Burning Test for Fabric, Fiber Content Tests

Learn all about the burning test for fabric and fibers. Do you have a burning desire to know more about your fabric? Well, it’s time to try the fabric burn test on your precious piece of material and find out what type of fabric it is. The burn test for fibers is a good way to check on a piece of fabric you have rummaged out of the bargain bin. Is it really 100% cotton, wool or silk?  Knowing how to identify fabric content will put your mind at rest.

Burning Test for Fabric & Fibers

Burning fabric tests reveal the results by using a flame to burn the fabric and examining for the type of flame and ashes it produces. Different fibers will react differently to burning and reveal themselves.

Equipment Needed for a Fabric Burning Test

The basic equipment you will need for a burning test to identify fabric content is:

• Swatch of fabric
• A metal container to hold the piece of fabric you intend to burn
• Tweezers to hold the fabric and
• Matches or a lighter to ignite the fabric

Make sure the container you use is fireproof, and don’t use plastic as it will melt and produce horrible fumes.  An old tin or glass ashtray will do the trick.

Safety in Burning Tests for Fabric

SAFETY WARNING – Have some water close by in case of excessive burning or something to put out an over-zealous flame! And if you are not yet an adult, go and grab one to do it for you! Keep children and your pets away from these tests and ensure the area is well-ventilated and not windy. Do not take any chances.

When you are dealing with a naked flame, your safety is of utmost importance.

Ensure you are prepared in advance and keep the pieces of fabric small so there will be no huge flames due to your burning test. The kitchen sink is probably a good spot to choose as you can drop the fabric or container into the sink, and water is at hand. You could also use a wet kitchen towel to snuff out the flame.

Use the tweezers to prevent your fingers from getting too close to the flame, and long matches would also help to ensure you have time and space between you and the flame. Don’t light up in a draughty spot; if you have long hair, keep it tied up.

Finally, see this as a chemical science experiment and take it seriously. Remember that ‘if you play with fire you’re gonna get burnt!’

How to Do a Fabric Burning Test

Step 1 – Make a Sample

Cut the fabric into small 1 inches (2.5cm) squares and hold them on the corners with the tweezers. Make sure you hold the fabric over the tin. It is important to use a small sample so you don’t have out-of-control burning. You can even burn just a few threads of the fabric

Step 2 – Burning Fabrics

Light the match only after you have read the safety tips in this article below.  Hold the flame directly under the corner of the fabric and then observe the fabric’s reaction to the flame.  Safety first – Do not use a large flame.

Remember that synthetic fabric fumes are hazardous, so be careful.

Step 3 – Note the Fabric Burn Characteristics

It is important to notice the smell of the burning fabric and the ash left after the burning. Three points to note in your burning test are:

1. Reaction to flame
2. The smell of the burn
3. The look of the ash.

General Rules for a Burning Test for Fabric

Here is a general rule for fiber content to distinguish natural from synthetic fibers.

• Natural organic fibers burn rapidly with a yellow flame. They smell of burning paper or hair and the ash left behind is soft and gray.
• Synthetic fibers shrink away from flame and burn with an acid, chemical smell. The ash left behind is like a plastic bead and not soft.

Fiber Burn Test Chart

Here is a table featuring cotton, linen, rayon, wool, silk, nylon, polyester, acetate, acrylic, and spandex. The properties listed are the flame color, smell, and ash look.

Material	Flame	Smell	Look of Ash
Cotton	Yellow	like burning paper	light, gray, fine, crumbly
Linen	Yellow	like burning paper or wood	light grey ash
Rayon	Yellow	like burning paper or wood	light grey ash
Wool	smolders, curls away	burning hair or feathers	hollow black beads
Silk	smoulders, curls away	burning hair	dark beads residue
Nylon	melts quickly, shrinks away	strong chemical, hazardous fumes	round, hard gray beads
Polyester	melts, shrinks away	sweet chemicals, hazardous fumes	round, hard black bead
Acetate	ignites and burns quickly	hot vinegar, hazardous fumes	hard black ash and solid bead
Acrylic	melts, shrinks away, black smoke	strong chemical, hazardous fumes	irregular hard black bead
Spandex	fuses and shrinks away	melts and burns	soft sticky residue

Results for Fabric Burn Tests

Look at the reaction to the flame, the smell of the burning test, and the resulting ash.

1. Cotton Burning Test

Cotton is a natural fiber. It burns quickly with a yellow flame and an afterglow.  It smells like paper burning and the ash is light and gray. The ash should be fine and crumbly. When completed, there is no melted bead.

2. Linen Burning Test

Burns quickly (but not as quickly as cotton) with a yellow flame.  It also smells like paper burning and has light gray ash. Like cotton, it is a natural fiber that burns a little longer.

3. Rayon, Lyocell, Tencel, Modal

Rayon is a semi-synthetic fabric made from cellulose wood pulp. It burns quickly (quicker than cotton) with a yellow flame but has no afterglow.  It smells like paper burning and has light gray ash.

4. Wool Burning Test

Smolders and curls away from the flame.  Wool ignites slowly. Not wanting to burn, it flickers and stops burning when it is away from the flame.  It smells like burning hair and has crisp, dark ash.

5. Silk Burning Test 

Also smolders and curls away from the flame.  It burns slowly and splutters as it burns with difficulty.  Silk stops burning when it is taken away from the flame and smells like burning hair.  The ash from the burn is like a small dark bead.

6. Nylon

Melts and shrinks away from the flame. It stops burning when removed from the flame and smells like celery. The ash forms a round, dark bead that won’t crush.

7. Polyester and Fleece

Polyester fibers shrink from the flame and melt, burning slowly. It burns with difficulty and has a chemical odor. The ash is like round black beads that won’t crush.

8. Acetate

It blazes and burns quickly and continues to melt and burn. The smell from the burn is like vinegar, and the ash-like hard beads will not crush.

9. Acrylic Burning Test

Catches alight quickly and burns rapidly with splutters as it melts. It smells like a chemical as it burns, and the ash is made up of irregular beads that do not crush.

10. Spandex Burning Test

It melts as it burns and continues to burn with a sharp, bitter odor. The ash or residue is sticky to the touch.

Sew More Fabrics

Now you know all about the burning test for fabric, check out these other fabrics listed alphabetically.

1. CHIFFON – Sewing Chiffon
2. BATIK – What is Batik
3. CANVAS – Sewing Canvas
4. COTTON – Sewing Cotton
5. DENIM – Sewing Denim
6. FELT – Sewing Felt
7. FUR – Sewing Fur
8. KNITS – How to Sew Stretch Fabric
9. INTERFACING – Types of Interfacing
10. LACE – How to Sew Lace
11. LEATHER – Sewing Leather
12. RAYON – Sewing Rayon
13. SHEER – Sewing Sheer Fabrics
14. SILK – How to Sew Silk
15. THICK – Sewing Thick Fabrics
16. VELVET Sewing Velvet
17. WOOL – Sewing Wool