The world of technical fibers and advanced textiles includes a wide range of specialized terminology. This glossary defines common terms used in high-performance fibers, engineered yarns, ropes, braids, composites, and textile constructions used across aerospace, marine, defense, industrial, and high-temperature applications.
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A
Abrasion Resistance — The ability of a fiber, yarn, rope, or textile to resist surface wear caused by friction.
Adhesion — The ability of a fiber or coating to bond to another material such as rubber, resin, or polymer.
After-Treatment — Any finishing process applied to a fiber, yarn, or textile after its primary manufacturing step to improve performance or handling.
Air-Textured Yarn — A yarn produced by using compressed air to create bulk and texture in continuous filaments.
Alignment — The degree to which fibers or polymer chains are oriented in the same direction.
Amorphous Region — The less ordered area within a polymer structure that can influence flexibility, moisture absorption, and thermal behavior.
Annealing — A controlled heating process used to relieve internal stress and improve dimensional stability in fibers or polymer components.
Anisotropic — A material property indicating that performance differs depending on direction. Many fiber-reinforced composites are anisotropic.
Anti-Wicking Finish — A treatment applied to reduce fluid travel along yarns or fibers in cables, ropes, or textiles.
Areal Weight — The weight of a textile or reinforcement material per unit area, often expressed in oz/yd² or g/m².
Aramid Fiber — A class of high-performance synthetic fibers known for high strength, heat resistance, and durability. Examples include Kevlar® para-aramid fiber and Nomex® meta-aramid fiber.
Aramid Yarn — Yarn produced from aramid fibers such as Kevlar® or Nomex®, commonly used in protective textiles and industrial applications.
Aromatic Polyamide — The chemical class of polymers that form aramid fibers.
Aspect Ratio — The ratio of a fiber’s length to its diameter. This is especially important in chopped fiber reinforcement applications.
Autoclave Curing — A composite processing method using heat and pressure to consolidate resin and reinforcement materials.
Axial Strength — Tensile strength measured along the fiber axis.
B
Backbone — The primary molecular chain structure of a polymer that defines many of its core material properties.
Ballistic Fiber — Fibers engineered for impact resistance and energy absorption in ballistic protection systems.
Base Fiber — The primary fiber used to create a yarn, cord, rope, or textile construction.
Basis Weight — The weight of a textile material expressed over a given area, often used for fabrics and nonwovens.
Basket Weave — A woven fabric pattern in which two or more warp yarns interlace with two or more weft yarns together.
Berry Amendment Compliance — A U.S. sourcing requirement for certain government and defense purchases requiring qualifying domestic materials and manufacturing.
Benzene Ring — A six-carbon aromatic ring structure found in polymers such as para-aramid and meta-aramid fibers.
Bias — A fabric direction that runs diagonally to the warp and weft.
Binder Yarn — Yarn used to hold fibers, cables, or components together during processing or in the final construction.
Bi-Component Fiber — A fiber made from two different polymers combined in a single filament.
Braided Cord — A textile structure formed by interlacing multiple yarns diagonally to create a flexible and durable cord.
Braid Angle — The angle formed between braided yarns and the axis of the finished braided construction.
Break Elongation — The percentage a fiber or yarn stretches before breaking.
Breaking Strength — The maximum load a fiber, yarn, or rope can withstand before failure.
Bundle — A grouping of fibers or filaments collected together for processing.
C
Cable Lay — The direction and configuration in which yarns, strands, or subassemblies are twisted together in a cable construction.
Capstan — A driven wheel used in fiber processing, coating, winding, or tension-controlled manufacturing lines.
Carbon Fiber — A high-strength fiber composed primarily of carbon atoms arranged in crystalline structures used in composite materials.
Carding — A process used to separate, align, and clean staple fibers before spinning.
Centinewton per dtex (cN/dtex) — A common metric unit used to express normalized fiber strength.
Chain — A load-bearing hardware component often paired with synthetic fiber rope in marine and mooring systems.
Chemical Resistance — The ability of a fiber or textile to maintain performance when exposed to chemicals.
