Flame-Resistant Lining fabric was introduced to increase the comfort of clothes, hide unfinished seams, veil the construction details and hide possible patches, and make the clothes last longer.

The lining we are talking about particularly is the flame-resistant lining, which is ensured to be flame resistant so it resists fire, flames, and sparks.

If the non-flame-resistant lining is used in flame-resisting clothes, even then, the clothes can potentially catch fire because of the non-flame-resistant lining.

What is Flame Resistant Lining Fabric?

The flame-resistant lining was introduced only after it was rigorously tested and proved that it could shield against fire and intense heat. It was tested in an international laboratory to check if it complied with a standard, which proved that it could resist getting in contact with small flames and sparks and would limit flame spread and burning.

Now, you might be curious to know more about it. What is the material of the flame-resistant lining? What is it made up of, and what is its thickness?

So, the flame-resistant material is made up of a lightweight fabric, which has the amazing quality of being a flame retardant to put off fire, flames, and sparks. This fabric is made up of cotton and is less dense. The cotton material has a very soft feel and is gentle and comfortable to touch. There are no questions about the durability of all cotton material as this material can sustain fire and still survive.

Apart from cotton, many other materials such as wool, silk, polyester, rayon, cupro, and acetate are used to add linings inside clothes. These materials also possess some really good qualities and increase the comfort of the cloth by tenfolds. We will be discussing about these materials later in the article, so stick with us till the end!

There have been numerous tests that this flame retardant material has gone through. We have described those tests in detail, so stay here and walk through the end of this article with us to know better about flame resistant lining.

Thermal Behaviour to Limit Flame Spread

To comply with this standard of resisting flame spread, the FR lining is ensured not to have any hole of size greater than 5mm. Secondly, there was a test run in which the lining was deliberately set to fire. After that, it was noticed whether the flame spread to reach till the top of the lining. If the flame successfully spread that far, then the lining did not comply with the standard and was rejected.

Strength and Elongation of The Fabric

The material should be strong enough to resist enough stretching. This standard ensures that the flame resistant lining should have a tensile strength enough to bear the force of 150N on either side. The fabric is passed if it bears enough load, and if it fails to do so, it is canceled!

Dimensional Change in Domestic Washing and Drying

This standard ensures that the flame-resistant lining should not undergo major dimensional changes after a single (or a couple of) washes. It is to make sure that the fabric is not of subpar quality but actually can resist being washed without compromising on the quality. If a fabric lining complies with this standard, you should know that it will successfully survive at least 5 proper washes without stretching or tearing apart. The temperature of the washing water should remain around 60 degrees Celcius. Moreover, the fabric should be tumble dried; that is, to ensure the quality doesn’t go compromised during the drying process.

All in all, these standards will make sure the quality of the fabric is inexplicable, and the fabric can be trusted as a shield against sparks, flames, and intense heat.

Different Types of Flame-Resistant Lining Fabrics

Lining Fabric for Clothes

As you might have seen, some clothes have a cloth attached to them underneath. That additional piece of clothing is referred to as “lining.”

The lining is used for various purposes like making the clothes less see-through, adding comfort and softness, improving the fall of the garment, to make the cloth slip and fit on the body easily.

7 Types of Lining Fabrics

Cotton

Cotton Lining is preferred because of its feel and softness of it. Lining fabrics are always preferred to be smooth and comfortable, and cotton ticks off all these checkboxes. It is a breathable fabric and doesn’t undergo dimensional changes when washed with a hand or machine. Thus, all these properties make cotton a versatile lining fabric.

Silk

Silk is probably the most loved lining fabric. Its softness and comfort make it the customer’s favorite thing to wear. Moreover, silk is available in many different forms, i.e., it can be opaque, see through, or even shiny.

Wool

The wool lining is great to wear in winter. It is great to warm the body and provide insulation, especially in winter. It is a great lining fabric to be used in kid’s fabrics as well. The fabric is soft and breathable, but it might get a bit too warm in the summer, so it is best if you choose the clothes with the appropriate lining fabric.

Acetate

Acetate is a great lining fabric to add comfort and softness to your clothes. It is lightweight and easy to carry. It is also not too sparkly or shiny; thus, it is appropriate for simple and non-fancy clothes. However, acetate is not good to be used in welding gear as it melts off easily.

Cupro

Cupro is a lightweight, a little shiny, and a smooth fabric which is a good fabric for lining garments. However, it is prone to catch stains easily and doesn’t have a very high tensile strength. Thus, on washing or stretching, it might lose its dimensionality.

Polyester

Polyester is a synthetic fiber cloth. It is not sparkly at all. The fabric is stretchable and doesn’t get wrinkly easily as well. It is a strong fabric with high tensile strength; thus, you can easily wash it with a machine or by hand, and its dimensions will remain intact.

However, polyester might get too thick for a piece of lining fabric, and the wearer might end up sweating. Moreover, polyester catches fire easily; thus, this fabric is unsuitable for lining welding gear.

Rayon

Rayon lining is also widely used in clothing. It is a semi-synthetic fibber which has a soft feel and is lightweight, hence the perfect fabric to be worn in the summer. It has a silky touch to it because of the wood chips that are chemically converted to yarn. This man-made fabric, Rayon, feels really comfortable on the skin; however, the drawback of using it is that it has a big carbon footprint and damages the ecosystem because it releases a large amount of carbon.

What Fabric Can Be Used as Lining?

We have discussed numerous factors above on how to choose the perfect lining, but now we will be listing what the perfect lining fabrics for clothes and jackets are.

For clothes, if the actual cloth is not stretchy, then the lining fabric doesn’t matter. But if the actual cloth tends to be very stretchy and elastic, then the lining fabric should be stretchy, and its tensile strength should be high. Cotton is a good choice for lining in daily wear clothes, whereas silk is a good option for fancy and festive. Thus, cotton and silk fabrics can be used as lining.

Apart from that polyester, cupro and rayon are good fabrics that can be used as lining. Cupro and Rayon are lightweight which is why they are good to be worn in summer, whereas polyester is stretchy which makes it comfortable! If you are a person who doesn’t sweat much and prefers stretchy and non-wrinkable fabric, polyester is your safest bet. But, if you prefer lightweight fabrics and prefer to be in breathable clothes, then cotton is your favorite lining fabric. If you choose a lining fabric for your clothes, we suggest you buy a fabric that offers you a better sewing experience.

All in all, a great variety of lining fabrics are prevalently used. However, you should choose the one that matches your preference the most.