Which fabrics are warmer to wear in winter?

What are the warmth properties of cotton fibers?

Cotton fiber, the raw material we have been using for centuries for warmth, is still relatively good. At an experimental temperature of 20°C plus or minus 2°; relative humidity of 65%, the insulation rate was 66.5 for 133.2 grams of cotton wadding per square meter; the heat transfer coefficient was 4.5w/m°C.

However, the warmth of cotton fibers is very much related to their quality. Cotton fibers are divided into two types: fine lint cotton and long-staple cotton, with long-staple cotton having fine and long fibers, generally with a fiber length of 33mm or more and a line density of 6500 metric counts or more. Also consider the maturity, strength, elasticity, and other factors of the cotton fiber.

Many people now feel that cotton clothing or quilts are thicker and heavier because cotton fibers are more absorbent and less elastic than natural fibers.

Down, even in the relatively warm south, has become one of the most popular natural fibers in the autumn and winter months. There is a difference in type between duck down, goose down, and flying silk.

What? There is also velvet? Swans are protected animals, and even if they are bred in captivity, the number of "down" that can be processed and used in the second generation is very small, and the chances of encountering it on the market are nil. So let's forget about it! In terms of color, there is white down and grey down.

So, what is down?

First of all, down does not refer to all the feathers of ducks and geese. Down is a type of animal protein fiber that grows on the abdomen of geese and ducks, in reed-like down and flake feathers.

Now shake up some of the real stuff and talk about how well down can actually keep you warm. In terms of the down itself, they have an average insulation rate of over 80% and an average thermal conductivity of 2.0. Compare this to cotton fibers, which have an insulation rate of around 60% and a thermal conductivity of 17 or more and you can see how strong down insulation is.

The crowd is wondering, which is the strongest insulation effect of duck down and goose down?

A few years ago, the down products industry has happened through the so-called "goose and duck war".

This, the China Garment Association down clothing and products professional committee clearly said: "the same amount of down goose down and duck down in the weight, elasticity, warmth of the two differences are not large." In addition, the difference between white down and grey down is only the color, as the filling has no half effect on the warmth of the textile.

Attention! Here comes the important bit. The most important criteria for measuring the quality of a duvet are: down content, filling capacity, and fluffiness.

Fluffiness is an important indicator of how well a down product retains heat. It simply means that the more space the same weight of down occupies, the higher the fluffiness and the better the insulation.

Down content is the amount of "down" in the down of a textile. The filling of a down product is made up of down and feather flakes, and the higher the down content the more expensive the product. The easiest way to test this is to squeeze it and the quicker it returns to its original state, the higher the down content.

Down content refers to the weight of all the down in a down product. It is the weight of down that is put into a textile that determines how well it will keep you warm.

It's a good idea to whisper that the recent trend for ultra-lightweight, ultra-thin down jackets is all about the amount of down filling. The less down you put in, the lighter and thinner it will be. ......

Wool is one of the first natural fibers used by mankind in textiles. In the textile and apparel industry, wool is narrowly defined as sheep's wool. Wool is a natural animal protein fiber, which can be seen under the microscope as a natural curl with scales covering the longitudinal surface.

The thermal insulation and thermal conductivity of wool are slightly lower than that of down but higher than that of cotton fibers. Woven fabrics made from wool fibers are difficult to compact because of the natural curl of the wool, which creates a static layer of air between them, giving them excellent insulation properties.

At an experimental temperature of 20°C plus or minus 2° and relative humidity of 65%, the insulation rate of 153.9 grams of wool flock per square meter was 92.50; the heat transfer coefficient was 0.6w/m°C.

Wool fabrics are subdivided into worsted and worsted and are now mostly used to make coats, jumpers, carpets, and other textiles.

Note that it is important to say this only once! There is no such thing as 100% in woolen fabrics. The state regulations state that as long as the woolen fiber content exceeds 95% it can be called pure woolen fabrics.

Cashmere is a layer of fine wool that grows on the outer skin of goats, at the root of the coarse wool. The average fineness of the cashmere fiber is 14-16um and the length is generally 35-45mm, according to its color it is divided into white, green, and purple.

Now in winter cashmere sweaters and cashmere coats are basically a standard for everyone.

But why would anyone find a tweed coat too thick and heavy to eat? Seriously, we're talking about cashmere here, and a mid-to-high quality knee-length cashmere coat will never weigh more than two kilos. But then again, so does the price.

Cashmere textiles are expensive, so it's important to know if they're genuine or not.

The hands-on approach that the foodies like to burn is not scientific, as you will inevitably come across rabbit hair and wool. So what should you do? Better still, take it to a professional testing institute and test it with the help of instruments! Even experts in the field can't tell if a woolen textile is indeed cashmere based on the naked eye and the feel of it.

Note that textile scientists are still working on non-pilling wool fabric, whether it is wool or cashmere, and have not yet invented it. When a shopkeeper says it's 100% non-pilling, watch your pocket.

What! Silk? Silk, which is used to make silk, has also come to the warm fiber party.

That's right, silk includes mulberry silk, crushed silk, and more. Silk is an excellent protein fiber and is the only natural filament fiber that is actually used as a raw material. Silk fabrics made from silk are, of course, used in the summer. However, silk is used for winter protection as wadding.

Silk quilts are definitely one of the best options for students who like to stay in bed during the winter, as they are super light. Simply choose a quilt that contains more weight of silk fibers, as is standard in summer.

However, silk quilts also have the disadvantage of being less breathable and less flexible.

Alpacas are the 'beasts of prey, native to South America. Alpaca fiber is white, brown, fawn, or black in color, free from grease and lanolin, odorless, hollow, flexible, non-stagnant, and much stronger and warmer than wool.

Alpaca wool

At an experimental temperature of 20°C plus or minus 2° and relative humidity of 65%, the insulation rate was 89.20 for a 150.6g/m2 camel wool flock; the heat transfer coefficient was 0.9w/m°C.

However, alpaca fleece production is very low, with an adult alpaca only producing 2 or 3 kg of alpaca fleece fiber per year. It is not even close to the wool production of a long-haired rabbit. China began to introduce alpacas for breeding in 2002, but by now the overall scale is still far from meeting the needs of industrial weaving. At the moment, domestic alpaca fleece is still basically in the "cute" stage.

Mohair is definitely not the hair of a seahorse, but specifically the coat of an Angora goat. The word "mohair" comes from Arabic and means "silk-like goat hair fabric". Although there is a lot of buzz about it in the market, it is not the strong point of mohair as far as insulation is concerned due to the coarseness of the fibers and the small natural curl.

Mohair clothing

Laboratory data show that among natural thermal materials, down is the best for warmth, followed by silk, then camel hair, cashmere, wool, and cotton fibers.

However, it's not always easy to work out which textile fiber is more 'insulating' for you.

Because it also depends on personal preferences, for example, some middle-aged and elderly people prefer the thickness of the cotton jacket ...... more depends on the affordability of individuals, a bed of 5 pounds of the cotton quilt but about a hundred dollars, while a bed of 5 pounds of silk quilt at least a few thousand dollars ......

To sum up, there is no obvious superior or inferior natural fiber for winter dressing, and for the general eating public, choose the one that suits you best is the warmest.