In the textile industry, there are two types of fibers in fabric composition, natural and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers are those found naturally or extracted from natural resources. Synthetic fibers are those that aren’t found naturally and we have to make them in the laboratory. In this article, you will learn about fabric composition: natural and synthetic fibers, their quality, and how to find out the percentage of each fiber in a single blended fabric.
Natural and Synthetic Fibers
Fabric composition plays an important role in the textile universe. Cotton is the main natural fiber used in textile industries. Polyester is the main synthetic fiber used in textile industries. To get elasticity in fabric, an elastic fiber known as elastane or spandex is used in textile industries with the brand name Lycra. All of these fibre have unique characteristics such as durability, texture, and drape. Two types of testing standards, ISO 1833 and AATCC 20-A are used in textile industries to find out the actual percentage of different fibers in a single blended fabric.
Natural Fibers
Cotton is the main natural fiber used in textile industries. We get cotton from the cotton plant. Cotton is mainly known for its extraordinary softness, absorbency, breathability, and comfort. The cotton fibers are mainly composed of cellulose. We use it in different types of textile products including home textiles and apparel.
Characteristics of Cotton / Natural Fiber
- Durability
Cotton is the most durable among all natural fibers. You should select yarn made of long-staple cotton fibers to make more durable products. The durability of cotton fibers is mainly affected by fiber length, yarn twist, quality of yarn, and the construction of fabric.
- Texture
If you touch cotton fabric and any other fabric made of synthetic fiber, you will observe that cotton-made fabric is very soft and it will become softer after washing. You can get cotton fabric by weaving or knitting process. Smoothness and finer texture make cotton fabric versatile for many types of textile products and their applications.
- Drape
Cotton fabrics have the best drape or hinging properties and cover the complete body but this draping property will vary and will depend on the fabric’s construction and weight. Some cotton-made fabrics such as lawns, have a fluid frape while heavy cotton fabrics such as canvas and denim have stiffer drape.
Product made of cotton
Product made of cottonSynthetic Fiber
Polyester
The main synthetic fiber used in textile industries is polyester. Polyester is known in textile industries for its strength, massive resistance to shrinkage stretching, and durability. The financial benefit of polyester is that it’s cost-effective.
Characteristics of Polyester / Synthetic Fiber
- Durability
Polyester is the best choice for those fabrics or any textile material that requires long-lasting performance because it is highly durable and resistant to pilling, abrasion and shrinkage. Natural fibers degrade quickly when exposed to environmental factors but polyester has maximum resistance to such type of factors which makes polyester ideal for outdoor textile products.
- Texture
The texture of the polyester fabric is varying and depends on the manufacturing process. You can use polyester with natural fiber blended yarn to make an ideal product that will be stronger and will increase the life of the fabric. Nowadays advanced technology is used in textile industries to make polyester soft and comfortable and make them suitable for everyday wearable products.
- Drape
Similar to cotton, polyester fabric also has a good drape. The drape of polyester also depends on the yarn construction, fiber denier, and fabric GSM weight (Fabric GSM Definition). Chiffon and georgette, are lightweight polyester products and have fluid drapes, while twill and gabardine are heavier polyester fabrics and have structured drapes.
Products made of Polyester fabric
Products made of Polyester fabricElastane: The Stretch Fiber
Elastane is also a synthetic fiber. Elastane fabric has a stretching property. It’s also called spandex and its brand name is Lycra. These fibers are made of segmented polyurethane, which provides elasticity to fabric made of these fibers. Its usually used in tights and jeans which provide attachment quality to the jeans pants or trousers to attach the body.
Characteristics of Elastane / Synthetic Fiber
- Durability:
Elastane or Lycra is very durable and resistant to wear and tear. The main quality of fabric made of elastane is to stretch and recover its old position without losing its shape. Fabrics made of elastane can be sensitive to heat and chemicals. To maintain its proper durability, proper care is required.
- Texture:
Fabrics made of elastane have smooth and very elastic texture. Usually, elastane is blended with cotton and makes the textile articles more comfortable and fit, forming a fitting texture that easily moves with the body. Usually, all activewear is made of elastane-blended fabrics.
- Drape
Fabrics made of elastane have a unique drape due to its stretchability. Elastane fabric attaches closely to the body contours, which provides a sleek appearance. The drape of this type of fabric depends on the blend ratio of the fabric. The more elastane fiber, the more the stretching ability of the fabric.
Products made of LycraDetermination of the Blend Ratio in a Fabric
To check the blend ratio in a single fabric, means to find out the percent of the different fibers in a single fabric, ISO 1833 and AATCC 20A are worldwide used. If you want to check the blend ratio, use any one of AATCC 20A or ISO 1833 for quantitative analysis of fibre blends. Different type of solvents is used to dissolve different fibres, these solvents are specific for each fibre.