Chopped Fiber — Fiber cut into short, controlled lengths for use in composites, coatings, friction materials, and thermoplastics.
Coating — A surface-applied material used to improve abrasion resistance, adhesion, UV resistance, moisture resistance, or processability.
Coefficient of Friction — A measurement describing the friction between two surfaces.
Cohesion — The tendency of fibers in a yarn or bundle to hold together.
Composite Material — A material formed by combining fibers with a matrix such as resin to create enhanced structural properties.
Compression Molding — A process used to form composite or polymer parts under pressure and heat.
Consolidation — The process of compressing and bonding fibers and matrix materials into a dense composite structure.
Continuous Filament — Fibers produced in continuous lengths rather than cut into staple lengths.
Copolymer — A polymer made from more than one type of monomer.
Cord — A construction made by twisting or braiding yarns together to form a stronger load-bearing element.
Cordage — A general term for cords, ropes, and similar load-bearing flexible textile constructions.
Core — The central load-bearing or functional portion of a rope, braid, yarn package, or composite structure.
Core-Sheath Construction — A structure in which one material forms the inner core and another forms the outer covering or sheath.
Cover Factor — A measure describing how much of a surface is covered by yarns in a woven or braided construction.
Creep — The gradual elongation of a material under constant load over time.
Crimp — A waviness or undulation in fibers that affects bulk, stretch, and processing behavior.
Cross Section — The shape of a fiber when viewed perpendicular to its length, such as round, trilobal, or flat.
Crosslinking — Chemical bonding between polymer chains that can improve durability and heat resistance.
Crystallinity — The degree of ordered molecular alignment within a polymer structure.
Curing — The chemical or thermal process that hardens a resin system in composites or coatings.
Cut Length — The specified length of chopped fiber pieces used in compounds, coatings, and composites.
Cut Resistance — The ability of a fiber or textile to resist cutting forces.
D
Decitex (dtex) — A unit of linear density equal to one gram per 10,000 meters of fiber.
Degassing — The removal of entrapped air or volatile components from a resin, coating, or matrix system.
Delamination — Separation of layers within a laminated composite or textile-reinforced structure.
Denier — A unit describing the linear mass density of fibers. One denier equals one gram per 9,000 meters.
Denier per Filament (DPF) — The linear density of individual filaments within a multifilament yarn.
Dimensional Stability — The ability of a material to maintain size and shape under load, temperature change, or moisture exposure.
Directional Strength — Strength that is concentrated along a particular axis because of fiber orientation or construction design.
Dispersion — The distribution of chopped fibers or additives throughout a matrix such as resin or polymer.
Dispersion Quality — The uniformity with which chopped fibers or additives are distributed throughout a matrix system.
Doff — To remove a finished yarn package, spool, or bobbin from manufacturing equipment.
Double Braid — A rope construction in which one braid forms the core and another braid forms the cover.
Drape — The ability of a textile or reinforcement fabric to conform to a shape or contour.
Draw Ratio — The amount a fiber is stretched during manufacturing to align polymer chains and increase strength.
Dry Fiber — Reinforcement fiber that has not yet been impregnated with resin or matrix material.
Durometer — A measure of hardness, commonly used for elastomers and certain coatings rather than fibers themselves.
Dyneema® — A brand of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber known for extremely high strength-to-weight ratio.
E
Edge Fray — The unraveling or loosening of yarns at the edge of a textile structure.
Elastic Recovery — The ability of a fiber to return to its original length after being stretched.
Elongation — The amount a fiber or yarn stretches when subjected to tensile loading.
End — A single yarn or strand in a textile construction.
End Count — The number of yarn ends per unit width in a woven or warp-based textile structure.
Engineering Fiber — Fibers designed primarily for structural or industrial performance rather than apparel use.
Epoxy — A common thermoset resin used in composite materials.
Extruded Coating — A polymer coating applied by extrusion over a fiber, rope, or cable structure.
Extrusion — A process in which polymer material is forced through a die to form filaments, fibers, or coated constructions.
