Material of Socks
The material of socks is mainly as follows:
- Cotton is a traditional natural fiber and a highly comfortable textile material. It is still used in large quantities until today. However, the performance of cotton itself is very limited. Cotton fiber has very good hygroscopicity, and the speed of moisture absorption is very fast, but the dehumidification is not good. Cotton fibers dry slowly when wet.
- Wool is also a traditional natural fiber, which is famous for its good retention. However, ordinary wool is not suitable for custom socks, and high-quality wool must be used, such as Australia's MERINOWOOL (Merino wool), NEWWOOL (new wool), etc., are good materials for underwear and custom socks. However, many people will find that the use of wool as intimate clothing is very rare. Even if there are, the price is relatively expensive, which is mainly determined by the structural characteristics of the wool itself. Under the microscope, you can see that the wool fiber has many scales, arranged a bit like bamboo shoot leaves, and the top of each scale has a keratinized tip. This keratinized tip is likely to cause adhesion between wool fibers. This keratinized tip makes the wool feel itchy when it is close to the body. Therefore, if wool material is used for intimate clothes such as socks, this horny tip must be removed. The relatively high cost of this treatment is one of the main reasons for the expensive products. The characteristics of wool itself are thermal insulation, while its hygroscopicity and dehumidification are poor. After blending or knitting with other fibers, it can be made into good winter warm socks.
- Lycra, spandex and rubber are all elastic materials. Lycra is a registered trademark of DuPont of the United States. In fact, it is also a type of spandex, so it is also called Lycra spandex. It's just that it is much better than ordinary spandex in processing, and its stretchability and recovery are quite good, and it is not easy to age. Nowadays, many outdoor brand socks use Lycra as elastic material. Rubber is as thin as yarn, and is woven into the socks during the manufacturing process. Rubber are relatively easy to age. After being corroded by sweat or after the severe cold of winter, they will easily lose their original extension and recovery. For more expensive socks like professional custom athletic socks for outdoor sports, this feature makes it less economical. However, there is a kind of rubber in Japan. I heard that it has good durability and is still in the promotion stage.
- NYLON. Nylon is specially used to strengthen the firmness in outdoor sports socks. The addition of nylon can extend the service life of the socks and is not easy to damage.
- For sports socks, especially for professional outdoor sports socks, there must be some special fibers added to highlight its professional functionality. Among them, COOLMAX is often used. COOLMAX is a patented fiber product of DuPont of the United States. It is also called four-channel special-shaped polyester fiber on textiles. Common fiber cross sections are mostly solid round or oval, while COOLMAX fibers are hollow and cross-shaped, like four tubes juxtaposed together. This structure increases the contact area between the fiber and the air, and also ensures a lot of voids between the fabrics. In this way, COOLMAX fibers are guaranteed to have strong hygroscopicity and dehumidification. The fabric has good breathability. It should be noted that COOLMAX is a functional fiber that absorbs moisture, sweat, and breathes. It is not a warm fiber. It is just a warm environment that keeps moisture out as dry as possible.
- THERMOLITE is a special warm fiber. THERMOLITE is also a patented fiber product of DuPont of the United States. It is a polyester fiber like COOLMAX and the structure is hollow. According to reports, THERMOLITE is inspired by the structure of polar bear hair. Its cross section is circular and the middle is empty, like a tube. In this way, the bulkiness of the fiber can be improved, so as to achieve the effect of keeping warm. This principle is somewhat similar to the principle of keeping warm of down jacket. THERMOLITE has a good warming effect and a good perspiration effect. It is an ideal material for winter socks
In addition, there are bamboo fiber, rabbit hair and other materials. In the future development, more raw materials will be developed and used in socks.
