If I ask you how many types of fabric in this world? You can hardly say about 10 or 12 types. But you will be amazed if I say that there are 200+ types of fabric in this world. Different types of fabric has different type of uses. Some of them are new and some of them are age old fabric.
In this article we will know about 100 types of fabric and their uses-
1. Ticking fabric: Woven fabric made of cotton or linen fibres. Used for pillows and mattresses.
Fig: Ticking fabric
2. Tissue fabric: Woven fabric made of silk or man-made fibre. Used for women’s dress material, sarees etc.
Fig: Tissue fabric
3. Tricot knit fabric: Knitted fabric made of exclusively from filament yarn. Used for fitting comfort stretch item like swimwear, sportswear etc.
Fig: Tricot knit fabric
4. Velour knitted fabric: Knitted fibre made of additional set of yarn making pile loops on the fabric surface. Used for jackets, dresses etc.
Fig: Velour knitted fabric
5. Velvet fabric: Woven fabric made of silk, cotton, linen, wool etc. This fabric is used in making daily wearable cloth, home decor etc.
Fig: Velvet fabric
6. Voile fabric: Woven fabric made out different fibre, mainly cotton. It is highly used for blouses and dresses. Voile is one of the most used types of fabric.
Fig: Voile fabric
7. Warp knitted fabric: Knitted fabric made in a special knitting machine with yarns from warp beam. It widely used for mosquito netting, sportswear, inner wears (lingeries, brassieres, panties, camisoles, girdles, sleepwear, hook & eye tape), shoe fabric etc. This types of fabric are widely used.
Fig: Warp knitted fabric
8. Whipcord fabric: Knitted fabric made from hard twisted yarns with diagonal cord or rib. It is good for durable outdoor clothing.
Fig: Whipcord fabric
9. Terry cloth: Woven fabric made with cotton or blend with synthetic fibre. It has a loop pile on one or both sides. It is generally used in making towel.
Fig: Terry cloth
10. Terry knitted fabric: Knitted fabric made with two sets of yarn. One makes pile other makes base fabric. Applications of terry knitted fabrics are beachwear, towel, bathrobes etc.
Fig: Terry knitted fabric
11. Tartan fabric: Woven fabric. It was originally made from woven wool but now they are made from many materials. It is suitable for wearable cloth and other fashion items.
Fig: Tartan fabric
12. Sateen fabric: Woven fabric made with spun yarns. It is used for clothing and decorative purpose.
Fig: Sateen fabric
13. Shantung fabric: Woven fabric made of silk or fibre similar to silk. Uses are bridal gowns, dresses etc.
Fig: Shantung fabric
14. Sheeting fabric: Woven fabric which can be made of 100% cotton or blend of polyester and cotton. It is primarily used for bed covering.
Fig: Sheeting fabric
15. Silver knit fabric: It is a knitted fabric. It made of special circular knitting machines. Widely use for making jackets and coats.
Fig: Silver knit fabric
16. Taffeta fabric: Woven fabric. It is manufactured from different type of fibre such as rayon, nylon or silk. Taffeta is widely used to manufacture women’s garments.
Fig: Taffeta fabric
17. Stretch fabric: Speciality fabric. It is a normal fabric which starches in all four directions. It came in mainstream in 1990s and widely used in making sportswear.
Fig: Stretch fabric
18. Rib stitch knit fabric: Knitted fabric usually made of cotton, wool, cotton blend or Acrylic. Made for ribbing found in lower edges of sweater, at necklines, on sleeve cuffs etc.
Fig: Rib stitch knit fabric
19. Raschel knit fabric: Knitting fabric made of filament or spun yarns of different weights and types. It used as unlined material of coats, jackets, dresses etc.
Fig: Raschel knit fabric
20. Quilted fabric: Woven fabric. It can be blend of wool, cotton, polyester, silk many more. It is used to make bags, clothing, mattresses etc.
Fig: Quilted fabric
21. Purl knit fabric: Knitted fabric made by knitting yarn as alternative knit while purling stitch in one wale of the fabric. It is used to make bulky sweaters and children clothing.
Fig: Purl knit fabric
22. Poplin fabric: Woven fabric used for jackets, shirt, raincoat etc. it is made by polyester, cotton and its blend. As coarse weft yarns are used its ribs are heavy and prominent. It is also most frequently used types of fabric.
Fig: Poplin fabric
23. Pointelle knit fabric: Knitted fabric. It is a type of double fabric. This kind of fabric are suitable for women tops and kids wear.
Fig: Pointelle knit fabric
24. Plain fabric: Specialty fabric. It is made of warp and weft yarns in a pattern of over one and under one. This kind of fabric are popular for leisure wear.
