Common Fabrics and Material Used for Bags :

Cotton Canvas Duck

Cotton duck (from Dutch doek,"linen canvas"), also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, commonly called "canvas" outside the textile industry, is a heavy, plain woven cotton fabric. There is also linen duck, which is less often used. Duck is used in a wide range of applications, from sneakers to over tents to sandbags. Duck fabric is woven with two yarns together in the warp and a single yarn in the weft.

Cotton Canvas Classification

Duck is classified according to weight in a numerical system, with grade 1 the heaviest and grade 12 the lightest variety. Besides this, traditional names exist, which are rarely used today. A numbering system is used to describe the various weights of duck cloth, based on the weight of a 36×22-inch piece. Weights below 19 ounces are called numbered duck. The grade of numbered duck refers to the number of ounces subtracted from 19 for a 36×22-inch piece of fabric. For example, a piece of #8 numbered duck with dimensions of 36"×22" weighs 11 ounces (19 − 8 = 11); those above 19 ounces are called naught duck.

Numbered duck is nominally made in weights from 1 to 12, but numbers 7, 9, and 11 are no longer used. Some typical uses of various grades (with weights in ounces) are:

#1 18 oz): hammocks, cots, sandbags
#2 (17 oz): hatch paulins
#3 (16 oz): heavy-duty bags
#4 (15 oz): sea bags
#5 (14 oz): heavy work clothes
#6 (13 oz): large boat covers, heavy work clothes
#8 (11 oz): work clothes, clothes bags
#10 (9 oz): work clothes, shower curtains
#12 (7 oz): light clothes

Naught duck

If a piece 1 yard by 22 inches weighs 19 ounces or more, the cloth is called naught duck. A 1-yard by 22-inch piece of 1⁄0 naught duck weighs 19 ounces; 2⁄0 naught duck weighs 20 ounces, and so on. Each extra ounce of weight adds another naught. Thus a piece of 6⁄0 duck 1 yard by 22 inches would weigh 24 ounces.

Grade
Weight in ounces
of a piece
36 inches by 22 inches
Numbered duck
10
9
9
10
8
11
7
12
6
13
5
14
4
15
3
16
2
17
1
18
Naught duck
1/0
19
2/0
20
3/0
21
4/0
22
5/0
23
6/0
24

Ripstop Nylon and Polyester

Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics often made out of nylon, whilst using a special reinforcing technique that makes them resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving (thick) reinforcement threads are interwoven at regular intervals in a crosshatch pattern. The intervals are typically 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 in). Thin and lightweight ripstop fabrics have a 3-dimensional structure due to the thicker threads being interwoven in thinner cloth. Older lightweight ripstop-fabrics display the thicker interlocking thread patterns in the material quite prominently, but more modern weaving techniques make the ripstop threads less obvious. A similar effect can be achieved by weaving two or three fine yarns together at intervals.

Advantages of ripstop are the favourable strength-to-weight ratio and that small tears can not easily spread. Fabrics used to make ripstop include cotton, silk, polyester, and polypropylene, with nylon content limited to the crosshatched threads that make it tear-resistant.

Applications

Ripstop fabrics are used in yacht sails and spinnakers, hot air balloons, kites, parachutes, remote control hovercrafts, camping equipment such as lightweight tents and sleeping bags, swags, flags, banners, and other applications requiring a strong lightweight fabric. Ripstop reinforcement are incorporated into heavier fabrics requiring extreme durability, such as those used in Battle Dress Uniforms, Nomex protective clothing for firefighters and other workwear, outdoor and sports clothing, backpacks, and luggage bags. Self-adhesive ripstop cloth repairs rips and tears in other fabrics.

Ejector seat parachutes made with ripstop are woven with an elastic-like fabric so that they stretch to allow more air to pass through at high speed. Then as the ejector seat slows, the weave closes and acts like a conventional parachute. This allows the pilot seat to slow gently: otherwise compression could result in spine injury.

Ripstop nylon

Ripstop nylon is a light-weight nylon fabric with interwoven ripstop reinforcement threads in a crosshatch pattern. The material comes in many different colors and sizes, including thickness. It is woven with coarse, strong warp and filling yarns at intervals so that tears will not spread.

