Part 2: How Fabric Identification Works in the Textile Industry

In Part 1, we explored how deadstock fabric fits into the bigger picture of textile waste and sustainability. But what happens when you don’t even know what fabric you’re working with?

While the burn test is an amazing tool for home sewists and small-scale makers, fabric identification in the textile industry and fashion industry is far more advanced. Textile manufacturers, sustainability experts, and fashion brands in the apparel industry use specialized techniques and technology to determine fiber content with precision. These tests go beyond the simple burn test and are often required to meet industry standards, quality control measures, and environmental regulations.

At FABCYCLE Textile Waste Reuse Center, while we primarily use our expertise and hands-on techniques to identify textiles, we also keep an eye on how professionals do it at a larger scale. Understanding these methods helps us bridge the gap between textile waste and practical reuse. Let’s dive into how fabric identification happens in the industry and what home sewists can learn from it.

 Professional Fabric Identification Methods

1. Infrared Spectroscopy 🌈

This method uses infrared light to analyze the molecular structure of fibers. Different fibers absorb and reflect infrared light in unique ways, creating a "fingerprint" that helps identify the material. This is one of the most accurate ways to determine fabric content, especially for blended fabrics.

🔍 How it works: A sample of fabric is placed in an infrared spectrometer, which then reads its molecular composition. The results are compared to a database of known fibers.

✅ Best for: High-precision testing in textile labs, verifying fiber content for quality control, and ensuring compliance with fiber labeling laws.

💡 Analogy: Think of it like a thermal camera that detects heat differences—except instead of heat, it detects fiber differences based on how they absorb light!

Interestingly, this technology is also used in geology and environmental science to analyze soil and rock surfaces!

2. Microscopic Fiber Analysis 🔬

In the fashion industry, identifying a fabric sometimes requires looking at its fibers up close. Microscopic analysis magnifies fabric fibers up to 400x, revealing their unique structures.

 Natural fibers (like cotton and wool) have unique surface textures and shapes, while synthetic fibers (like polyester and nylon) tend to have smoother, more uniform structures.

🔍 How it works: A small fiber sample is placed under a microscope, and its structure is compared to known fiber characteristics.

✅ Best for: Identifying fiber types visually, especially for natural fibers.

🔍 Example: Cotton fibers appear as twisted ribbons, while polyester fibers look smooth and glassy. Wool has a scaly surface, much like human hair.

While professionals use high-powered microscopes, a good magnifying glass can still help you spot some fiber differences at home!

3. Solvent & Chemical Testing 🧪

Some fibers react to specific chemicals, which helps confirm their identity. In textile labs, professionals use a variety of solvents to test how fibers dissolve, change color, or react to specific chemical agents.

🔍 How it works: A tiny swatch of fabric is treated with different chemicals to see how it behaves. For example, acetone can dissolve acetate fibers, but won’t affect polyester. Another example is using sulfuric acid, which dissolves cotton but leaves polyester intact.

✅ Best for: Distinguishing between similar synthetic fibers and testing for blends.

💡 Fun fact: Did you know that real silk dissolves in a solution of chlorine bleach, but synthetic silk doesn’t?

4. Burn Tests (Industry-Level vs. Home Use) 🔥

Yes, burn tests are used in the industry too! However, professionals often conduct them under controlled conditions and combine them with other testing methods to ensure accuracy.

✅ Best for: Quick preliminary tests before conducting more advanced fiber analysis.

📌 How Industry Methods Compare to Home Testing

For home sewists, the best approach is still a combination of burn tests, touch/feel analysis, and knowledge of common fabric characteristics.

🌎 Why Fabric Identification Matters

In the textile industry and apparel industry, understanding fiber content is not just about knowing how a fabric behaves—it also plays a huge role in sustainability, ethical sourcing, and responsible production.

1. Sustainable Fashion & Recycling

Knowing fiber content supports responsible sourcing, textile recycling initiatives, and better ways to mitigate environmental impact (somewhat). 

📝 Note: Fabric recycling is a vast and complex topic and there's lots to say about it so we’ll cover it in a future blog post!