Fig: Plain fabric
25. Percale fabric: Woven fabric often used for bed covers. It is made from both carded and combed yarns.
Fig: Percale fabric
26. Oxford fabric: Woven fabric made with loosely constructed weaves. It is one of the most popular fabric for shirt.
Fig: Oxford fabric
27. Filter fabric: Specialty fabric known for functionality and longevity. It has high temperature and chemical resistance.
Fig: Filter fabric
28. Flannel fabric: Woven fabric extremely popular for suiting shirting, jacket, pajama etc. It is often made of wool, cotton or synthetic fibre etc.
Fig: Flannel fabric
29. Jersey knit fabric: Knitted fabric originally made of wool but now it is made by wool, cotton and synthetic fibre. The fabric usually used for making variety of cloth and household items such as sweatshirts, bed sheets etc.
Fig: Jersey knit fabric
30. Fleece knit fabric: Knitted fabric made of 100% cotton or blend of cotton with percentage of polyester,wool etc. end uses are jacket, dresses, sportswear and sweaters.
Fig: Fleece knit fabric
31. Foulard fabric: Woven fabric originally made from silk or mix of silk and cotton. This fabric is printed in various way and use as dress material, handkerchiefs, scarves etc.
Fig: Foulard fabric
32. Fustian fabric: Woven fabric made with linen warp and cotton wefts or fillings. Usually used for menswear.
Fig: Fustian fabric
33. Gabardine fabric: Woven fabric. Gabardine is made from twill woven worsted or cotton fabric. Since it is a durable fabric it is widely used for making pants, shirting and suiting.
Fig: Gabardine fabric
34. Gauze fabric: Woven fabric. It is usually made from cotton, rayon or their blends of soft texture spun yarns. It is used in apparel, home furnishing and in medical uses for bandages.
Fig: Gauze fabric
35. Georgette fabric: Woven fabric usually made of silk or polyester. It is used for blouses, dresses, evening gowns, saris and trimming.
Fig: Georgette fabric
36. Gingham fabric: Woven fabric. It is made from dyed cotton or cotton blend yarns. It is used for button down shirts, dresses and tablecloths.
Fig: Gingham fabric
37. Grey or greige fabric: Woven fabric. When no finish applied to textile they are known as grey fabric or unfinished fabric.
Fig: Grey or greige fabric
38. Industrial fabric: Woven fabric often made from man-made fibre like fiberglass, carbon, and aramid fiber. Primarily used for filtration, recreational production, insulation, electronics etc.
Fig: Industrial fabric
39. Intarsia knit fabric: Knitted fabric made from knitting multi-coloured yarns. It is typically used for making blouses, shirts and sweaters.
Fig: Intarsia knit fabric
40. Interlock stitch knit fabric: Knitting fabric used in all sorts of elastic garments. It also used to produce t-shirt, polos, dresses etc. This fabric is heavier and thicker than regular rib knit fabric if finer yarns are not used.
Fig: Interlock stitch knit fabric
41. Jacquard knit fabric: Knitted fabric. It is a single jersey fabric made of circular knitting machines using jacquard mechanism. They are widely used in sweater industry.
Fig: Jacquard knit fabric
42. Kashmir silk fabric: Woven fabric produced in plain weave and is either embroidered or printed. It is used for shirts, women’s wear, sarees etc.
Fig: Kashmir silk fabric
43. Khadi fabric: Woven fabric mainly produced in one cotton fibre, blends of two or more fibre. This fabric is suitable for dhoties and household textiles.
Fig: Khadi fabric
44. Khaki fabric: Woven fabric made with cotton, wool or its blend. Often used for police or military uniforms. It also used for home decoration, jacket, skirts etc.
Fig: Khaki fabric
45. Lame fabric: Woven/knitted fabric. It is often used for party wear, theatrical or dance costumes. This fabric has thin ribbons of metallic fibres frapped around the primary yarn.
Fig: Lame fabric
46. Laminated fabric: Specialty fabric consists two or more layer constructed with a polymer film bonded to another fabric. It is used for rainwear, automotive etc.
Fig: Laminated fabric
47. Lawn fabric: Woven fabric originally made from flax/linen but now made from cotton. It is used for infant wear, handkerchiefs, dresses, aprons etc.
Fig: Lawn fabric
48. Leno fabric: Woven fabric used for producing bag, firewood bag, curtains and drapery, mosquito netting, clothing etc.
Fig: Leno fabric
49. Linsey woolsey fabric: Woven fabric coarse twill or pain woven fabric woven with a linen warp and a woollen weft. Many sources say it was used for whole cloth quilts.
Fig: Linsey-woolsey fabric
50. Madras fabric: Woven fabric. Cotton madras is woven from fragile, short staple cotton fibre that can only carded. As it is lightweight cotton fabric it is used for clothing such as pants, shorts, dresses etc.
