The raw materials for socks are nothing but various fibers. Common sock materials include cotton, combed cotton, mercerized cotton, spandex, Lycra, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, polyester, viscose, Tencel, bamboo fiber, modal, linen, and Puma cotton. However, the characteristics of each fiber and the ratio in which it is paired to achieve the most comfortable foot feel are very complex. Understanding them can help you choose the right socks.

[Sock Material - Cotton | Cotton]

We usually prefer to wear socks made of pure cotton, but is pure cotton 100% cotton?

In fact, there are no 100% cotton socks. If the composition of a pair of socks is 100% cotton, then these socks have no elasticity at all. The sock cuffs need to be woven very wide to fit in, which can be imagined how uncomfortable these socks are. 100% cotton socks have a particularly high shrinkage rate, which is not sturdy and durable. 100% cotton socks are not called cotton socks, but cotton. Usually, socks with a cotton content of over 75% can be called "all cotton socks", and socks with a cotton content of 85% are considered very high-end cotton socks. Other functional fibers need to be added to maintain the elasticity, fastness, and comfort of the socks. Polyester, spandex, and nylon are all very common functional fibers.

[Sock Material - Combed Cotton | CombedCotton]

Combed cotton is a long and neat cotton fiber left behind by a machine called a combing machine, which removes shorter fibers from ordinary cotton fibers. Due to the removal of short cotton fibers and other fiber impurities, the yarn spun from combed cotton is finer and the finished product has a smoother and more comfortable hand feel.

[Sock Material - Mercerized Cotton | Mercerized Cotton]

Mercerized cotton is a type of cotton fiber that has undergone a mercerization process in a concentrated alkaline solution. This type of cotton fiber has a better glossiness (more shiny, as if containing silk components), a smoother texture, and is less prone to wrinkling compared to ordinary cotton fibers, without any changes in other physical properties. Silk cotton material is often seen in thin socks during summer.

[Sock Material - Spandex | Spandex]

Spandex, commonly known as elastic fiber, has high elasticity and strong stretchability. Its stretching length can reach 5-7 times that of the original fiber, and textile products with spandex can always maintain the original contour. The composition of socks must contain spandex to make them elastic and retractable, making them easy to wear and making them more snug to the feet, just like a swimsuit that can tightly wrap around the feet without slipping.

[Sock Material - Lycra | LYCRA]

The now widely known Lycra is actually a type of spandex fiber, but it is a trademark registered by DuPont in the United States. Just like the apples we eat in our daily lives, "Red Fuji" is an apple, "Guoguang" is an apple, and "Marshal Huang" is also an apple, all of which are names for apples. Leica is the same. In 1958, DuPont invented and produced a unique artificial elastic fiber that can be mixed with various artificial and natural fibers to process various types of ready to wear clothing. Its extraordinary stretch and recovery properties greatly enhance the color of all fabrics. DuPont Company has specially registered a name for it, LYCRA, which is translated as Lycra in China, also known as Lajia. Just like nylon back then, it was also an invention of DuPont and registered an exclusive trademark.

[Sock Material - Jinlun/Polyamide]

Nylon is a synthetic fiber with Chinese characteristics, known as polyamide fiber. The first factory in China to synthesize this type of fiber was Jinzhou Chemical Fiber Factory, so it was named "Nylon". Nylon and nylon have similar properties, are sturdy and wear-resistant, and are the most wear-resistant and sturdy synthetic fibers. Lightweight and elastic, adding nylon to socks can maintain high strength elasticity.

[Sock Material - Nylon | Nylon]

Nylon was developed by American scientists (Carothers) and a research team led by them, and is the first synthetic fiber to appear in the world. The emergence of nylon has brought a new look to textiles, and its synthesis is a major breakthrough in the synthetic fiber industry, as well as an important milestone in polymer chemistry.

[Sock Material - Acrylic | Acrylic]

Acrylic fiber is the name for polyacrylonitrile in China. It is soft, lightweight, and warm, and is known as "artificial wool". It is over 10% lighter in weight than wool, but its strength is more than twice that. Acrylic fiber does not mold or be eaten by insects, and its resistance to sunlight is twice that of wool and 10 times that of cotton. As early as the 1970s and 1980s, what southern women referred to as "puffy yarn" was acrylic. The wool made of acrylic fiber was particularly light and soft, so it was deeply loved by people at that time. However, acrylic fabrics have a major drawback of being prone to pilling and poor wear resistance. Adding acrylic to the fabric is to enjoy its lightweight and warm properties.

[Sock Material - Polypropylene | Polypropylene]

Polypropylene fiber is a name with Chinese characteristics, which should actually be called polypropylene fiber. Because there is a C character in the name and it used to be called XX nylon, it is called polypropylene. The biggest advantage of polypropylene is its lightweight texture, but its own moisture absorption is very weak, almost no moisture absorption, so the moisture regain is close to zero. However, its wicking effect is quite strong, as it can transfer water vapor through the fibers in the fabric, which also means that socks containing polypropylene have a very strong sweat wicking function. Due to the high strength, wear resistance, and tensile strength of polypropylene, components containing polypropylene are often seen in sports socks.

