Fabric Terminology

By Prathibani Manthiratna
Fabric Terminology….

Terminology is a general word for the group

of specialized words or meanings relating to a
particular field, and also the study of such
terms and their use.

Textile terminology is very important for

textile engineers to understand textile easily.
Fabric / Fiber types

Wool
Cotton
Linen
Jute
Silk
• Polyester
Acrylic
Nylon
Spandex
Lurex

• High tech fabrics – E textile

Color shifting textile
Smoke dress
Self Coloring dress
Emotional sensitive dress
 1. Wool - Wool comes from sheep, goats and even Angora rabbits. Wool is warm and absorbs moisture well. Wool
is used in blankets, carpets and clothing.

2. Silk - The strongest natural fabric in the world is silk, which is obtained from the cocoons of silk worms. Silk is
luxurious, beautiful and keeps you warm in the cold or cool in the heat. Silk is used in clothing, medical textiles and
home furnishings.
3. Leather - A natural fabric with interesting natural textures is leather. Leather is elastic and soft and very comfortable
to wear. It does not pick up the surrounding temperature so is comfortable in heat or cold. As well as being made into
clothing and shoes, is also used for belts, sofas, harnesses, wallets and many other things.

4. Fur - a fabric usually woven or knitted from rayon, wool, or cotton and made with a pile that is dyed and finished to
resemble an animal's fur.
 • Plant seeds / Stems and leaves textile

1. Cotton - Cotton is one of the best-known natural fabrics. The fiber grows around the seeds of the cotton plant . Cotton
is soft, strong, flame retardant, hypo-allergenic and easy to wash. It is the most popular natural fabric used in making
clothing. It is also used to make home furniture, bags and medical products. Heavyweight cotton fabric can be used to
make items such as shoes and tents.
2. Linen - Linen is hypo-allergenic and protects against sun radiation. It has been used for over 10,000 years and is luxurious
and comfortable. Linen is obtained from the flax plant. It is strong and can absorb up to 20 times its own weight in liquid. It is
used for rugs, painting canvases and apparel.

3. Jute - Another widely used natural fabric is jute. It is economical and strong, reusable and repairable. Jute fabric comes in a
number of varieties including Hessian, CBC, sacking, a heavy fabric variety, jute yarn, webbing and non-woven felt. It is a good
insulator of electricity and heat. Examples of items made from jute fabric include fashion apparel, soft luggage, backing for
carpets, inner spring webbing for car seats and bags or sacks for packing.
2.1.2 Synthetic Fabrics

• Synthetic fabrics are textiles made from man made rather than natural fabrics. Synthetic fabrics have many different
qualities—including some not achievable with natural fibers. Synthetic fibers can provide waterproof fabrics and elastic
fabrics for swimwear and lingerie. Depending on the synthetic fabric, various added chemicals can make it softer,
wrinkle free, flame-resistant, water resistant, stain-resistant, or moth-repellent.

1. Polyester - Polyester is a term often defined as “long-chain polymers chemically composed of at least 85% by weight of
an ester and a dihydric alcohol and a terephthalic acid”. In other words, it means the linking of several esters within the
fibers. Reaction of alcohol with carboxylic acid results in the formation of esters.
2. Acrylic - Strong and warm, acrylic fiber is often used for sweaters and tracksuits and as linings for boots and
gloves, as well as in furnishing fabrics and carpets. It is manufactured as a filament, then cut into short staple
lengths similar to wool hairs, and spun into yarn.

3. Nylon - It has been long heralded for its "wash and wear" quality, and has lent durability, strength and softness to a host
of materials. Nylon is often blended with spandex fabric to achieve wonderfully elastic and comfortable materials that are
visually striking yet economically efficient. Originally designed to be a synthetic replacement for silk fabric, Nylon
fabric has a soft hand and supple nature, allowing for the manufacture of extremely popular materials like stretchy spandex
and breathable power mesh.
4. Spandex - Spandex, Lycra or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity . It is stronger and
more durable than natural rubber.

5. Lurex – It is a type of yarn with a metallic appearance. The yarn is made from synthetic film, onto which a
metallic aluminum, silver, or gold layer has been vaporized.
High tech textile

Today, textiles are used for more than just clothes or bags – they are high tech materials for high-tech applications. High-
tech textiles must fulfill a number of functions and meet many requirements.

1. E – Textile - E-textiles, also known as smart garments, smart clothing, electronic textiles, smart textiles, or smart
fabrics, are fabrics that enable digital components (including small computers), and electronics to be embedded in them.
2. Teflon coated fabrics
Teflon industrial coatings can be used on carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, steel alloys, brass, and magnesium, as well as
non- metalics such as glass, fiberglass, some rubber, and plastics.

High quality Teflon coated jacket

3. Water proofed fabrics

Waterproof fabrics are fabrics that are inherently, or have been treated to become, resistant to penetration by water and
wetting.
4. Breathable fabrics

It is the ability of a fabric to allow moisture vapor to be transmitted through the material. Linen is one of the most breathable
fabrics, making it especially cool and comfortable to wear in the heat.

New Material Nike Cortez Breathable

Breathable mesh fabric Mesh Blue Orange White Girls Athletic Shoes

Men Breathable Quick-Dry Tight

Running Fitness Shorts
5. Sheer fabrics
• Sheer fabric is fabric which is made using thin thread and/or low density of knit and which results in a semi-
transparent and flimsy cloth. Some fabrics become transparent when wet.
5. Color Shifting textile - Here's another high tech textile which is a
thermochromic ink project. Designer Kerri Wallace created a shirt that
responds to body heat.

6. Smoke dress by Anouk Wipprecht, The dress release smoke and

cover the wearer with fog when people approach.
7. Self coloring dress by Designer Anouk Wipprecht

8. Emotion sensitive dress by Designer Philips

Abrasion resistance or durability: The ability to withstand the effect of rubbing or friction.

Fabric shrinkage: Dimensional changes of a material resulting in decrease in one or more dimensions, i.e.
the length or width.

Absorbency: ability of a fabric to take in moisture .skin comfort/ shrinkage/ water repellency/ wrinkle
recovery

Anti Bacterial: (Anti Microbial ) fabric or the fibers should be chemically treated before manufacturing in
resistant to the growth of micro organisms.

H/ W – find the below terms and meanings

Breathability Lamination

Colour fasteners Mercerization

ComfortHydrophobic Tensile strength

Stretch Electrochromic
References…
1.Fibers to Fabrics by Bev Ashford
2.Industrial cutting of textile materials by I. Viļumsone-Nemes
3.Mechanics of Fiber and Textile Reinforced Cement Composites by Barzin Mobasher
4.Woven Textiles: Principles, Developments and Applications Edited by K. L. Gandhi
5.Career in Textile and Fashion Designing Edited by: Cameron Luther