Fig: Madras fabric
51. Mousseline fabric: Woven fabric made of silk, wool, cotton. This fabric is popular for fashionable as dress and shawl fabric.
Fig: Mousseline fabric
52. Muslin fabric: Woven fabric. Early muslin was handwoven of uncommonly delicate hand spun yarn. It was used for dress making, shellac polishing, filter etc.
Fig: Muslin fabric
53. Narrow fabric: Specialty fabric. This fabric is available mainly in laces and tapes form. They are thicker version of the fabric. Narrow fabric is used for wrapping, decorating etc.
Fig: Narrow fabric
54. Organdy fabric: Woven fabric made with fine spun combed yarn. Stiff varieties are for home furnishing and softer organdy are for summer wear like blouses, sarees etc.
Fig: Organdy fabric
55. Organza fabric: Woven fabric. It is a thin, plain wave traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament such as polyester or nylon. Most popular item is bag.
Fig: Organza fabric
56. Aertex fabric: Woven fabric light weight and loosely woven cotton used for making shirts and underwear.
Fig: Aertex fabric
57. Aida cloth fabric: Woven fabric. It is a cotton fabric with natural mesh pattern generally used for cross-stich embroidery.
Fig: Aida cloth fabric
58. Baize fabric: Woven fabric made from wool and cotton blends. It is a perfect fabric for the surface of pool tables, snooker tables etc.
Fig: Baize fabric
59. Batiste fabric: Woven fabric made from cotton, wool, linen, polyester or a blend. Majorly used for christening grown, nightgowns and underlining for wedding gown.
Fig: Batiste fabric
60. Bird’s eye knit fabric: Knitted fabric. It is a double-knit fabric with a combination of tuck stitches and knitting stitches. They are popular as clothing fabric especially women’s wear.
Fig: Bird’s eye knit fabric
61. Bombazine fabric: Woven fabric made of silk, silk-wool and today it is made of cotton and wool or wool alone. It is used as dress materials.
Fig: Bombazine fabric
62. Brocade fabric: Woven fabric. It is often made in coloured silks with or without gold and silver threads. It is often used for upholstery and draperies. They are used for evening and formal clothing.
Fig: Brocade fabric
63. Buckram fabric: Woven fabric. A stiff coated fabric made of lightweight loosely woven fabric. It is used as an interface support for the necklines, collars, belts etc.
Fig: Buckram fabric
64. Cable knit fabric: Knitted fabric. It is a double-knit fabric made by the special loop transfer technique. It is used as sweater fabric
Fig: Cable knit fabric
65. Calico fabric: Woven fabric made by 100% cotton fibre. Most popular use of this fabric is for designer toiles.
Fig: Calico fabric
66. Cambric fabric: Woven fabric. This fabric is ideal for handkerchief, slips, underwear etc.
Fig: Cambric fabric
67. Chenille fabric: Woven fabric. The yarn is commonly manufactured from cotton but also made using acrylic, rayon and olefin. It is used for upholstery, cushions, curtains.
Fig: Chenille fabric
68. Corduroy fabric: Woven fabric made from textile fibres with one warp and two fillings. It is used for making shirts, jackets etc.
Fig: Corduroy fabric
69. Casement fabric: Woven fabric made of closely packed thick warp yarns. Generally used for table linen, upholstery.
Fig: Casement fabric
70. Cheese cloth: Woven fabric made of cotton. Primary use of cheese cloth is food preservation.
Fig: Cheese cloth
71. Cheviot fabric: It is a woven fabric. Originally made from the wool of cheviot sheep but it is also made from other type of wool or blends of wool and man-made fibres in plain or different type of weave. Cheviot fabric is used in men’s suits, and ladies’ suits and lightweight coats. It is also used as stylish upholstery or luxurious curtains and suited to both modern or more traditional interiors.
Fig: Cheviot fabric
72. Chiffon fabric: Woven fabric made from silk, synthetic, polyester, rayon, cotton etc. it is suitable for bridal gown, evening dresses, scarves etc.
Fig: Chiffon fabric
73. Chino fabric: Woven fabric made from cotton. It is generally used for trousers and military uniform.
Fig: Chino fabric
74. Chintz fabric: Woven fabric often made from blend of cotton and polyester or rayon. Used for skits, dresses, pyjamas, aprons etc.
Fig: Chintz fabric
75. Crepe fabric: Woven fabric made of very high twist yarn either in one or both direction warps. It is used for making dresses, lining, home furnishing etc.
Fig: Crepe fabric
76. Crewel fabric: Specialty fabric used for curtains, bed-heads, cushions, light upholstery, bed covers etc.
Fig: Crewel fabric
77. Damask fabric: Woven fabric. It is a heavyweight, rough woven fabric. It is a reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton etc. It is usually used for mid to high quality garments.
