What are nonwovens?

A predetermined amount and arrangement of natural or manufactured fibrous material such as, but not limited to fibres, continuous filaments, or chopped yarns of any length or cross-section. It can be a two- or three-dimensional alignment of fibrous materials made by a web forming process.

An application of science to design, plan and manufacture products to utility specifications.

A measurable level of added tensile strength.

Bonding technologies that result in frictional forces between fibres (through entanglement) or adhesive forces between fibres (with or without the use of binders).

Paper making, in this context, is regarded as the process of producing a thin material by pressing together, short, refined cellulose fibres formed on a screen from a water suspension of these fibres, and drying them, with hydrogen bonding as the predominant mechanism holding the web together. 

The refined fibres plus the self-bonding that occurs between cellulose fibres during drying distinguish paper from wet-laid nonwovens. 

When re-wet, the hydrogen bonds between fibres are broken, and paper typically loses almost all of its strength.

In a wet laid process where cellulose or other fibres are engineered to a level of structural integrity primarily by physical and/or chemical means other than hydrogen bonding, the resulting assembly is considered a nonwoven.

Note: most materials made through a papermaking process are classified as paper products per ISO 4046-3, but some might be classified as nonwovens, particularly where clear differentiation between the primary means of bonding is not possible.

Films cast, blown or extruded from polymers, which then through physical or chemical means are made into fibrous assemblies, can be considered nonwovens if the L/D ratio of the fibrous elements is over 30.

These materials are classified as nonwovens. They are primarily fibrous and engineered to a given level of integrity by physical means for specific applications. The warp or circular knit stitching is the additional bonding technology.

Waddings are high-loft assemblies, primarily fibrous, engineered to a given level of integrity by physical means for specific applications. Waddings are not woven or knitted and can be considered a high-loft nonwoven when bonded throughout the assembly.

Generally, nonwoven composites (hybrid nonwovens) and nonwovens that are combined with other discrete materials are to be considered as nonwovens.