#7 Fiber Testing & Properties

 

Fiber Testing & Properties

Gina Christopher 

Supima Cotton:

Supima is a special and Rare extra-long staple cotton grown on family farms in California's San Waen Valley in the American southwest. It is known as the world's finest cotton strength and fineness, giving it softness and lasting color that makes it's a cotton of choice for the world's leading designers and retailers. Supmia’s exceptional softness results from its longer fibers. On average, it is 35% longer than regular cotton, qualifying Supima as an extra-long staple cotton. Its superior length creates smoother and cleaner yarns. The result is a fabric surface that is softer to the touch and more resistant to peeling. Supima is 45% stronger than regular cotton. This strength allows designers to use lightweight fabrics that drape beautifully and breathe comfortably, giving garments longevity, making them a cherished consumer favorite. Supima delivers brilliant, lasting colors. Its fibers are finer than regular cotton, so dyes absorbed deeper into the core of its fibers reducing color fading. Supima represents less than 1% of cotton worldwide. The superior length, strength, and fineness of extra-long staple cotton are a direct product of the type of seeds planted, not the country of origin. For example, Egyptian cotton averages only 20% Supima.


Polypropylene:

Polypropylene is produced from polymers or co-polymers of propylene Due to a methyl group in its molecule, polypropylene can have three structures:

  • Isotactic polypropylene: All methyl groups are on the same side and in the same plane of the molecule. This structure leads to high crystallinity and good strength, making it suitable for fibers and plastics (3:10).
  • Syndiotactic polypropylene: Methyl groups are on alternate sides of the polymer plane).
  • Atactic polypropylene: Methyl groups are distributed randomly on both sides of the plane, lacking a regular pattern (2:43).

Key properties of polypropylene include its low density, low moisture regain, and a melting temperature of 160 to 170°C. It is also resistant to most acids, bacteria, in mildew. Polypropylene is widely used in packaging materials, filters, biomedical applications, and industrial applications.

 


One Step Further:

For my one step further, I decided to compare the two fibers that I learned about this week. I found this article that compares cotton and polypropylene reusable bags to see which is more ecofriendly. I thought this was a good article since reusable bags have become so popular in recent years. Cotton shines for biodegradability and style but demands high reuses and intensive cleaning. Polypropylene excels in low reuse needs, durability, and easy maintenance, but microplastic risks linger. Cotton vs polypropylene reusable bags pits biodegradability against efficiency.




References:

The Supima Story              

Polypropylene

Cotton vs Polypropylene Bags: Eco-Winner?

Peter, R. (2025, May 19). Cotton vs polypropylene bags: Eco-winner?. Eco Bag Supply.https://www.ecobagsupply.com/cotton-vs-polypropylene-bags-eco-winner/

Comments

  1. Grace PekocFebruary 26, 2026 at 8:28 AM

    Hi Gina, I thought your blog was very good this week. I appreciated your section on supima cotton because I did not know what that was and it is very interesting to learn about it since I didn't know what it was having done the other videos. I also did the video on polypropylene and thought you did a great job explaining it and your one step further was awesome! It was cool to see the chart comparing the two! Here are some links to another reference that compares the two and one about supima cotton:
    https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/supima-cotton-fabric
    https://wellfabric.com/polyester-cotton-vs-100-cotton-vs-polypropylene/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cara VeenstraMarch 15, 2026 at 12:42 PM

    Hi Gina! I really liked this blog! I also read about Supima Cotton and found it very interesting. I enjoyed reading further information about it in your blog. I also thought your one step further was very interesting! I added a couple more websites that you might enjoy looking at related to polypropylene and cotton.
    -https://wellfabric.com/polyester-cotton-vs-100-cotton-vs-polypropylene/
    -https://wellfabric.com/pp-cotton-vs-recycled-polyester/

    ReplyDelete

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