Fig: Damask fabric
78. Denim fabric: Woven fabric used for making clothing like dresses, hats, boots, shirts, jackets. Also accessories like belts, wallets, handbags, seat cover etc. Denim is one of the most important types of fabric among the young generation.
Fig: Denim fabric
79. Dimity fabric: Woven fabric. It was originally made of silk or wool but since 18th century has been woven of cotton. It is often used for summer dresses, aprons, baby clothing etc.
Fig: Dimity fabric
80. Drill fabric: Woven fabric made from cotton fibres, generally known as khaki. It is used for uniforms, workwear, tents etc.
Fig: Drill fabric
81. Double knit fabric: Knitted fabric made form interlock stitches and variations. Wool and polyester are mainly used for double knit. It is often used for elaborating two colour designs.
Fig: Double knit fabric
82. Duck or canvas fabric: Woven fabric made of cotton, linen or synthetic. Used for motor hoods, belting, packaging, sneakers etc.
Fig: Duck or canvas fabric
83. Felt fabric: Specialty fabric. Natural fibres are pressed and condensed together with heat and pressure to make it. It is used in many countries as a material of clothing, footwear etc.
Fig: Felt fabric
84. Fibreglass fabric: Specialty fabric. It generally consists extremely fine glass fibres. It is used for fabric, yarns, insulators and structural object.
Fig: Fibreglass fabric
85. Cashmere fabric: Woven or knitted fabric. It is a type of wool made from cashmere goat. Used for making sweater, scarf, blanket etc.
Fig: Cashmere fabric
86. Leather fabric: Leather is any fabric made from animal hides or skin. It is used for making jackets, boots, belt etc.
Fig: Leather fabric
87. Viscose fabric: It is a semi synthetic type rayon fabric. It is a versatile fabric for clothing like blouses, dresses, jacket etc.
Fig: Viscose fabric
88. Rep fabric: Usually made of silk, wool or cotton and used for dresses, neckties.
Fig: Rep fabric
89. Ottoman fabric: It is made of silk or a mixture of cotton and other silk like yarn. It is used for formal dress and academic dresses.
Fig: Ottoman fabric
90. Eolienne fabric: It is a lightweight fabric with a ribbed surface. It is made by combining silk and cotton or silk worsted warp and weft. It is similar to poplin but even lighter weight.
Eolienne fabric
91. Barathea fabric: It is a soft fabric. It uses various combinations of wool, silk and cotton. It is suitable for dress coats, dinner jacket, military uniforms etc
Fig: Barathea fabric
92. Bengaline fabric: It is a woven silk and cotton material. This fabric great for fitting pants, skirts and dresses etc.
Fig: Bengaline fabric
93. Hessian fabric: Woven fabric made from skin of the jute plant or sisal fibres. It may be combined with other vegetable fibre to make nets, rope etc.
Fig: Hessian fabric
94. Camlet fabric: Woven fabric originally might made from camel or goat’s hair. But later from chiefly of goat’s hair and silk or from wool and cotton.
Camlet fabric
95. Chiengora fabric: It is a yarn or wool spun from dog hair and it is 80% warmer than wool. It used for making scarves, wraps, blankets etc.
Fig: Chiengora fabric
96. Cotton duck: It is a heavy, pain woven cotton fabric. Duck canvas is tighter woven than pain canvas. It is used for sneakers, painting canvas, tents, sandbag etc.
Fig: Cotton duck
97. Dazzle fabric: It is a type of polyester fabric. It is lightweight and allow more air to circulate around body. It is more used for making football uniform, basketball uniform etc.
Fig: Dazzle fabric
98. Gannex fabric: It is a waterproof fabric whose outer layer is made from nylon and inner layer is made of wool.
Fig: Gannex fabric
99. Habotai: It is one of the most basic plain weaves of silk fabric. Though it is normally lining silk it can be used for making t-shirts, lamp shades, and summer blouses.
Fig: Habotai fabric
100. Polar fleece fabric: It is a soft napped insulating fabric. It is made from polyester. It is used in making jackets, hats, sweaters, gym cloth etc.
Fig: Polar fleece fabric
Conclusion:
Different types of fabric does different job. Some of them are good for clothing and some may be good for home furnishing. Some of the fabric developed over the year but some of them vanished like muslin. But one common thing is that every fabric has its own story to tell us.
References:
Author of this Article:
Md. Sadman Nafe
B.Sc. in Textile Engineering
Textile Engineering College, Noakhali.
O email : 258053226@qq.com
Telefone : +8618605954079
Whatsapp : +8618605954079
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