Buildings
Structure, lining, insulation or finish depending on family.
Silk earns its keep in systems: a beam, a batt, a fibre blend, a coated steel — rarely a lone coupon.
Products below are cultural landmarks as much as SKUs.
Sectors
Transport
Mass, fire and fatigue rewrite the grade list.
Energy
Heat, voltage and hydrogen compatibility.
Consumer
The volume that pays for the mill.
Medical / food
When allowed — extractables and allergies matter.
Defence / safety
Ballistics, FR clothing, fire stops.
Products
Suzhou weaving
historic
Lyon canuts
19th c.
Kimono silk
historic
Thai mudmee
historic
Surgical silk
19th c.–
Parachute canopy
WWII
Wild tussah
historic
Hermès scarf lore
20th c.
Pairings
nylon
The filament that stole stockings and chutes.
polyester
The cheap shine.
aramid
When tensile and fire beat luxury.
cotton
Staple cellulose everyday.
If the pairing is wrong, the material will be blamed for a system fault.
Keep exploring
More in Textiles
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Cotton
Seed-hair cellulose that dressed the industrial revolution — still the comfort fibre of daily wear.
Overall 44 🐑Wool
Crimped keratin that traps still air — suiting, carpets and a quietly decent fire story among apparel fibres.
Overall 53 🎽Polyester
The dominant apparel polymer — bottle-grade PET spun into staple that dries fast and sheds microfibres.
Overall 49 🪢Nylon
Carothers’ polyamide — stockings, tyre cord, climbing rope and a melt-drip fire personality.
Overall 48 🦺Aramid
Aromatic polyamide pulps and filaments — ballistic packs, hot-gas filtration and asbestos replacement.
Overall 62