Let’s start examining spun and filament yarns.

What is Spun Yarn?

Spun yarns are long continuous lengths of interlocked fibers that can be used to make textiles, sewing, knitting, weaving, embroidery, and rope. It is created by twisting staple fibers together to form a strong thread. Thread is a type of spun yarn mostly used for hand or machine sewing.

Spun yarns can be produced from a variety of natural and synthetic fibers. Cotton and polyester are the most widely used spun fibers on the planet. Whereas Cotton is grown all over the world, and it is harvested, ginned, and prepared for yarn spinning Polyester is made by extruding polymers derived from natural gas and oil. Other widely used synthetic fibers are nylon and acrylic. Spun yarns are made by combining several individual fibers to form a continuous assembly of overlapping fibers, which are usually bound together by a twist.

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What is filament yarn?

Filament yarn is a yarn made up of fibers with an infinite number of ends. The continuous and endless fiber is known as the filament. Filament yarn is frequently, but not always, twisted before use and they are either flat or textured. They are the most compact and smooth of all yarn types. Such yarns will be preferred in the manufacture of high-strength, high-modulus surgical sutures, hernia repair meshes, and other products where strength and dimensional stability are of utmost priority.

Although the majority of filament yarns used today are synthetic fibers that require texturing, some do not. Industrial filaments made of synthetic polymers are one type, and natural filaments such as silk are another.

Now, after knowing what is spun and filament yarn, let’s find the differences between the two.

What are the differences between spun and filament yarn?

The primary distinction between spun and filament yarns are that spun yarn is made from fibers with short discrete lengths, such as cotton and wool, whereas filament yarn is made from long, continuous filaments, such as silk. 

Spun yarn is less lustrous and has a dull, fuzzy appearance, whereas filament yarn is smooth and lustrous. In addition, Spun yarn is produced in a complex manner, whereas filament yarn is produced straightforwardly.

You can learn more about the fiber content of yarns from our other blog posts