Fleece Fabric

What Fleece Is

Fleece is a soft fabric with a napped surface that has excellent insulating properties; it retains body heat well, making it ideal for cold weather. In the fuller account the trade uses, fleece is usually made from a type of polyester called polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other synthetic fibers, formed into a lightweight fabric; other materials can be added, including natural fibers such as wool and recycled fibers such as recycled PET plastic. Fleece fabrics are knit, and then at least one side is brushed to loosen fibers and create a nap - a raised surface - for a soft, plush feel; the two-sided plush garments generally called fleece are brushed on both sides. The knit-and-brush construction explains the fabric's character: thousands of cut fiber ends stand in the pile, holding still air in a layer that is mostly air by volume, so fleece insulates like a much heavier woven cloth while staying light, and the synthetic pile does not absorb water the way a wool nap does.

The material can be designed to be breathable or made to keep the heat inside next to the body, and it can be blended with natural fibers whose breathing ability is incorporated into the finished fleece - the two axes along which fleece is graded. The Fleece Weights guide in the education section sets out the weight scale - micro, light, mid and heavy fleeces by grams per square metre - and the Fleece Definition and the Fleece glossary entry define the cloth formally, with the article Fleece is Perfect Fabric for Winter Clothing arguing its case. Finishes move a fleece between the axes: anti-pill treatments keep the pile smooth, durable water repellent makes light rain bead on the surface, and windproof membranes or tight constructions trade breathability for shelter - the Polar Fleece page covers the outdoor original of the family.

Using Fleece and This Directory

Choose fleece by the job. As a mid-layer under a shell, a breathable mid-weight fleece moves sweat outward while it insulates - fleece's weakness is wind, which passes through the pile and strips the trapped air, so the same garment that is warm in still cold needs the shell in weather. As standalone casual wear, heavier and windproof fleeces serve alone. Blankets, throws, pet bedding and craft fleece use the same cloth at simpler specifications, and fleece's easy sewing - it does not fray - makes it the home maker's winter staple, sold by the yard beside the mill trade this directory lists. Care is cool washing and no fabric softener, which coats the pile fibers and dulls both softness and wicking; pilling is the wear to expect, graded by the mill's anti-pill finish. The site's Flammability and Testing pages cover the safety side - synthetic fleece melts rather than flames, and regulated end uses have their own rules.

This directory lists twenty mills across India, the USA, Turkey, Taiwan, Canada, Pakistan and the United Kingdom and beyond, each linked to its own profile in the Fabric Mills by Name section. Fleece is a knitters' category - most of these mills appear in this directory under their other knits as well, french terry and interlock among them - because the same circular knitting and brushing lines produce the whole family. The Fabric Directory hub indexes the full section. When you enquire, state the weight, whether the fleece is brushed one side or two, and the finish - anti-pill, water repellent, windproof - that the end use needs. Thank you for using the Apparel Search Fabric Mill Directory.

Fleece Fabric Mills Listed in This Directory