Work- & Protective Wear, Defense

Beyond heat and flame: Meeting demands in the FR textile end use market

Saal C
Donnerstag, 11.09.2025, 15:10 - 15:30 Uhr

The flame-resistant (FR) fabric market has evolved beyond legacy materials like Nomex and FR-treated cotton, with innovative fiber blends now optimizing protection, comfort, and durability. While weight is often a focus, true wearer comfort comes from fiber selection and fabric construction, ensuring end users wear their gear correctly for maximum safety. Today’s FR solutions blend advanced fibers to meet both performance and comfort expectations, bridging the gap between protection requirements and everyday-wear preferences.

Sprecher
Kip Sturgill (TenCate Protection Fabrics)
The market for flame-resistant (FR) fabrics has evolved beyond its origins with Nomex and FR-treated cotton. Over time, new inherently FR fibers have been introduced, leading to innovative fiber blends. These blends optimize characteristics like flame resistance, mechanical protection, and comfort. While early developments focused mainly on protection, today’s differentiation is driven by comfort and aesthetics. Uncomfortable fabrics may lead workers to wear garments incorrectly, reducing their protective effectiveness. Many companies aim for lighter-weight fabrics, but weight alone does not define comfort—fiber type and fabric construction are also crucial. While aramids like Nomex helped establish and grow the FR market over 50 years ago, newer blends provide better combinations of protection and end user comfort. The ideal fabric depends on performance needs, budget, and garment lifespan, with FR-treated cotton being more cost-effective for short-term use. The latest innovations blend multiple fibers like modacrylics, aramids, cotton, lyocell, and elastane for improved performance. End users now expect FR garments to meet the comfort and design standards set by everyday apparel, and the role of FR fabric manufacturers is to help them find the best solution for their needs.