Polyester fabric is a synthetic man-made fabric made from polyester fibers which are manufactured from a category of polymers made from oil. It is the most frequently used fabric in the fashion industry today. These materials used for sewing and making clothes are soft, machine washable, wrinkle-resistant, and mostly stain resistant. On top of everything, it is low-cost and long-lasting.
There are understandably many questions about the safety of the fabric. Safe or not, all of us have a lot of polyester clothes in our wardrobes.
“What percentage of clothing is made from polyester?”
“Polyester is found in approximately 60 percent of garments on retail shelves today. That equates to approximately 21.3 million tons of polyester—a 157 percent increase between 2000 and 2015”.
therobinreport.com
The fabric is one of the strongest fabrics with many qualities that make it suitable for manufacturing apparel and home furnishing and many items for industrial purposes. It may be knit or woven to make silk-like fabrics.
Reference: Production of polyester
At one time it was considered too cheap a material and not worthy to be made into clothes. But that has changed with the advent of many specialized materials with a lot of superior qualities.
It’s ‘wash and wear’ property is the major draw of these fabrics. It does not form or retain wrinkles are does other materials. The microfiber variety of these fabrics is very soft and absorbent. No need to elaborate. It is almost as if there is a polyester dominance in the world fashion scene, and it is not coming down anytime soon
How to tell if your fabric is polyester?
You can use a burn test to differentiate polyester fabric. As you can see in this post on fabric burn identification tests – “Polyester fabric will burn with the smell of chemical vinegar or burnt plastic. There will be small hard lumps in the ashes”
When you try to burn polyester the fabric will shrink from the flame at first. But then it will burn slowly giving off black smoke. The fibers will give out a chemical odor. The residue will look like a hard cream-colored bead at first but then it will turn to a darker color.
Identifying using its looks
Polyester fabric is available in many textures and looks . It all depends on the fabric the fiber is made into and the fabric finishes it ends up with. A crepe fabric made of polyester will be different in look and feel than a satin made of polyester fibers. Some of these fabrics look like wool, some like silk
Major types
Microfiber
Microfiber fabric has properties like moisture-wicking and moisture resistance which makes them ideal for making sports apparel. They are very lightweight and comfortable to wear. They can also be water repellent and can be worn to resist rain and wind conditions. Microfiber can also be a blend of polyester and nylon fibers. Learn more about microfiber fabric here.
Polar fleece
PET polyester is used to produce polar fleece fabric, after combining it with acrylic, nylon, or virgin polyester fiber to add strength. Learn more about the nature of different fleece fabrics
Spun polyester
This is a woven or knitted fabric with a soft feel, as it is made with fibers which are softened by agitation. It is a nice comfortable dressmaking fabric. It is also durable.
Polyester fabric – blends
The material is combined with different fibers to create richer textiles with the qualities and characteristics of these combinations. Polyester is generally combined with natural fibers to make fabrics with better longevity, wrinkle resistance, and light weight. A Poly-blend material is a mixture of two or more poly components resulting in a new material.
Polyester yarns are woven or knitted as they are or combined with other fibers forming blended fabrics. Cotton, linen, ramie, rayon and wool fibers are blended this way.
These blended fabrics have qualities that belong to the extra fibers combined with the properties of polyester fibers. When blended with cotton the fabric takes on qualities like wrinkle-resistance and low shrinkage and breathability to a degree. But the bad qualities may also be inherited like a tendency to melt with high heat and a bad case of pilling.
Velvet is a cotton/polyester blend fabric and it is one of the most used fabric for making clothes and upholstery. Broadcloth is a blend of cotton and polyester and it is very popular as a dressmaking fabric. Rayon and polyester blends (Rayon challis) are great as dressmaking fabric as they are very soft and drapey. Polyester/spandex blend is used to make fitting figure-hugging clothes
Many of these fabrics are woven or treated with fabric finishes that make them look like natural fabrics- this fabric may look like raw silk but is really polyester. Plisse is a cotton-polyester blend with a wrinkled look. There is a polyester-cotton fabric which looks a lot like linen. Read more about blended textiles.
Minky fabric (Plush)
Minky is a type of polyester fabric that has been knitted with a special process to create its a soft, plush, velvety texture. This texture mimics the feel of mink fur, hence the name minky. There are different kinds of minky fabrics.
List of fabrics which may also be made of polyester fibers – Lame, a lot of laces, a lot of nets, organza.
