Standard for polyester staple fiber cut length used in the global market
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 30
Polyester staple fiber (PSF) is an essential material for the production of spun yarns and nonwovens.
These fibers are manufactured in various cut lengths depending on the characteristics of the demand industry and equipment conditions, and follow a relatively standardized length category worldwide.
In this post, we will learn about the cut lengths of polyester staple fibers used in the global market.
Cut length of polyester staple fiber in global market
The cut lengths of the most widely used polyester staple fibers in the current global market can be classified as follows:
Type | Cut Length (mm) | Main Applications |
Cotton-type | 32–44 mm | Cotton spinning (e.g., OE spinning) |
Medium-type | 44–56 mm | Rayon blending, special spinning |
Wool-type | 64–102 mm | Wool blending, premium filling materials |
Special short | 6–12 mm | Nonwoven fiber (Meltblown, Spunlace) |
The cut length specifications for polyester staple fibers are relatively standardized worldwide without much difference.
This is because the global textile industry is interconnected and the spinning/non-woven equipment specifications are similar.
Asian countries such as China, India, and Korea are the largest producers of polyester staple fibers, and they generally manufacture them in lengths of 32 mm, 38 mm, 51 mm, and 64 mm as standard specifications.
Why were these cut lengths chosen?
So what criteria did this length become the global standard?
The reason for this length selection is the inch system in Europe and the United States, where the textile industry first began.
In the past, due to the practice of using inch units, the standards were mainly set as “1.5 inch” (around 38 mm), “2.0 inch” (51 mm), “3 inch” (76 mm), etc. Today, the trend is to use mm units around the world and unify them into names such as 38 mm, 51 mm, and 76 mm.
Cutting length required by industry
In the United States, 1.25 and 1.5 inch fibers were mass produced in the 1960s and 1970s as cotton/polyester blends became popular, and unusually long staples of 6 to 8 inches were also produced for the carpet industry.
The reason for these length choices is based on the needs of each industry.
For example, long fibers for carpets are intended to create long piles like human hair in the tufting process, and 32 mm cotton spinning fibers are intended to meet the needs for mass production of low-cost yarns by OE spinning (Open-End Spinning).
The reason why 32mm products are produced in large quantities in China is because polyester made from recycled PET is mainly used for price-sensitive spun yarns (such as OE spun yarns), so there is high demand.
On the other hand, high-grade long fibers (over 64mm) are mainly in special demand for wool blends or high-quality filling materials, so they are a field that manufacturers in each country steadily produce, although on a small scale.
In summary, the polyester staple fiber length standards used in the international market converge into several categories, which are the result of responding to the needs of the spinning and nonwoven industries.
DK FIBER produces polyester staple fibers in various cut lengths and is ready to propose specifications optimized for the customer's production process and application.
