after deformation. Together, they affect the fabric’s shape retention.

Natural fibres, cotton, hemp, and silk wrinkle more than wool. Hemp has the worst elasticity. Wool has the best. Silk and cotton are next. Chemical fibres, wrinkle resistance: polyester > viscose fibre > acrylic > polyamide > polypropylene > polyamide; elasticity: spandex > polyamide > polypropylene > polyester > acrylic > polyamide > viscose fibre.

5. Light resistance

Sunlight and oxidation can weaken and fade clothing materials. This can happen during use and drying. Natural fibres, hemp has the best light resistance, followed by cotton, wool is worse, silk is the worst. Of all synthetic fibres, acrylic has the best light resistance. It is the best of all fibres. You can use it for curtains, bedspreads, and outdoor clothing. Polypropylene is the least light-resistant of all textile fibres. Light resistance ranking: acrylic > hemp > cotton > wool > viscose fibre > acetate fibre > polyester > polyamide > silk > polypropylene.

In real life, many clothes are a blend of fibres. In that case, the components’ performance together determines their performance. This can make use of the strengths and weaknesses of various fibres. In general, the higher the content of the components, the greater the impact on the performance of the clothes. By checking the clothes tag or wash mark, we can see their performance. Before you shop online for clothes, read their material description. Then, buy wisely.

For more information on textile testing methods/standards
or textile testing machines, contact us:
What’s App: +86 180 2511 4082
Tel: +86 769 2329 4842
Fax: +86 769 2329 4860
Email: [email protected]