Understand The Classification of Textile Fibers

Fiber is a natural or synthetic filament-like substance, and textile fiber refers to the fiber used to weave cloth. It is divided into two categories, natural fibers and chemical fibers.

Natural fiber

Natural fibers are textile fibers originally found in nature or obtained directly from artificially cultivated plants or artificially raised animals. They are an important source of materials for the textile industry.

There are many types of natural fibers, which are divided into plant fibers, animal fibers and mineral fibers according to different sources. There are four types of cotton, linen, wool and silk that have been widely used in textiles for a long time. Cotton and linen are plant fibers, and wool and silk are animal fibers. Cotton fiber has the largest output and is widely used. It can be used to sew daily necessities such as clothes, sheets, and bedding. It can also be used as a material for canvas and conveyor belts, or made into tire batting for insulation and filling materials. Most of the hemp fiber is used to make packaging fabrics and ropes, and some high-quality hemp fiber can be used for clothing. The output of wool and silk is much less than that of cotton and linen, but they are excellent textile raw materials.

Plant fibres

The main component is cellulose, also known as natural cellulose fiber. It is fiber obtained from seeds, fruits, stems, leaves, etc. of plants. According to the different parts of the plant where it grows, it is divided into seed fiber, leaf fiber and stem fiber.

1. Seed fiber: cotton, kapok, etc.;

2. Leaf fiber: sisal, abaca, etc.;

3. Stem fiber: ramie, flax, hemp, jute, etc.

Animal fiber

The main component is protein, also known as natural protein fiber, which is divided into two categories: hair and glandular secretions.

1. Hair: sheep hair, goat hair, camel hair, rabbit hair, yak hair, etc.;

2. Glandular secretions: mulberry silk, tussah silk, etc.

Mineral fiber

The main component is inorganic matter, also known as natural inorganic fiber, which is inorganic metal silicate, such as asbestos fiber.

Chemical Fiber

Chemical fibers are fibers with textile properties that are made from natural or synthetic polymer compounds as raw materials and are produced through processes such as preparation of spinning solution, spinning and post-processing. Can be divided into man-made fibers (regenerated fibers), synthetic fibers, and inorganic fibers.

Man-made fibers (also called regenerated fibers)

Textile fibers made from natural polymer materials such as cellulose and protein as raw materials through chemical processing, spinning and post-treatment can be divided into regenerated cellulose and regenerated protein.

1. Regenerated cellulose fiber: viscose fiber, acetate fiber, etc.;

2. Regenerated protein fiber: soybean fiber, peanut fiber, etc.

Synthetic fiber

Fibers made from synthetic polymer compounds as raw materials through spinning.

1. Ordinary synthetic fibers: polyester, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, vinylon, chlorine, etc.;

2. Special synthetic fibers: aramid, spandex, carbon fiber, etc.

Inorganic fiber

Fibers made from minerals, such as glass fiber, metal fiber, etc..