Ripstop nylon may be waterproof, water resistant, fire resistant, or have zero porosity (will not allow air or water through), and comes in light, medium and heavy weights. Textures range from a soft and silk-like material to a crisp or stiff fabric that sounds like a paper bag when moved.
It was developed as an inexpensive synthetic replacement for silk in the production of parachutes during World War II.

Ripstop polyester

Ripstop Polyester is similar to ripstop nylon but differs in the chemical composition of the fibres used to weave it.

Denier Polyester

Denier polyester is the materials that are used majorly in suit cases. The materials used are a lot more twisted than the ones you will found in the regular polyester types. And because of this type of polyester is more durable than the common polyester. The most common types of this polyester are 600 and the 1200 denier yarn polyester. The higher the number on the denier polyester is the stronger it will be. So the 1200 polyester yarn will be stronger than the 600 polyester yarn.

The 600 polyester thread is a thread that has got twisted 600 times within just 1 inch area. This is so common in bags and suitcase. It is so durable and long lasting hence why it is used in making bags. The 600 polyester is also softer and smoother than the 1200 polyester.  The 600 polyester thread is a thread that has got twisted 600 times within just 1 inch area. This is so common in bags and suitcase. It is so durable and long lasting hence why it is used in making bags. The 600 polyester is also softer and smoother than the 1200 polyester.

The waterproof thing will depend largely on the chemical treatment and the exact type of weave used when the fabric is been made. The denier is only mentioned when we are talking of the fineness, the smoothness and the thickness of fiber, the filament and the yarn.
The 600 denier polyester is really very good when it made in creating a bag. You won’t need to look for any further fabric in a bag. The bags made with 600 denier will always be strong and also durable though it may be costlier than other ones.

Nylon Vs. Polyester Fabric

Nylon and polyester are both lightweight and durable synthetic fabrics that share many of the same properties, such as easy care, wrinkle resistance, stretch resistance and shrink resistance. Nylon is softer than polyester but also stronger, while polyester is faster drying, easier to dye and abrasion resistant. Neither is a better fabric, though each has uniquely superior attributes that lend themselves to certain uses.

History

Nylon, the world's first synthetic fiber, was invented by Wallace Carothers in 1935. It was not available to the public until after Word War II but was used extensively by the military for parachutes and tents. Polyester did not make its debut until the early 1940s and only became popular in the 1950s.

Feel

During the early years, nylon was always considered a smoother and softer fabric than polyester. Nylon was created as a substitute for silk and it shows in its soft, lustrous feel. From its inception, polyester has always been a rougher fabric than nylon, hence its original use in outerwear garment and suits. The refined manufacturing capabilities of today have resulted in softer polyester that in many ways matches nylon and certainly the softness of cotton.

Durability

Both nylon and polyester are strong and lightweight due to their polymer-based construction. Nylon is the stronger of the two fabrics with greater stretchability. Though not as strong, polyester resists pilling better than nylon, which is when fibers unravel and ball up at the end. While this does not weaken the garment physically, it is not attractive aesthetically.

Water-Wicking Ability

When it comes to fast-drying fabrics, polyester has the edge. Both are naturally hydrophobic, which mean they expel water, ideally to the surface of the garment where it will evaporate. Nylon actually absorbs some water, which means it takes longer for a wet garment to dry.  Polyester fabrics perform better than nylon for moisture management because polyester is more hydrophobic. Nylon threads will absorb more water than Polyester, water requires more heat energy to warm than does air, so nylon will feel colder when wet, and stay wet longer, and when saturated impede breathability.

Lasting Color

Polyester absorbs more color faster than nylon due to the same properties that made it better at wicking water. Dyed polyester expels the water in the dye but not the dye itself, which bonds with the fibers. Nylon absorbs water, resulting in less dye bonding to the fibers.  Polyester is hydrophobic, meaning it does not absorb water. This means that when it is dyed, only the color of the dye dissolves into the fabric (not any water-base), making the dye permanent. Nylon® possesses hydrophilic qualities (that is, it absorbs water). Its inability to repel water causes the fabric to swell and ultimately weakens the molecular structure. The dyestuffs used on nylon® tend to oxidize, a reaction which is catalyzed by light. The microscopic effects range from color fading to complete degradation of the polymer matrix. This is why the colors fade in nylon-lycra® swimsuits over time, but do not fade in polyester-lycra® swimsuits

Easy Care

Bold polyester and nylon are easy-care fabrics that can be machine washed and dried, though low heat is recommended. Polyester, while not as soft as nylon, sometimes needs the addition of a fabric softener, while nylon whites should be washed separately and with bleach to avoid yellowing. As for ironing, both should be ironed on low heat because they can melt at high temperatures.