F
Fatigue Resistance — The ability of a material to withstand repeated loading or bending cycles without failure.
Fiber — The smallest structural component of a textile material with a high length-to-diameter ratio.
Fiber Architecture — The arrangement and orientation of fibers in a yarn, rope, braid, or composite reinforcement system.
Fiber Diameter — The thickness of a single filament, usually measured in microns.
Fiber Orientation — The alignment of fibers within a composite structure.
Fiber Volume Fraction — The percentage of fiber present within a composite relative to the total volume of the composite.
Filament — A continuous fiber strand of indefinite length.
Filament Count — The number of individual filaments contained within a yarn.
Filament Yarn — Yarn made from continuous filaments rather than staple fibers.
Filtration Media — A textile or fiber-based structure used to remove particles from air or liquids.
Finish — A surface treatment applied to fibers or yarns to improve processing, sewing, adhesion, abrasion resistance, or appearance.
Finish Pickup — The amount of finish or coating retained on a fiber or yarn after application and drying.
Flame Resistance — The ability of a material to resist ignition, burning, or flame propagation.
Flex Fatigue — Fatigue caused by repeated bending or flexing of a fiber or yarn.
Flexural Strength — The ability of a material or composite to resist bending forces before failure.
Float — A portion of yarn in a woven fabric that passes over multiple perpendicular yarns before interlacing again.
Flocking — A process that applies short fibers to a surface to create texture or functional properties.
Friction Material — A material used in applications such as brake pads or clutch materials where controlled friction is required.
Fuzz — Loose or broken fiber ends projecting from the surface of a yarn, thread, or rope.
G
Gauge Length — The specified test length between grips used during tensile testing.
Gel Spinning — A manufacturing process used to produce highly oriented UHMWPE fibers with exceptional strength.
Glass Transition Temperature — The temperature range where a polymer changes from a glassy state to a more rubber-like state.
Grab Strength — A measure of the force required to break a textile specimen when only part of its width is clamped.
Graphitic Structure — Ordered carbon atom layers that contribute to the stiffness of carbon fiber.
H
Hand — The tactile feel or softness of a textile or yarn.
Heat Resistance — The ability of a fiber or textile to maintain integrity at elevated temperatures.
Heat Setting — A controlled heating process used to stabilize a fiber or textile structure.
High Modulus Fiber — Fibers characterized by very high stiffness and resistance to elongation.
HMPE — High modulus polyethylene fiber, commonly used interchangeably with UHMWPE.
Hybrid Composite — A composite structure that uses more than one fiber type, such as carbon with aramid or glass with UHMWPE.
Hydrogen Bonding — Intermolecular attraction that contributes to the strength and rigidity of polymers such as para-aramids.
Hydrophobic — A material property indicating resistance to water absorption.
I
Impact Resistance — The ability of a material to absorb energy from sudden loading without failing.
Impregnation — The process of saturating fibers or textiles with resin, coating, or another matrix material.
Industrial Yarn — Yarn designed for technical or structural applications rather than clothing.
Inherent Flame Resistance — Flame resistance that is built into the fiber chemistry rather than added through a finish.
Insertion Loss — In cable or fiber optic systems, the reduction in signal resulting from components or construction changes.
Interfacial Bonding — The adhesion between a fiber surface and the surrounding matrix in a composite or coated structure.
Interlacing — The crossing and locking of yarns in a woven or braided structure.
Isotropic — A material property indicating essentially uniform performance in all directions.
J
Jacket — The outer protective layer on a cable, rope, or cord.
Jumbo Spool — A larger yarn or thread package used for longer production runs and reduced changeovers.
K
Kevlar® — A para-aramid fiber brand known for high tensile strength, cut resistance, and structural reinforcement performance. See Kevlar® product page.
Knot Strength — The retained strength of a rope or yarn after a knot is tied.
L
Laminated Composite — A composite made from multiple bonded layers of reinforcement and matrix material.
Laminate — A composite built from multiple bonded layers of reinforcement and matrix material.
Lap Joint — An overlap joint commonly used in composite, textile, or structural assemblies.
