Textiles versus fabrics
What are textiles? The actual definition of textile is surprisingly completely different from fabric
As it turns out, textiles have many applications outside the world of fashion. Besides the obvious such as clothing, bags, home decoration and so on, textiles are also an essential part of medicine, toy manufacturing, weapons industry, agriculture and other unexpected fields.
What are textiles – the definition
To understand the basic differences between textiles and fabrics, it is important to clearly define the term. The definition of textile includes any material made of interwoven fibers, including carpets and geotextiles. Any woven or knitted fabric is a textile. The common characteristic of all textiles is that they are made from textile fibers.
What is a textile fiber?
Textile fiber products include yarn, thread, natural silk, viscose, man-made fibers, elastic fibers and metallic silk. Textiles are made by processing, weaving or knitting these materials. This results in the typical production goods such as clothing, accessories, gloves, hats and blankets, as well as any kind of plastic, industrial, natural fur, agricultural or medical textiles. That is, beyond the world of fashion, textiles include any woven or knitted material for any purpose.
The specialized use of textiles
Specialized uses of textiles include, for example, geotextiles. It is a permeable fabric used to separate, filter, reinforce, protect or drain soil. Geotextiles are generally used to optimize the soil on which structures, roads or pipelines are built. These textiles have different types of materials such as open mesh, knitted and non-woven types.
Another example is medical dressings and bandages, which fall into the category of medical textiles or health textiles. These types are particularly used in the medical field for first aid, clinical or hygienic purposes and rehabilitation. Medical textiles must have certain properties to be useful in this field, such as biocompatibility, good alkali resistance, absorbency and repellency, to name a few.
One can categorize agrotextiles, automotive textiles and other specialty textiles according to their respective industry-specific uses. They may be made of similar components, but their uses are very different. For this reason, they are categorized by industry, not by component.
The classification of textile fibers
Textile fibers can be classified on the basis of three different criteria: their nature, intended use, and manufacture.
The first classification of textile fibers is based on the nature, materials, processing technology, surface structure, appearance and main use of the textiles. These, in turn, can be divided into 14 different categories.
The second classification method is the use of textiles, which are divided into clothing, decorative and industrial textiles.
Last but not least, textiles can be classified according to how they are made, into linen, belts, chenille, woven fabrics, textile fabrics and beyond. These different methods allow to distinguish the specific fibers needed for a particular product.
If this is a textile, what is the definition of fabric?
The definition of fabric is an areal mass consisting of fine, soft objects connected by crossing, winding and linking. That sounds pretty much like a textile, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, fabrics are used even more extensively.
Fabrics include all woven and knitted materials, but they also include non-woven materials. Fabrics made from yarns join together by an intersecting and sinuous arrangement. This means that fabrics with a special method of joining occur outside the definition of a textile.
Typical examples of non-woven fabrics are tea bag paper, facial tissues, synthetic fiber paper and nonwoven fabrics.
During further processing, fabrics are turned into goods such as garments, bed sheets, blankets, carpets, curtains, drapes and much more. Textiles, on the other hand, often have a sole use.
Textile vs. fabric
The question of textile versus fabric has little to do with their definitions, but more to do with their production and use. Textiles are either a product in their own right or they can be combined with other materials to create something else.
Fabric is predominantly an “ingredient” that is mixed with other materials to create a finished product. If there were no strict quality testing in the textile production process, we could not imagine what our lives would be like. Fabric testing is only one component of textile testing. Above all, it is the most common and important link for testing textile quality.
Fabric testing is critical in evaluating the performance characteristics of textiles to ensure that the quality of the product is what you pay for. This testing is crucial in identifying the final result of the product and its quality.
Conclusion: What is the difference between fabric and textiles?
Textiles are everywhere, from fibers to yarn, from cloth to clothing, from medical treatment to a wide variety of industries. They range from fibers woven together to a ready-to-use product. Furthermore, fabric still falls under the term textile. So this means that fabric and textile can be made from the same materials.
To the point: Not all textiles are fabrics, while every fabric is a textile.