Rayon – Regenerated Cellulose Fibers | Texhour

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• Rayon is composed of pure cellulose and made from wood pulp harvested from pine, spruce, hemlock, and bamboo. The fiber is made from cellulose that has been re-formed or regenerated.

• Purified cellulose is chemically converted to xanthate, this is then dissolved in dilute caustic soda creating a viscous solution, and then the cellulose is regenerated from this solution as it emerges from the spinneret in the form of a bright, lustrous filament.

• This advanced method of chemically breaking down polyose pulp to form regenerated polyose fiber ends up in a good deal of environmental pollution. This extruded filament can be used as a filament yarn or it can be cut into I” – 6” pieces and spun conventionally.

• Commercial rayon (called regular rayon) manufactured today still utilizes this “viscose” process of and the word Viscose is used interchangeably with Rayon to describe both the fiber and the fabric.

• Rayon is a man-made fiber, and not a natural one.

• Rayon is more moisture absorbent than cotton, soft, comfortable to wear, has a beautiful drape, and is easily dyed in a wide range of colors. It does not build up static electricity, nor will it pill unless the fabric is made from short-staple, low-twist yarn.

• Rayon does not insulate body heat making it ideal for use in hot and humid climates.

• Rayon has the moderate dry strength and abrasion resistance. Like other cellulosic fibers, it is not resilient, which means that it will wrinkle. Rayon blends well with both cotton & polyester.

• The tensile strength of regular rayon is reduced 40 – 70% when wet, and it becomes unstable and distorts. On being machine washed rayon garments can shrink up to 10%. Dry cleaning is usually recommended to preserve the appearance of rayon clothes.

• The count definition of spun rayon is the same as cotton – the number of hanks each 840 yards required to make one lb. (pound) of yarn is the count.