Lay — The direction or twist of strands or yarns in a rope or cord construction.
LCP Fiber — Liquid Crystal Polymer fibers such as Vectran™ known for dimensional stability and low creep.
Line Speed — The rate at which material travels through a manufacturing process, usually expressed in feet or meters per minute.
Linear Density — Mass per unit length of a fiber or yarn.
Load Bearing Fiber — Fibers engineered to carry structural loads in cables, ropes, or composites.
Load Transfer — The movement of mechanical stress from a matrix to reinforcing fibers in a composite.
LOI (Limiting Oxygen Index) — The minimum oxygen concentration required to support combustion of a material.
Low Creep Fiber — A fiber that resists gradual elongation under constant load.
Low Elongation Fiber — A fiber that stretches very little under load, often desirable in structural or precision applications.
Lubricant Finish — A finish applied to yarn or thread to improve sewing or processing performance.
M
Marine Rope — Rope designed for marine applications such as mooring, towing, rigging, and offshore handling.
Matrix — The surrounding material, often a resin or polymer, that supports and binds reinforcement fibers in a composite.
Matrix Compatibility — The suitability of a fiber surface for bonding with a specific resin, polymer, or coating system.
Mechanical Properties — Properties describing how a material responds to forces such as tension, compression, bending, or impact.
Melt Point — The temperature at which a thermoplastic material softens and transitions to a melt state.
Meta-Aramid — A type of aramid fiber designed primarily for flame resistance and thermal stability. Nomex® is the most widely recognized example.
Microfiber — Extremely fine fibers with very small diameters.
Migration — The movement of additives, finishes, or low molecular weight components through or out of a material over time.
Modulus — A measure of stiffness indicating resistance to deformation under load.
Mooring Line — A rope or line used to secure a vessel, platform, or floating structure in position.
Moisture Regain — The amount of moisture a fiber absorbs from the air under standard conditions.
Monofilament — A single continuous filament used as a yarn or line.
Multifilament Yarn — Yarn composed of many continuous filaments grouped together.
N
Needle Punching — A nonwoven manufacturing method that mechanically entangles fibers using barbed needles.
Nomex® — A meta-aramid fiber brand known for flame resistance, thermal stability, and protective textile applications. See Nomex® product page.
Nonwoven — A textile structure made by bonding or entangling fibers rather than weaving or knitting them.
O
Offgassing — The release of volatile materials from a fiber, coating, or polymer over time.
Open-End Spinning — A yarn spinning process distinct from ring spinning, commonly used for certain staple fiber yarns.
Outgassing — The release of trapped gases or volatile compounds from a material, especially important in aerospace and vacuum applications.
Oxidation — A chemical reaction with oxygen that can degrade certain materials at elevated temperatures.
P
Package Build — The winding shape and geometry of a yarn package.
Package Density — The compactness of yarn wound on a spool, cone, or bobbin.
PAN Precursor — Polyacrylonitrile precursor fiber used in the production of most commercial carbon fibers.
Para-Aramid — A class of aramid fibers known for extremely high tensile strength and stiffness. Kevlar® is the most widely recognized example.
PBI Fiber — Polybenzimidazole fiber known for exceptional heat and flame resistance.
PEEK — Polyether ether ketone, a high-performance thermoplastic often used in advanced composite and industrial applications.
Pick — A single weft yarn inserted across the width of a woven fabric.
Pick Count — The number of weft yarns per unit length in a woven fabric.
Pilling — The formation of small fiber balls on the surface of a textile caused by abrasion or wear.
Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber — Carbon fiber produced from petroleum or coal-tar pitch, often associated with very high modulus grades.
Plain Weave — The simplest woven fabric structure in which each warp yarn alternates over and under each weft yarn.
Ply — One of two or more single yarns twisted together to form a stronger yarn or thread.
Plied Yarn — Yarn formed by twisting together two or more single yarns.
Polyethylene Fiber — A class of high-strength fibers including UHMWPE used in ropes and ballistic materials.
Polymer Chain — Long molecular chains that form the backbone of synthetic fibers.
