What are nonwovens?

Nonwovens are innovative, high-tech, engineered fabrics made from fibres.  They are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products either in combination with other materials or alone.

 

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Nonwovens are designed for their specific application, ranging from thin, light
weight nonwovens to strong and durable nonwovens, be it consumer or industrial
applications. The combination of their specific characteristics through the raw
materials selection, the formation and bonding methods used or the applied
finishing treatments, such as printing, embossing, laminating etc. allow to deliver
high-performance products. 

If you are wondering where to find nonwovens or see concrete examples check
out Nonwovens in daily life.

Nonwovens Training Courses

Depending on the application, nonwovens can be

  • Abrasion resistant
  • Absorbent
  • Antistatic
  • Biodegradable
  • Breathable
  • Colour fast
  • Conductive
  • Crease resistant
  • Cushioning
  • Drapeable
  • Dry cleanable
  • Durable
  • Dust free
  • Dyeable
  • Elastic
  • Flame resistant
  • Foldable
  • Glueable
  • Heat sealable
  • Impermeable
  • Ironable
  • Light
  • Lint free
  • Liquid repellent
  • Long-lasting
  • Mouldable
  • Non-conductive
  • Non-fading
  • Permeable
  • Porous
  • Printable
  • Protective (micro bacterial barrier)
  • Repellent
  • Resilient
  • Rot and mildew resistant
  • Sewable
  • Skin compatible
  • Smooth
  • Soft
  • Stable
  • Sterilisable
  • Stiff
  • Stretchable
  • Strong
  • Tear resistant
  • Washable
  • Weatherproof
  • Weldable

ISO and CEN definition of nonwovens

Nonwovens are defined by ISO standard 9092 and CEN EN 29092. These two documents, identical in their content, are the internationally acknowledged definition of Nonwovens. As industry, trade and technology have evolved since their first publication in 1988, these standards are regularly being updated by experts to better reflect the present understanding of Nonwovens. The following text, prepared by the leading nonwovens trade associations, reflects the current definition of nonwovens and the related terminology.

A nonwoven is an engineered fibrous assembly, primarily planar, which has been given a designed level of structural integrity by physical and/or chemical means, excluding weaving, knitting or paper making.

 

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Download ISO and CEN definition of nonwovens

Supplement A: Relative Terminology Defined

  1. Fibrous Assembly
    A predetermined amount and arrangement of natural or manufactured fibrous material such as, but not limited to fibres, continuous filaments, or chopped yarns of any length or cross-section. It can be a two- or three-dimensional alignment of fibrous materials made by a web forming process.

  2. Engineered
    An application of science to design, plan and manufacture products to utility specifications.

  3. Structural Integrity

    A measurable level of added tensile strength.

  4. Physical and/or Chemical Means

    Bonding technologies that result in frictional forces between fibres (through entanglement) or adhesive forces between fibres (with or without the use of binders).

  5. Paper making

    Paper making, in this context, is regarded as the process of producing a thin material by pressing together, short, refined cellulose fibres formed on a screen from a water suspension of these fibres, and drying them, with hydrogen bonding as the predominant mechanism holding the web together. 

    The refined fibres plus the self-bonding that occurs between cellulose fibres during drying distinguish paper from wet-laid nonwovens. 

    When re-wet, the hydrogen bonds between fibres are broken, and paper typically loses almost all of its strength.

  6. Wet laid process that is not paper making

    In a wet laid process where cellulose or other fibres are engineered to a level of structural integrity primarily by physical and/or chemical means other than hydrogen bonding, the resulting assembly is considered a nonwoven.

    Note: most materials made through a papermaking process are classified as paper products per ISO 4046-3, but some might be classified as nonwovens, particularly where clear differentiation between the primary means of bonding is not possible.

Supplement B: Distinction between nonwovens and related materials

  1. Films

    Films cast, blown or extruded from polymers, which then through physical or chemical means are made into fibrous assemblies, can be considered nonwovens if the L/D ratio of the fibrous elements is over 30.

  2. Stitchbond

    These materials are classified as nonwovens. They are primarily fibrous and engineered to a given level of integrity by physical means for specific applications. The warp or circular knit stitching is the additional bonding technology.

  3. Wadding

    Waddings are high-loft assemblies, primarily fibrous, engineered to a given level of integrity by physical means for specific applications. Waddings are not woven or knitted and can be considered a high-loft nonwoven when bonded throughout the assembly.

  4. Nonwoven composites and nonwovens in multi-component structures
    Generally, nonwoven composites (hybrid nonwovens) and nonwovens that are combined with other discrete materials are to be considered as nonwovens.