Fibers are identified by combustion method

There are many methods for fiber identification: sensory identification, combustion method, microscopic identification, chemical dissolution, drug coloring method, and system identification：
The simplest, fastest, and lowest-cost method is the combustion method 。

Image [1]-The Combustion Method for Fiber Identification: A Simple, Fast, and Low-Cost Way to Distinguish Cotton, Silk, Wool, Polyester, Nylon, and More-Nleather

The principle is very simple: Identification is based on the different phenomena and characteristics of textile fibers burning when approaching the flame, in the flame, and after leaving the flame 。

Let’s look at three specific stages: When approaching the flame, in the flames, and after leaving the flames , and on top of that Odor and residue characteristics , which allows you to determine the main categories of fibers.

Fiber	As they approached the flames	In the flames	After leaving the flames	Smell	Residual material
Cotton, linen, adhesive	It does not melt or shrink	Burn quickly, keep burning	Keep burning	The smell of burning paper	The ashes are small and fine, soft and grayish-white, and disperse with a single blow
Silk and wool	Contraction, curling	Burns slowly, smokes and bubbles	It is not easy to spread fire	Burning hair causes a foul smell	The black, crispy little balls turn into fine powder when squeezed
polyester	Contraction, melt	Melting first then burning, burning slowly, yellow flame, smoke, and visible dripping and thread drawing	It can spread the flame	Distinctive aromatic scent	Glassy dark brown hard balls, not easily crushed
Nylon	Contraction, melt	Melting first then burning slowly, with a very small blue flame, smokeless or a small amount of white smoke, and some dripping and thread-like effects	It can spread the flame	No obvious celery flavor	Glassy dark brown hard balls, not easily crushed
Acrylic Silk	Shrinkage and scorching	It contracts and burns rapidly, with a yellow, bright and powerful flame, sometimes slightly black, with small glowing sparks	Keep burning	Spicy flavor	Black hard ball
Vinylon	Contraction	It contracts rapidly, burns slowly, produces a tiny red flame, and emits black smoke	It kept burning, emitting black smoke	A unique sweetness	Dark brown hard balls, can be crushed
Propylene Lun	Contracts slowly	It curls and burns while curling, with a bright blue flame and a thread-like phenomenon	Keep burning	The smell of burning wax	Dark brown hard balls, not easily crushed
Chloron	Melting contraction	Not easily flammable, produces a large amount of white smoke	The fire extinguishes on its own	A pungent smell with chlorine	Black hard ball
Spandex	Melting contraction	Melting, burning	The fire extinguishes on its own	A distinctive smell	Sticky blocks

Silk vs. Polyester

When silk burns, it “shrinks, curls, burns slowly, emits smoke and bubbles, and is not easy to ignite,” has a burning odor, and leaves “black, crispy small balls that turn into fine powder when squeezed.”

What about polyester? “Shrinking, melting, melting first then burning,” with dripping and thread drawing, residue being “glassy dark brown hard balls, not easily crushed.”

Silk breaks with a squeeze, polyester doesn’t break—it’s that simple.

Cotton vs. Hemp

These two are the hardest to distinguish because both are “not melted, do not shrink, burn quickly, continue burning, have a paper smell, little and fine ash, grayish-white, and disperse with a single blow.”

The book also admits that the combustion method is best at identifying single-component fibers, Blended products require other methods 。

THE END