Breathability

It is the weave of the fabric (the size and number of holes) that determines breathability or resistance to air movement. Any woven or knit fabric will breathe - even if the weave is made of rubber strands.

Wicking

is the transportation of fluids (eg. sweat in liquid form) and is driven by temperature and humidity gradient. So if the climate inside your shirt is warmer and more humid than the outside air, moisture will be driven away from your body. Wicking can also be accomplished by the construction and arrangement of yarn in a piece of clothing. If the yarn on the outside of the garment is thinner than the yarn on the inside of the garment, capillary action will pull water to the outside. The increased surface area (not hollow fibre cores) of the thin yarn gives the water more space to spread out. This type of construction can be used in either Nylon or Polyester fabrics.

Summary:

1. Nylon is a thermoplastic polymer. Polyester can be thermoplastic or thermoset depending on the chemical structure.
2. Nylon fabrics have a more natural feeling than polyester ones.
3. The polyester fabrics are more wrinkle resistant than the nylon fabrics.
4. Nylons are always synthetic but polyesters can be producing by natural ingredients also. One of the major ingredients is the cutin obtained from the plant cuticles.

Artificial leather

Artificial leather is a fabric or finish intended to substitute for leather in fields such as upholstery, clothing and fabrics, and other uses where a leather-like finish is required but the actual material is cost-prohibitive or unsuitable.

Leatherette

Leatherette is a form of artificial leather, usually made by covering a fabric base with plastic. The fabric can be made of a natural or a synthetic fibre which is then covered with a soft PVC layer. Leatherette bound books and 20th century cameras are good examples of leatherette. Leatherette clothing of various kinds (including lingerie) also exist.

A disadvantage of plastic "leatherette" is that it is not porous and does not allow air to pass through it; thus, sweat can accumulate if it is used for clothing, car seat coverings, etc. One of its primary advantages, especially in cars, is that it requires little maintenance in comparison to leather, and does not crack or fade as easily. During a fire, leatherette may cause serious skin damage, because it burns more vigorously than leather and can melt.

Koskin

Koskin is an artificial leather material commonly found in computer laptop cases. It is commonly used in Hewlett-Packard, Targus and Belkin laptop cases, CD wallets, and other consumer goods. It is made to look and feel like authentic leather. In Swedish, koskinn means cow's skin (ko means cow, skinn means skin), causing much confusion for consumers

Poromeric Imitation Leather

Sometimes referred to as poromerics, poromeric imitation leathers are a group of synthetic 'breathable' leather substitutes made from a plastic coating (usually a polyurethane) on a fibrous base layer (typically a polyester). The term poromeric was coined by DuPont as a derivative of the terms microporous and polymeric. The first poromeric material was DuPont's ill-fated Corfam introduced in 1963 at the Chicago Shoe Show.

Corfam was the centerpiece of the DuPont pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair in New York City. Its major advantages over natural leather were its durability and its high gloss finish that could be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Its disadvantages were its stiffness which did not lessen with wearing, its relative lack of breathability, and easy confusion with non-breathable cheaper products. DuPont manufactured Corfam at its plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1971. After spending millions of dollars marketing the product to shoe manufacturers, DuPont withdrew Corfam from the market in 1971 and sold the rights to a company in Poland.

Corfam is still used today in some products, an example being certain types of equestrian saddle girth. Corfam shoes are still popular in uniformed professions where shiny shoes are desirable.

Vegan leather

Vegan Leather is an artificial alternative to traditional leather[citation needed]. It may be chosen for ethical reasons or as a designed material which may have different properties, but a similar look to the natural material. There is also no difference between vegan leather and artificial leather alternatives, other than being marketed as "Certified Vegan Leather" to target niche consumers.

Disclaimer:  The above information is gathered from open sources of information and does not represent any expert views/knowledge.  The information does represent the actual material/ specification that may be used in our products.  Customer and user of this information is advised to seek expert information from relevant sources.  We do not carry any responsibility of your relying on the above information.

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