Polyester Fiber

Customer Service & Information Page

  • Polyester Tow Fiber
  • Polyester Staple Fiber
  • Polyester Fiberfill
  • Polyester Textile Filament Fiber
  • Polyester Industrial Filament Fiber
  • PEN Fiber (Polyethylene Naphthalate) more

First U.S. Commercial Polyester Fiber Production: 1953, DuPont Company

Current U.S. Polyester Fiber Producers: Color-Fi; Dak Fibers; Fiber Science, Inc.; Foss Manufacturing Co.; INVISTA LLC; Nan Ya Plastics Corp.; Palmetto Synthetics; Performance Fibers Inc.; Premiere Fibers, Inc.; Universal Fiber Systems LLC; Wellman, Inc.

Federal Trade Commission Definition for Polyester Fiber: A manufactured fiber in which the fiber forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of a substituted aromatic carboxylic acid, including but not restricted to substituted terephthalic units, p(-R-O-CO- C6H4-CO-O-)x and parasubstituted hydroxy-benzoate units, p(-R-O-CO-C6H4-O-)x. (Complete FTC Fiber Rules here.)

Basic Principles of Polyester Fiber Production — The most common polyester for fiber purposes is poly (ethylene terephthalate), or simply PET. This is also the polymer used for many soft drink bottles and it is becoming increasingly common to recycle them after use by remelting the PET and extruding it as fiber. This saves valuable petroleum raw materials, reduces energy consumption, and eliminates solid waste sent to landfills.

PET is made by reacting ethylene glycol with either terephthalic acid or its methyl ester in the presence of an antimony catalyst. The reaction is carried out at high temperature and vacuum to achieve the high molecular weights need to form useful fibers. PET is melt spun. For a detailed production flowchart, go here.

Polyester Fiber Characteristics

  • Strong
  • Resistant to stretching and shrinking
  • Resistant to most chemicals
  • Quick drying
  • Crisp and resilient when wet or dry
  • Wrinkle resistant
  • Mildew resistant
  • Abrasion resistant
  • Retains heat-set pleats and crease
  • Easily washed

Some Major Polyester Fiber Uses

  • Apparel: Every form of clothing
  • Home Furnishings: Carpets, curtains, draperies, sheets and pillow cases, wall coverings, and upholstery
  • Other Uses: hoses, power belting, ropes and nets, thread, tire cord, auto upholstery, sails, floppy disk liners, and fiberfill for various products including pillows and furniture

General Polyester Fiber Care Tips

  • Most items made from polyester can be machine washed and dried. Use warm water and add a fabric softener to the final rinse cycle. Machine dry at a low temperature and remove articles as soon as the tumbling cycle is completed.
  • If ironing is desired, use a moderately warm iron.
  • Most items made from polyester can be dry-cleaned. (For specific instructions, refer to garment's sewn-in care label.)

Customer Comments
Image of a notebook and pencil
 

If you'd rather speak with a human, please call toll-free from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada M-F 8am to 5pm PST

Phone: (800) 542-5227

Your item has been added to your shopping cart   Item Added to Cart
Your item has not been added to your shopping cart   Item Not Added

About Tiered Discount Levels

You can combine cotton and rayon clothing & accessories to get the greatest discounts. Your discount is figured on the total number of cotton and rayon items we ship, not how many of each type, style or size. Mix and match them to get the best discount.

Example: adding 4 each of 3 different T-shirts in any sizes will give you the 12+ price on all 12 shirts.

Visual aid for discount details

Visual aid for how discounts will look in cart

Some products may be excluded from discounts, and / or may discount only with themselves. If you have any questions at all please contact us toll free at 800-542-5227 (no buttons, just humans).

Drag and Drop chips to the Palette first.

ssl test img