2. Garment Care & Longevity

Proper identification helps prevent shrinkage, dye bleeding, and fabric damage and also:

✅ Choosing the right washing method (cold water vs. hot water) ✅ Knowing whether a fabric will shrink or stretch ✅ Determining if dry cleaning is necessary

For example, washing wool in hot water will cause it to shrink, while polyester won’t absorb water and dries quickly.

3. Sewing & Crafting Considerations

Sewists and designers benefit from knowing the fiber type before starting a project. Some fibers stretch more than others, some are easier to cut, and some require special needles or stitch settings.

At FABCYCLE, accurate fiber identification allows us to help our community find the best materials for their sewing projects.

4. Import & Export Regulations

Fabric identification also plays a role in international trade. Many countries have strict labeling laws requiring accurate fiber content percentages. For businesses, mislabeling textiles can result in hefty fines and customs delays, which is why accurate fiber identification is crucial in global trade.

5. Standardization & Industry Regulations

The fashion and textile industry follows strict regulations for fiber content labeling. This ensures that consumers know what they’re purchasing and helps prevent misleading claims about fabric sustainability.

🧪 The Challenges of Identifying Blends & Fabric Finishes

While burn tests and fiber analysis are helpful, things get tricky with blended fabrics and specialty finishes.

Blended Fabrics

Blends combine two or more fibers, making identification more complex. For example:

• A cotton-polyester blend may partially burn like cotton but leave behind polyester-like melted beads.

• A wool-synthetic blend might smell like burning hair but also form a hard plastic bead from the synthetic content.

Fabric Finishes & Dyes

Some finishes, coatings, and dyes can affect test results. For instance:

• Fire-retardant finishes can make natural fibers self-extinguish, mimicking synthetic behavior.

• Waterproof coatings may prevent fabric from absorbing water in a water test, even if it’s a natural fiber.

🚀 Innovations in Fabric Identification

The fashion industry and textile industry is constantly evolving, and new fabric identification technologies are emerging:

🔹 AI-Powered Fabric Recognition – Some brands are developing AI tools that analyze photos of fabric and suggest fiber content based on texture and weave. 🔹 Portable Spectrometers – Handheld fiber analyzers allow instant fiber identification in the field. 🔹 Blockchain for Textile Tracking – Some manufacturers are integrating blockchain to ensure traceability in fiber sourcing.

As sustainability becomes a bigger focus, accurate fiber identification will play a critical role in reducing waste and improving circular fashion initiatives.

🧵 Practical Tips for Home Sewists

If you don’t have access to high-tech fabric testing methods, here’s how you can get as close as possible to an accurate fiber identification:

✅ Use a combination of methods: Burn tests, touch tests, wrinkle tests, and water absorption tests.

✅ Compare against known fabrics: If you have a confirmed cotton swatch, compare its feel and behavior against your mystery fabric.

✅ Check fabric selvages or manufacturer markings: Sometimes, fabric rolls have information printed on the selvage.

✅ Ask the sewing community: Online forums and local sewing groups can be great places to ask about mystery fabrics.

🔥 Fun Fabric Facts!

🎭 Did you know?

• Acetate fabric smells like burnt celery when tested with a burn test!

• Wool is naturally flame-resistant and will self-extinguish when burned.

• Rayon (viscose) is technically a semi-synthetic fiber—made from natural cellulose but processed with chemicals.

• Polyester melts before it burns, forming hard beads that you can snap between your fingers.

• Silk burns slowly and self-extinguishes—historically, this made it a popular choice for luxury evening gowns, reducing the risk of fire accidents at candle-lit events!

🚀 What’s Next?

We hope this guide helps you understand how fabric identification works, both at home and in the industry! If you’re a sewist, designer, or fabric lover, keep experimenting and learning about different textiles.

💡 Looking for high-quality deadstock fabrics? Check out our curated collection at FABCYCLE—where sustainability meets creativity. ♻️✨

Got questions about fabric identification? Drop them in the comments below or visit us at the Textile Waste Reuse Center.

Happy making! 🧵😊