[Sock Material - Polyester | Polyester]

People often use the ingredient label with the word "Polyester", which is translated as polyester fiber. In China, it is called "polyester".

In 1941, J R. Winfield and J.T. Dixon were the first to successfully develop polyester fibers using terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol as raw materials in the laboratory, and named them Terylene. In 1953, DuPont produced polyester fibers known as Dacron. In the 1970s, the so-called "Dacron" in the Chinese population was actually Dacron. Polyester has low moisture content, poor breathability, poor dyeing properties, is prone to pilling, pilling, and staining, so it is almost impossible to see the existence of Dacron shirts now.

[Sock Material - Adhesive | ViscoseRayon]

This is also a very common fiber component, which can be seen on some clothing ingredient labels, usually abbreviated as Rayon, which is actually adhesive fiber. Merchants often have inconsistent expressions, such as artificial silk, ice silk, etc., all referring to the same thing. Don't think that viscose is a non natural product. In fact, viscose fiber is a type of fiber produced from cotton or other natural fibers. The characteristic is that it is soft and elegant. Adding adhesive to textiles can make the feel smoother and make the fabric shiny. Due to the fact that viscose is produced from natural fibers as raw materials, the names and characteristics of viscose produced from different natural fibers are also different.

[Sock Material - Tencel | Tencel]

The popular "TENCEL" in the past few years &Quota; It is actually a type of adhesive fiber, just like Lycra itself is a trademark name for spandex, Tencel is actually a trademark name. It is the trademark name of LYOCELL fiber produced by Acocdis in the UK, and in China, it is registered as" Tian Si;. Tencel is a new type of cellulose fiber produced by solvent spinning from the wood pulp of coniferous trees. Its comfort can be comparable to cotton, with good strength and toughness, and it has a silky touch and luster, with good drape. Therefore, many knitted garments like to use Tencel as a raw material. Tencel is the first cellulose fiber with much stronger wet strength than cotton when in a wet state. Due to the use of 100% natural materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, Tencel fully meets the needs of modern consumers and is known as the "green fiber of the 21st century".

[Sock Material - Bamboo Fiber | BambooFiber]

In recent years, the popular bamboo fiber is also a type of adhesive fiber. The raw material for bamboo fiber comes from bamboo. Due to its much faster regeneration than wood, bamboo has better environmental protection characteristics in this industrialized and large-scale contemporary society. Bamboo fiber fabrics also have the characteristics of being soft, flowing, and comfortable to the touch, and are wear-resistant, non pilling, moisture absorbing, quick drying, and breathable. What sets it apart from viscose fibers such as cotton and wood is its excellent antibacterial properties and health benefits. Bamboo fiber contains an antibacterial substance called "Zhukun", which has natural antibacterial, anti mite, and anti odor medicinal properties. In addition, bamboo fiber has a UV penetration rate of 0.6%, which is 41.6 times that of cotton, making it a very good raw material for anti UV fabrics. "The antioxidant compounds in bamboo can effectively eliminate free radicals in the body and have anti-aging biological effects. It contains various essential amino acids for the human body, and bamboo cellulose, bamboo dense, and pectin have moisturizing and anti fatigue effects on the skin. It can increase the microcirculation blood flow of the human body, activate tissue cells, and produce a warming effect, effectively regulate the nervous system, unblock meridians, and improve sleep quality." Although these health benefits are reasonable, generally speaking, the health benefits of a textile are actually negligible. However, this does not prevent us from choosing bamboo fiber products to experience, especially bamboo fiber socks. The foot environment in summer is usually hot and humid, and bamboo fiber socks have good breathability, antibacterial and other properties, making them the first choice for summer socks.

[Sock Material - Mudal/Modal | Modal]

This is a very popular textile fiber in recent years, belonging to the adhesive class. Developed by the Austrian company Lenzing, it is made from European beech wood by beating and spinning. It is 100% natural and can decompose naturally, making it harmless to the environment and human health. The fabric processed and treated with a blend of wood fiber, cotton, and polyester has a silky luster, good drape, and a soft and smooth hand feel. Many manufacturers use it to make home clothing. Adding wood wool to the composition of socks can make the overall feel softer and more comfortable, and is also a very popular textile.

[Sock Material - Linen | Linen]

Hemp clothing is very popular in this year's market and is almost becoming a substitute for cotton and silk fabrics. The most common and common raw materials used in linen clothing in the Chinese market are flax and ramie. These two types are extracted from plants of flax and ramie, and are very important textile fibers, together with cotton, wool, and silk, known as the four major textile raw materials. Hemp fibers are soft and tough, and high count and high density linen fabrics are glossy, wear-resistant, and have good heat dissipation performance, making them very suitable for wearing linen clothing in summer.

[Sock Material - Pima Cotton/Pima Cotton/Puma Cotton | PimaCotton]

Pima cotton is an extra long staple cotton produced in the western and southwestern United States (mainly in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas), and is known as one of the four high-quality cotton varieties in the world along with Egyptian Extra Long Staple, Peruvian Pima cotton, and island cotton.

The characteristics of Pima cotton are that the velvet cotton is slender, has strong toughness, high dyeing power, and due to its low yield, its price is much higher than ordinary cotton.