Fibre is soft and slender substance with length-to-diameter ratio of at least 10:1, and cross-sectional area of less than 0.05mm². For textile fibers, the length-to-diameter ratio is generally greater than 1000:1.

About textile fibers: natural fibers include cotton, hemp, wool, silk and so on; chemical fibers are made from natural or synthetic polymers through chemical methods and mechanical processing.

Classification by Raw Material Source

According to the source of raw material, textile fibers can be divided into regenerated fibre and synthetic fibres.

• Regenerated fibre is produced from natural polymers or fiber raw materials that have lost their original textile processing value through a series of chemical treatment and mechanical processing steps. The chemical composition of the regenerated fiber is almost the same as that of the original polymer. It includes regenerated cellulose fibre (such as viscose fiber and cuprammonium fiber), regenerated protein fiber (such as soy protein fiber and peanut protein fiber), regenerated inorganic fiber (such as glass fiber and metal fiber), and regenerated organic fiber (such as chitin fiber and seaweed gum fiber).
• Synthetic fiber is made from low molecular raw materials such as petroleum, coal, limestone, natural gas, salt, air and water through chemical synthesis and fiber-forming processing. Common synthetic fibers include polyester, nylon, acrylic, vinylon, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride fiber and spandex.

Classification by Morphological Structure

According to morphological structure, textile fibers can be divided into continuous filament and staple fibre.

• Continuous filament

During the chemical fiber manufacturing process, spinning fluid (solution or melt) is formed and post-processed into very long fibers. Chemical fiber filaments can be divided into monofilament, multifilaments, twisted yarn, double twisted yarn, cord yarn and textured filament yarn.

Monofilament: A single continuous fiber of very long length.

Multifilaments: A filament composed of two or more single filaments joined together. Complex filaments of chemical fibers are generally composed of 8 to 100 single fibers.

Twist yarn: Twisted multifilaments become twist yarn.

Double twist yarn: Two or more strands of twist yarn are combined to form double twist yarn.

Cord wire: Composed of more than one hundred to several hundred single fibers, and often used to make tire cord fabric.

Textured filament yarn: The chemical fiber filament is deformed and processed so that it has appearance characteristics such as curling, spiral or loop, showing fluffy and flexible performance.

• Staple fibre

The product of chemical fiber cut into short lengths from a few centimeters to more than ten centimeters is called staple fiber. According to different cut lengths, staple fibers can be divided into cotton type, wool type and medium long staple fibers.

The length of cotton type fibre is generally 30 ~ 40mm, with a linear density of about 1.67dtex. Wool type fibre is generally 70 ~ 150mm long, with a linear density of 3.3 ~ 7.7dtex. Mid fibre has a length of 51 ~ 65mm and a linear density of 2.2 ~ 3.3dtex, between cotton type and wool type.

Classification by Fiber Manufacturing Method

Chemical fibers can be divided into two categories according to the basic manufacturing methods: melt spinning fibers and solution spinning fibers, including dry spinning fibers and wet spinning fibers.

• Melt spinning means polymer melt is pressed out of the spinneret hole, and the melt is solidified into filament in the surrounding air or water.
• Dry spinning means polymer concentrated solution is pressed out from the spinneret hole, and the solvent evaporates rapidly in a hot medium and solidifies into filament.
• Wet spinning means polymer concentrated solution is pressed out of the spinneret hole and solidified into filament in a coagulation bath.

Classification by Composition Within a Single Fiber

• Single-component fibers: Fibers composed of the same polymer are called single-component fibers, and most conventional fibers are single-component fibers, such as polyester.
• Multicomponent fibers: Fibers composed of two or more polymers are called multicomponent fibers.
• Composite fiber: The components are arranged regularly along the fiber axis and form a continuous interface fiber.
• Blended fiber: Components are randomly dispersed or more evenly mixed within the fiber.

Classification by Fiber Difference

• Differential fibre: Chemical fiber that has undergone chemical or physical changes to differentiate it from conventional fibers, such as profiled fiber, composite fiber, microfiber, easily dyed fiber, flame retardant fiber, hydrophilic synthetic fiber, colored fiber and anti-pilling fiber.
• Functional fibre: In addition to the existing properties of the fiber, it also has some special functions, such as conductive fiber, optical fiber, ion exchange fiber, ceramic particle fiber, temperature control fiber, biodegradable fiber, antibacterial fiber and deodorizing fiber.
• High-performance fibre: Special fibers with high strength and high modulus, such as carbon fiber, aromatic polyamide fiber, polybenzimidazole fiber, polyphenylene sulfide fiber and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber.

Understanding textile fiber types is important for selecting suitable dyeing processes and dyeing machines. Different fibers require different dyeing conditions and equipment structures to achieve uniform color results. Whether you work with hank yarn, package yarn or knitted fabric, choosing suitable dyeing equipment can help improve dyeing quality and production efficiency.