SIC 2221 Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Manmade Fiber and Silk
SIC 2221
This category covers establishments primarily engaged in the production of woven fabrics more than 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) in width, wholly or chiefly by weight of manmade fiber and/or silk. Broadwoven fabrics primarily of manmade fiber are used in three general end-product categories: apparel, home furnishings, and industrials. Broadwoven fabrics primarily of silk are for the most part used in apparel products. Occasionally, broadwoven silk fabrics serve the home furnishings market.
Production of broadwoven fabrics with content wholly or primarily by weight of cotton is included in SIC 2211: Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton. Production of broadwoven fabrics with content wholly or chiefly by weight of wool, mohair, or other similar animal fiber is included in SIC 2231: Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Wool (Including Dyeing and Finishing). Production of narrow fabric, generally 12 inches or less in width, of cotton, wool, silk, and manmade fiber is included in SIC 2241: Narrow Fabric and Other Smallwares Mills: Cotton, Wool, Silk, and Manmade Fiber.
313210
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
Broadwoven manmade fiber fabrics are used extensively in the textile and industrial sectors of U.S. manufacturing. Global production of all fiber products in this industry was recorded at approximately 37.9 million tons in 2004. Principal fibers used in broadwoven manmade fiber fabrics for apparel are polyester, rayon, and nylon, with an increasing use of olefin fiber. These fabrics are generally used for men's, ladies', and children's outerwear, including shirts, blouses, pants, and dresses; leisure and activewear; heavy and lightweight jackets and coats; suits; and sleepwear and lingerie. By the end of 2004 global demand was growing for most product sectors within this industry, with demand for polyester putting this sector at 40 percent of the total fiber market worldwide and 65 percent of the manmade fiber market.
The home furnishings market for manmade broadwoven fabrics includes sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bedspreads, and other bedding accessories; table linens or napery products; draperies; upholstery fabrics; and wall coverings. The principal manmade fibers used in home furnishings are polyester, rayon, polypropylene, acrylic, and occasionally nylon. Carpet and rug manufacturers are discussed in SIC 2273: Carpets and Rugs.
Industrial applications for broadwoven manmade fibers include materials used in the automotive, agricultural, geotextile, medical, recreational, and transportation industries. Broadwoven manmade fiber fabrics also find use in conveyor and other industrial belting products, as well as in specialized applications such as soft-sided luggage and protective clothing. Tire cord and fabric production is included in SIC 2296: Tire Cord and Fabrics.
Broadwoven fabrics of manmade fiber for industrial applications are made from the widest variety of fiber types. Traditional manmade fibers such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene or olefin, and rayon find numerous uses in the area of industrial fabrics. A number of industrial applications products, however, require the characteristics of some specialized manmade fibers, such as the aramid family. Other manmade fibers with high-performance characteristics for use in specialized applications include carbon fiber, glass fiber, polybenzimidazole, polyetheretherketone, and sulfur.
Producers of broadwoven fabrics of manmade fiber and silk, like the producers of other broadwoven fabrics, are for the most part vertically integrated textile manufacturing companies; that is, most broadwoven companies manufacture their own yarn requirements. Many of them also dye and finish their own fabrics.
Aside from the many different generic types of manmade fiber—including polyester, nylon, and rayon—and the different brands within each generic type—including Du Pont's Dacron, Eastman's Kodel, and Ko Sa's Trevira—fabrics may be woven from two forms of manmade fiber yarn: filament or staple. Filament yarn is a continuous strand of manmade fiber. Staple manmade fiber yarn consists of many individual fibers cut to a specific length. These fibers measure approximately 1.0 to 1.5 inches in length, if they are to be spun into yarn on a cotton system spinning process. If they are to be spun on a woolen or worsted system spinning process, the fibers are cut up to 6 or 8 inches in length. The form of manmade fiber yarn to be woven depends on the end-use application of the fabric. Staple fiber arrives at the textile plant in bales, just like cotton or wool. It is processed just like cotton or wool on the same machinery.
Of the billions of square yards of manmade fiber and silk broadwoven fabric woven from the mid- to late 1990s, more than half was produced using 85 percent or more of continuous filament yarn. The percentage of manmade fiber broadwoven fabrics produced from continuous filament yarn has trended upward since 1980, when this type represented 37 percent of the 10.7 billion square yards produced. In 1988 the amount of the manmade fiber broadwoven fabric produced from continuous filament yarn reached 50 percent for the first time. Consumption of filament fiber by broadwoven manmade fabric producers has remained at or above this level since that time.
A discussion of weaving systems types and the emergence of shuttleless weaving as the most efficient, productive, and quality producing system can be found in SIC 2211: Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton. All of the shuttleless weaving systems—projectile, rigid and flexible rapier, and air-jet—described...
To continue reading
Request your trial