What is Acrylic?

Acrylic is a synthetic fiber whose polymer chain consists of at least 85% acrylonitrile units by mass. Turkey's fiber-name regulation (Tekstil Elyaf İsimleri ve Tekstil Ürünlerinin Elyaf Kompozisyonlarıyla İlgili Etiketleme ve İşaretleme Hakkındaki Yönetmelik, Annex 1, no. 26; “the Turkish regulation” below), the EU's Regulation 1007/2011 (Annex I, no. 26) and the US fiber-name rules (16 CFR 303.7) all use the same 85% threshold. Acrylic is made from fossil-based chemicals and was developed to compete with wool (CottonWorks). It is sought after for its light, soft hand in knitwear, socks and blankets, and, for its sun resistance, in tent and awning fabric.

Outside textiles, “acrylic” has other meanings: the Turkish Language Association (TDK) dictionary defines it as colorless, pungent acids and the things made with them, and lists only acrylic paint as a compound. This entry covers the textile fiber.

Acrylic, modacrylic and wool

The three names are often confused; the first two are synthetic, the third is an animal fiber.

Because the modacrylic threshold differs by system, write the label to the definition of the market you will sell in. Acrylic was developed to compete with wool (CottonWorks) but is not wool; article 6/3 of the Turkish regulation does not allow the names in Annex 1 to be used alone, as a root or as an adjective for another fiber.

Properties

• Density and hand: CottonWorks gives acrylic's relative density as about 1.17 and writes that this gives a soft hand; a textbook gives a range of 1.16–1.18 (INFLIBNET).
• Light and chemical resistance: Long exposure to sunlight does not affect acrylic's strength or color (CottonWorks). According to the textbook, it resists mild acids, alkalis and common organic solvents; strong acids and alkalis damage the fiber (INFLIBNET).
• Moisture: Annex 9 of the Turkish regulation accepts a 2.00% moisture allowance for acrylic when calculating fiber content; for cotton it is 8.50% and for wool 17.00–18.25%. This is a commercial calculation value, not a measurement result.
• Dyeing: Polyacrylonitrile fibers are strong and resistant but hard to dye. Wool, silk, acrylic and modacrylic are normally dyed with basic (cationic) dyes, which give very good fastness on acrylic; disperse dyes also color acrylic (INFLIBNET). For which colorant is used on which fiber in printing, see the textile printing methods guide.
• Static and pilling: Low moisture regain and conductivity cause static electricity in synthetic fibers, and pilling is also an important quality problem in fabrics spun from synthetic fibers (INFLIBNET). In woven fabrics containing acrylic, pilling varies significantly with the weave structure and the type of weft yarn (Yavaşcaoğlu et al., 2019), so the fiber name alone does not tell you the result.

Where is acrylic used?

CottonWorks lists acrylic's main uses as socks, knit sweaters, tent and awning fabric, and loungewear. A textbook adds carpets, sportswear, blankets, dress fabrics, curtains and decorative fabrics (INFLIBNET). In knitted fabrics, high-bulk acrylic yarn is common; it is obtained from a blend of shrinking and non-shrinking (relaxed) fibers (Sarıoğlu et al., 2019). You can find knitwear makers in the Knitwear and Sweaters category, sock makers in Socks and Hosiery, blanket makers in Blankets, acrylic fiber suppliers in Textile Fibers and yarn suppliers in the Acrylic Yarn category.

Microfibers and care

Synthetic fabrics release microfibers in washing. Napper and Thompson (2016) of the University of Plymouth, assuming an average 6 kg wash load, estimated the number of fibers released at 728,789 for acrylic fabric, 496,030 for polyester and 137,951 for a polyester-cotton blend; adding biological detergent or fabric softener tended to release more fibers (the university's press release). These are the estimates of a single study.

For acrylic, FabricLink lists machine or hand washing in warm water, fabric softener in the final rinse, drying at low heat and removal as soon as it dries, drying sweaters and circular knits flat; dry cleaning is also possible. Always follow the product's care label; for the symbols, see the care symbols guide.

What to check in a quote

1. Write the fiber name and percentage. Article 10 of the Turkish regulation requires the names and weight percentages of all fibers in the product to be given in descending order; acrylic and modacrylic are separate fiber names. These provisions are taken from the text of the 2015 regulation as of October 11, 2026; check the current rule for the market where you will sell with a regulatory specialist.
2. Do not accept “wool-like” in place of a composition. Have the blend ratio verified in a laboratory; Annex 8 of the Turkish regulation defines quantitative analysis methods for binary and ternary mixtures.
3. Ask for the pilling result. The method can be ISO 12945-1 (pilling box) or ISO 12945-2 (modified Martindale); write the method and the acceptance grade into the contract.
4. Write the yarn count with the name of its system. To move between Nm, Ne and tex, use the yarn count converter and the yarn count conversion guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is acrylic breathable?

Acrylic does not stop sweating either; no fiber can, because sweating is how the body cools itself. The moisture allowance accepted for acrylic is low: Annex 9 of the Turkish regulation accepts 2.00% for acrylic against 8.50% for cotton. This value is for commercial calculation, not a measurement; how a fabric breathes and keeps warm also depends on yarn, structure and weight. Two measurements make breathing behavior concrete: air permeability (EN ISO 9237) and water-vapor resistance (EN ISO 11092). More in breathable fabrics for summer.

Is acrylic wool?

No. Wool is an animal fiber from the fleece of sheep or lambs (Turkish regulation Annex 1 no. 1); acrylic is a synthetic polymer developed to compete with wool (CottonWorks). In a wool-acrylic blend, the names and percentages of the two fibers are written separately on the label.

Are acrylic and polyester the same?

No. Under Annex 1 of the Turkish regulation, acrylic is a fiber with at least 85% acrylonitrile units by mass in the chain, and polyester a fiber with at least 85% of an ester of a diol and terephthalic acid (nos. 26 and 35). The moisture allowance is 2.00% for acrylic and 1.50% for polyester (Annex 9). Disperse dyes color both; acrylic is also dyed with basic dyes (INFLIBNET).