Classification of Textile Fibers: Natural vs. Synthetic and Their Properties
Noor Ahmed Raaz
Specialized in Apparel Manufacturing
Owner and Editor in Chief Textile Merchandising
Asst. Prof., Department of Textile Engineering
Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology
Email: textilemerchandising1@gmail.com
Textile fiber:
Fiber is a class of materials that consist of fibrous structure and the length is a thousand times higher than its diameter and can be spun into yarn, appropriate for weaving & knitting and easily colored by suitable dye stuff are also known as textile fiber. The major characteristic of fiber is thousand times longer than its width. Generally, textile fibers are used for manufacturing three types of fabrics, which are woven, non-woven, and knitted fabrics.
Characteristics of Textile fiber:
There are different types of fibers, but not all of them are textile fibers. To become a textile fiber, it must have some fundamental properties and characteristics.
The properties of textile fibers are given below:
- It must have fibrous formation.
- Its length is a thousand times longer than its diameter.
- It should have spun able ability.
- It should have sufficient strength and spinning ability.
- It should have contained elasticity and flexibility characteristics.
- It must be Fineness.
- It must have a special color.
- It should have an affinity to dye stuff.
Classification of Textile Fibers:
According to their properties and characteristics, textile fibers are classified into two main parts, which are natural fiber and man-made fiber or artificial fiber. Now, I would like to discuss the general classification of textile fibers as below.
Classification of Textile Fibers
Natural fiber:
Fiber that comes from nature is known as natural fiber. Mainly, natural fiber is found from cellulose, protein and minerals. The origin of cellulose is a vegetable, protein is animal, and mineral is asbestos. Some examples are as follows:
- Cellulose: Cotton, sisal, bamboo, bast etc.
- Protein: Lamb wool, mulberry, horse hair, etc.
- Mineral: Asbestos.
Man-made fiber:
Man-made fiber is an artificial fiber that is made by a polymerization process in the factory. But some man-made fibers are made from natural fibers, which are called regenerated man-made fibers. Man-made fibers are classified in two ways. They are as follows
- Organic: Viscose, acetate, acrylic, etc.
- Inorganic: Glass, metal, carbon, etc.
Mohammad Noor Nabi, known by his author name Noor Ahmed Raaz, is a PhD Fellow at Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) and the Founder & Editor of Textile Merchandising. He is also an Assistant Professor and Chairman of the Textile Engineering Department at a renowned university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His research focuses on textile innovation and sustainability. Awarded the Research & Development Fellowship twice from the Ministry of Science & Technology in Bangladesh, Noor Ahmed Raaz is dedicated to advancing textile engineering through education, research, and industry collaboration. For inquiries or collaborations, contact Noor Ahmed Raaz via email at textilemerchandising1@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +8801673758271.