FABRICS FAQ : textile glossary

Fabrics FAQ Topics

Fiber / Yarn related terms

acetate

A manufactured fiber from cellulose acetate.

acrylic

Generic term for a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85 percent by weight of acrylonitrile units.

alpaca

Long, fine hair fibers from the alpaca, an animal native to South America.

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC)

Founded in 1921, the AATCC is the world's leading not-for-profit professional association for the textile design, materials, processing and testing industries. AATCC has thousands of individual and corporate members in more than 60 countries. The Association is internationally recognized for its standard methods of testing dyed and chemically treated fibers and fabrics to measure and evaluate such performance characteristics as colorfastness to light and washing, smoothness appearance, soil release, shrinkage, water resistance, and the many other conditions to which textiles may be subjected.

angora

Fine, lightweight hair fiber from the Angora rabbit. Hair fibers from the angora goat are typically referred to as mohair.

animal fibers

Fibers of animal origin such as wool, alpaca, camel hair and silk.

Association for Contract Textiles (ACT)

The Association for Contract Textiles is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1985. ACT is a professional trade group consisting primarily of companies that design, develop, produce and promote textiles for commercial interiors united for support, strength, credibility and common interests.

astrakhan

Fur from young lambs from Astrakhan, characterized by lustrous, closely curled wool. Often imitated by thick woven or knitted fabric with loops or curls on the surface.