Porosity — The presence of voids or empty space in a textile, composite, coating, or matrix system.
Post-Cure — Additional heating applied after initial curing to further improve resin or composite properties.
Pot Life — The usable working time of a reactive resin or coating mixture before it begins to gel or harden.
Precursor Fiber — The starting fiber used to produce another fiber type, such as PAN precursor used in carbon fiber production.
Preform — A shaped fiber reinforcement prepared before final resin impregnation or molding.
Precision Cut Fiber — Fiber chopped into tightly controlled lengths for more consistent reinforcement and dispersion.
Proof Load — A predetermined load applied to verify that a component or rope meets minimum performance requirements.
Protective Textile — A textile designed to resist heat, flame, cut, abrasion, or ballistic threats.
Pultrusion — A continuous manufacturing process used to create composite profiles by pulling reinforcement through resin and a heated die.
Q
Quasi-Isotropic — A composite layup designed to provide more uniform properties in multiple directions.
Quench — A rapid cooling step used during certain polymer or fiber manufacturing processes.
R
Recovery — The ability of a material to return to its original condition after deformation or loading.
Reel — A cylindrical holder used to wind and package yarn, cord, or rope.
Reinforcement Fiber — Fibers used to strengthen composite materials.
Resin — A polymer matrix material used to bind fibers in a composite.
Resin Content — The amount of resin present in a composite relative to the total composite weight or volume.
Retained Strength — The remaining strength of a material after exposure to heat, UV, moisture, or aging.
Ripcord — A high-strength yarn embedded in a cable to enable the jacket to be opened without damaging internal components.
Ring Spinning — A staple yarn spinning process that produces strong, relatively fine yarns.
Rope Construction — The method used to combine yarns or strands into cords or ropes through twisting or braiding.
Rope Lay — The direction and pattern in which strands are twisted to form rope.
ROV Umbilical — A tether system used for remotely operated vehicles that may include optical, electrical, and load-bearing elements.
Roving — A collection of untwisted or lightly twisted continuous filaments, often used in composites.
S
Saltwater Resistance — The ability of a material to maintain performance when exposed to marine environments.
S-Twist — A twist direction that slopes in the same direction as the center of the letter S.
S-Twist Yarn — A yarn or thread with twist inserted in the S direction rather than the Z direction.
Satin Weave — A woven structure with longer floats that can improve drape and surface smoothness.
Scour — To clean a textile material and remove oils, finishes, or contaminants.
Secondary Backing — An additional backing layer applied to a textile product for support or dimensional stability.
Shear Strength — The ability of a material to resist forces that cause sliding failure between layers or surfaces.
Sheath — The outer covering surrounding a rope core, cable, or textile structure.
Shrinkage — The reduction in dimension of a textile or polymer after heat, moisture, or processing exposure.
Single End — One individual yarn, strand, or tow used by itself in a construction or process.
Sizing — A coating applied to fibers to protect them and improve compatibility with a resin or matrix.
Slippage — Movement of yarns relative to one another within a textile construction under load.
Sliver — A loose, untwisted strand of staple fibers produced during carding or drawing.
Soft Twist — A relatively low twist level used to improve flexibility or processability.
Specific Gravity — The ratio of a material’s density to the density of water.
Specific Modulus — Modulus normalized by density, used to compare stiffness-to-weight performance.
Specific Strength — Strength normalized by density, used to compare strength-to-weight performance.
Spectra® Fiber — A UHMWPE fiber brand known for extremely high strength and low density.
Spinning — The process of converting fibers into yarn.
Splice — A method of joining rope or cord by interweaving strands or ends.
Staple Fiber — Fibers cut into short lengths and spun together to form yarn.
Static Load — A constant or slowly applied load that remains relatively steady over time.
Strand — An intermediate textile element made from one or more yarns, often used in rope constructions.
Strength Member — A structural textile element used to carry load in a cable, rope, or composite construction.
Strength-to-Weight Ratio — A measure comparing material strength relative to its weight.
Stress Relaxation — The reduction in stress experienced by a material held at a constant strain over time.
