Acrylic is very common in everyday life and can be used extensively, especially in hats. No matter what it is used for, people always ask for it. Why is acrylic fabric so popular? Apart from its advantages, is there a shortage of acrylic fabric? Today, we, Aung Crown, a trustworthy beanie manufacturer founded in 1998, will give a detailed introduction to the acrylic fabric.

Acrylic fabric is a fabric that has a pretty touch. The color of acrylic fabric is bright and the cost is quite low compared to wool fabric and pure cotton. In addition, acrylic fabric has its unique advantages, which are better in recovery than pure cotton and not easy to deform. That’s why it’s common to use acrylic fabric to make carpets. Acrylic fabric looks similar to wool fabric, which is why acrylic fabric is sometimes called “artificial wool”.

What’s Acrylic Fabric?

Acrylic fabric is a synthetic fiber that is polymer (polyacrylonitrile) fabric, containing more than 85% polyacrylonitrile or acrylonitrile copolymers. Its performance is close to wool, when stretched 20% of its original size, the rebound rate can be maintained at 65%, which is fluffy, soft, and natural curly. The warmth of acrylic fabric is 15% higher than wool, that’s why it is called “synthetic wool fabric”. The strength of acrylic fabric is 22.1 to 48.5 cN/dtex, which is 1 to 2.5 times that of wool. In addition, acrylic fabric has excellent sun resistance. After one year of sun exposure, its strength only decreases by 20%. That’s why it’s a popular fabric used for curtains, tarpaulins, armour, etc. In addition, acrylic fabric is resistant to oxidizing agents and common organic solvents, but it’s poorly resistant to alkalis. The softening temperature of acrylic fabric is 190℃ to 230℃/374℉ to 446℉.

Acrylic fabric is also called “artificial fabric”, which is easy to dry, true in color, sun resistant, antimicrobial, soft, and bulky – no fear of insect infestation. In addition, acrylic fabric can be blended with woven fabrics or natural blended fabrics, which are widely used in the apparel industry, decoration, etc.

At present, acrylic fabric can be blended with wool or wool blends to make carpets or tapestries. Or blended with cotton, rayon, or other synthetic fabrics to make various fabrics for apparel or interior decoration. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers can be woven separately or blended with viscose or wool blends to produce various cashmere yarns from fine to coarse.

It’s common to see acrylic fabric in everyday life. Due to its properties, it’s widely used in everyday life, such as sofas, pillows, cushions, bed sheets, tablecloths or clothing. Please note that acrylic fabric can make quite big electrostatic protection, therefore manufacturers will add anti-electrostatic protection dose when producing acrylic fabric.

Pros of Acrylic Fabric

Acrylic fabric has many advantages – it doesn’t deform easily, is bright in color and soft to the touch, and is inexpensive, making it very suitable for everyday use. Here are the details.

1. Close to wool: The function of acrylic fabric is very similar to wool’s, but acrylic fabric has better resilience than wool. When stretched to 20% of its original size, the rebound rate of acrylic fabric can be maintained at 65%.
2. Warmer than wool: Acrylic fabric is warmer than wool in terms of retaining warmth, the appearance of acrylic fabric is fluffy and curly, which is very comfortable and soft to the touch. That’s why acrylic fabric is better than wool in keeping warmth and the name “synthetic wool”.
3. High sun resistance: Acrylic fabric is great in sun resistance and is not afraid of sun explosion – not scary. The experiment data showed that items made of acrylic fabric have undergone a year of sun explosion, and their strengths only lowered by 20%. How practical and durable they are.
4. Excellent performance: Generally speaking, products made of acrylic fabric are generally not afraid of acid attack, acid resistance, resistance to oxidants, and general organic solvents have very good performance.

Cons of Acrylic Fabric

Although acrylic is very resistant to acids, it’s not very resistant to alkalis. Pay attention to the detergent when washing. At the same time, acrylic fabric is not very resistant to high temperatures; it can be significantly affected by heat. For example, at temperatures between 190℃ and 230℃/374℉ and 446℉, acrylic can soften. Acrylic also has relatively poor moisture absorption properties.

Application of Acrylic Fabric

1. The use of acrylic fabrics in everyday life is quite extensive and we often come into contact with them. For example, the fabric of sofas, cushions, pillows, bedding, tablecloths, some kitchen and bathroom items, and the clothes we wear are all made of acrylic.
2. Acrylic fabric can also be spun pure or blended with natural fibers for different uses. It is widely used in clothing and various decorative and industrial applications. Acrylic can be used to make yarns such as cotton sweaters, tracksuits, and knitted outerwear. It must be blended with wool or woven into blankets and carpets. Of course, it can also be blended with cotton, man-made fibers, or synthetic fibers to weave various textiles and home furnishings.