Plant based Polyester
These fabrics are made of materials derived from renewable resources like cane sugar.
Uses for SEWING AND MAKING clothES
Today polyester fabric is used to make affordable, functional, easily maintainable garments.
A blend of cotton and polyester is used to make shirts, blouses and other clothes; the polyester /wool blend is good as suit fabric. 100% polyester is used to make upholstery cloth, awning fabric, jackets, lining. Polyester fiberfill is used as stuffing in cushions, comforters, mattresses, quilts, and pillows. I sew a lot with polyester or polyester blends because it is so readily available and so cheap.
Monofilament thread used in sewing and embroidery is made with polyester fiber. Sewing thread made with this fiber is very strong.
Polar fleece is used to make outdoor clothes. Pleated fabrics are almost always polyester
Characteristic qualities
Inexpensive
The topmost quality that trumps everything for the textile industry is the fact that this fabric is cheap compared to any other fabric. It is cheaper to produce. It is made from crude oil and the decreased price of oil means that the production cost is low. Poly/cotton-blended fabric is cheaper than 100% cotton.
Very strong and durable
Polyester fiber is counted as a very strong fiber. Straps made of this material are said to be stronger than steel. It is not easily damaged by most chemicals/alcohol/oil. It is also resistant to stretching and shrinking when washed. It remains strong even when it is wet, unlike natural fibers. A major quality that I read everywhere about is its abrasion resistance. It is also not damaged by sunlight.
Lightweight and flexible
Though it is strong, the fabric is very fine and lightweight. It also has some elasticity, though it is stable enough.
Easy to maintain
Polyester is easy to wash and clean and dries very quickly. It does not wrinkle easily and also may not need ironing if taken out from the washing machine immediately after washing/drying. In fact, during the early days of it’s discovery, this was one of the selling points that Dupont company used – a fabric that does not need ironing.
It also resists mildew, moths, fungi and rot and cannot be damaged by insects. It is somewhat stain resistant. And the clothing can also be dry cleaned.
You can learn more about details like whether Polyester will shrink.
Retains creases when heat pressed
Polyester is the fabric most often used to make pre-pleated fabrics as it can be pressed into heat-set pleats without the use of chemicals. It’s quality to retain creases is called thermoplasticity.The best thing about this pleated fabric is that it remains soft even when heat is applied, unlike other fabrics.
More and more advances in technology result in this fabric with many desirable qualities that one would expect from a high quality highly used fabric -like sweat-wicking, the addition of anti-static fibers, and flame-retardant fibers.
Recyclable
The material can be recycled to form new fibers. The fiber, yarn and fabric can be recycled.
High melting point
Polyester shows high resistance to heat. It does not burn with high heat till about 200-degree Celsius, even then it only softens and never burns, which is in contrast with natural fabrics which can burn easily with heat and hence they are reported to be unsuitable for making sleepwear for kids.
Non-absorbent
This quality is useful in making athletic apparel as it will manage moisture /sweat by wicking it away from the body during strenuous activity, keeping the body comfortable. Polyester microfiber is such a fabric that allows moisture to wick to the surface and quickly evaporate.
Reference: Chemical knowledge
Moisture wicking
It is generally moisture-wicking. High-quality Moisture-wicking fabrics are used to make sleepwear or pajamas. These fabrics will be labeled “moisture-wicking” or “performance fabrics.”
These textiles are perfect for athletic, outdoor, and professional apparel because of their moisture-wicking quality. If you get night sweats or simply want to stay cool, the proper moisture-wicking fabric can help you sleep comfortably and dry. Add to this the longevity of the fabric, do you wonder why it is so widely used.
Let us not forget the good qualities of of this material. It is easy to wash and easy to dry, abrasion resistant, mildew resistant, wrinkle-free, do not shrink or stretch and can outlive me and you. And, sales drive the market.
Related posts:
I would like to know if constant exposure to polyester can cause an allergic reaction for some people. Could it cause skin itching and maybe a slight rash? Thanks Buck
Hi Vilas.
Polyester is not a breathable fabric so wearing it in summer can trap sweat and if you do not change clothes often it can cause some skin problems. There are many people with problems from Polyester as you can read from this page medhelp.org/posts/Allergy/Anyone-allergic-to-polyester-I-am-and-can-help/show/1106458
Contact dermetitis is the name I think. No doctor here : )