To check the per cent ratio of Cotton in a blended fabric, dissolve the fabric in sulphuric acid ( H2SO4). Keep the flask on the orbital shaker for a specific time instructed by ISO 1833 or AATCC 20A. Wash the fabric and keep it in the oven. Cotton will dissolve in sulphuric acid and the remaining fiber is polyester which does not dissolve in sulphuric acid. Calculate the percentage of polyester and cotton from the before and after weight of the testing specimen.
To check the percentage of the elastane or Lycra in the blended fabric. Dissolve the fabric in DMP (N, N, dimethyl formamide ). Lycra will dissolve in DMP. Calculate the per cent ratio of the lycra with the help before and after the dissolving weight of the testing specimen.
Pros and Cons of Fiber Blends
In textile industries, blending is a common practice. You can enhance the properties of your textile products by blending natural and synthetic fibers but these blending has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Pros of fibre blends:
- Blending cotton with polyester fibres, your fabric will be durable and breathable.
- Blending will improve your durability, synthetic fibers are known for their strength, so fabric which is made of a blend of natural and synthetic fibre will be better than that made of a single fibre.
- Blending is a cost-effective solution. Synthetic fibers are relatively cheaper than natural fibers.
Cons of blending:
- Both natural and synthetic fibres have their own properties such as melting point, and affinity to dyes and auxiliaries, if you manage it properly, it will cause different issues.
- Blended fibre gives an inconsistent performance, as the blended fabric is less breathable than fabric made of purely natural fibres.
- Blending can cause skin issues for sensitive people.
Care Label / Care of Blended Garments
Usually, all textile manufacturers attach care labels to their products. You should follow the instructions written on the care label such as washing with warm or cold water, tumble dry high or low, use of chlorine and non-chlorine bleach and ironing with 2 or 3 dots. In textile laboratories, manufacturer tests their product with different types of parameters and then make suitable parameters and write them on their care label.
- Washing care
Always follow washing instructions. Some dyes bleed in hot water and are sensitive to chlorine bleach, If you wash a garment in hot water and add chlorine bleach, its colour may change or fade from than original colour.
- Drying care
The tumble dryer has different options for drying. Follow the care instructions for drying, if you provide more heat than instructed, there may be a change in the overall appearance and the article can shrink.
Fiber Composition Chart
Conclusion
Natural fibres are known and used in textile industries for their extraordinary softness, absorbency breathability, and comfort but these fibres are less strong than synthetic fabric. Synthetic fibres are known for their strength, resistance to shrinkage, and durability. Elastane is used for stretching quality. Nowadays, blended fabrics are made which have more qualities than a single fabric. AATCC 20A and ISO 1833 are used for quantitative analysis in textile quality control laboratories to find out the percentage of the fibre used in a fabric.
FAQs
How to find the blend ratio of cotton and polyester in a blended fabric made of cotton in polyester?
Weigh the blended fabric, and dissolve the blended fabric in sulphuric acid made with 70:30 ratios. Keep it on an orbital shaker for around 30 minutes and wash and neutralize it. Dry it in the oven. After drying weight, it again applies the percent formula and gets the blend ratio of both cotton and polyester. For example, if before weight of the fabric is 10 g, and the weight after dissolving in sulphuric acid and drying is 5 g so apply the below formula.
Percent of polyester=Before weight – after weight / before weight x100
percent of polyester10-5/10×100 = 50% polyester
Percent of Cotton = Total percent – % of polyester
Percent of cotton = 100 – 50 = 50% cotton
How to find the blend ratio of elastane or Lycra in a blended fabric made of cotton and elastane?
Weigh the blended fabric, and dissolve the blended fabric in DMF ( N, N, dimethyl formamide ). Keep it on an orbital shaker for around 30 minutes and wash and neutralize it. Dry it in the oven. After drying weigh it again and apply the percent formula. For example, if before weight of the fabric is 10 g, and the eight after dissolving in DMF and drying is 5 g so apply the below formula.
Percent of cotton=Before weight – after weight / before weight x100
percent of cotton=10-5/10×100 = 50% cotton
Percent of elastane or Lycra = Total percent – % of cotton
Percent of elastane or Lycra = 100 – 50 = 50% elastane or Lycra
Why blend fibre?
To get the desired quality of the fabric, natural and synthetic fibres are blended in textile industries.
What is the quality of Lycra or elastane fabric?
The main quality of the elastane or Lycra fabric is stretchability.
Related Resources
AATCC 20 Qualitative Analysis of Fibers
Comprehensive Guide on AATCC 20A Quantitative Analysis
Fiber Fineness/Composition Content Tester