Surface Energy — A material property influencing wetting, adhesion, and coating behavior.
Surface Treatment — A modification applied to fibers to improve adhesion, handling, dyeability, or durability.
T
Take-Up — The winding or collection stage of a fiber, yarn, or coating process.
Technora® — A high-performance para-aramid fiber developed by Teijin known for excellent fatigue resistance and durability.
Tenacity — Fiber strength normalized by linear density, often expressed in grams per denier or centinewtons per dtex.
Tensile Strength — The maximum stress a fiber can withstand before breaking.
Tex — A unit of linear density equal to one gram per 1,000 meters of fiber.
Thermal Aging — The long-term effect of elevated temperature exposure on a material’s properties.
Thermal Conductivity — The rate at which a material transfers heat.
Thermal Stability — The ability of a material to maintain performance at elevated temperatures.
Thermoplastic — A polymer that can be melted and reshaped repeatedly.
Thermoset — A polymer that cures irreversibly and cannot be remelted like a thermoplastic.
Tow — A bundle of continuous filaments, commonly used in carbon fiber and other reinforcement materials.
Tow Size — The number of filaments in a tow, often designated as 1K, 3K, 12K, and so on.
TPI (Twist Per Inch) — The number of twists inserted into yarn per inch of length.
TPM (Twists Per Meter) — A metric unit describing twist level in yarn or cord constructions.
Tracer Yarn — A colored or otherwise identifiable yarn used to mark or identify a construction.
Tubular Braid — A braid formed as a hollow cylindrical structure without a separate core.
Twist — The spiral arrangement inserted into a yarn, strand, or cord to hold fibers together.
U
UHMWPE — Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, a high-performance fiber known for extremely high strength-to-weight ratio.
Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene — A polymer used to produce fibers such as Dyneema® and Spectra®.
Umbilical — A combined cable and strength-member system used in subsea, ROV, and offshore applications.
Uniformity — The consistency of fiber, yarn, coating, or textile properties throughout a product.
UV Resistance — The ability of a material to resist degradation caused by ultraviolet radiation.
V
Vectran™ — A liquid crystal polymer fiber known for very low creep, excellent dimensional stability, and high strength. See Vectran™ product page.
Virgin Fiber — New fiber material that has not been previously processed or recycled.
Void Content — The percentage of trapped air or empty space in a composite or coated system.
W
Warp — Yarns that run lengthwise in woven fabrics.
Warp Knit — A knitting construction in which loops are formed primarily in the warp direction.
Weathering — The combined effects of UV, moisture, oxygen, heat, and environmental exposure on material performance.
Weave — The pattern created by interlacing warp and weft yarns in a fabric.
Weft — Yarns that run across the width of woven fabrics.
Wet-Out — The ability of a resin or liquid to fully surround and penetrate fibers in a composite or coating system.
Wet Strength — The strength retained by a material when wet or after water exposure.
Wicking — The ability of fibers to transport moisture along their surface.
Windability — The ease with which a yarn or thread can be wound onto a package without defects.
Winding — The process of collecting yarn, cord, or rope onto a spool, cone, tube, or reel.
Working Load Limit (WLL) — The maximum load that should be applied to a product under normal service conditions.
Workmanship — The quality and consistency of manufacturing, including defects, winding quality, and construction uniformity.
Woven Fabric — A textile created by interlacing warp and weft yarns.
Y
Yarn — A continuous strand of fibers or filaments used to make textiles, cords, ropes, or composites.
Yarn Count — A numerical description of yarn size or linear density.
Yield — The length of yarn or rope obtained per unit of weight.
Yield Point — The stress level at which a material begins to deform permanently.
Young’s Modulus — A fundamental measure of stiffness defined as stress divided by strain in the elastic region.
Z
Z-Twist — A twist direction that slopes in the same direction as the center of the letter Z.
Z-Twist Yarn — A yarn or thread with twist inserted in the Z direction rather than the S direction.
Zylon® — A PBO fiber known for very high strength and modulus, though with important environmental durability limitations.
