Last Reviewed:November 29, 2023 by Gabrielle Marks
Is Silk Flammable?
Silk is flammable. When considering other fabrics, silk is considered to be moderately flammable. This means it is more difficult to ignite than readily flammable fabrics such as cotton or rayon and will sometimes self-extinguish when removed from an ignition source.
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- Textile Flammability Based On Burning Characteristics
- All Textiles Can Burn Under the Right Conditions
- Factors That Affect Silk’s Flammability
- Resources
Textile Flammability Based On Burning Characteristics
According to Functional Textiles for Improved Performance, Protection, and Health, published by Woodhead Publishing Limited in association with The Textile Institute, when considering how flammable textile fibers are, they can be grouped based on their burning characteristics.
- Readily Flammable: Fibers that ignite readily and burn rapidly, leaving a light ash residue. These include cotton, acetate, triacetate, rayon, and ramie.
- Moderately Flammable: Fibers that are more difficult to ignite. The synthetics tend to melt and drip, sometimes self-extinguishing upon removal of the ignition source. These include silk, acrylic, nylon, polyester, and olefin.
- Relatively Non-flammable: Generally, these fibers will not support combustion after removing the ignition source. These include wool, modacrylic, vinyon, and aramids.
All Textiles Can Burn Under the Right Conditions
Though silk is moderately flammable, many factors can alter its burning behavior, including the construction of the textile, such as the weave, weight/unit volume, additives in the fiber, type of chemical treatments added to the textile, and flammability test conditions. All textiles can burn given the right flame conditions, heat, oxygen, and time of exposure to flame.
Factors That Affect Silk’s Flammability
Weave: Tightly woven fabrics are more difficult to ignite and burn more slowly than sheer, loosely woven fabrics.
Weight: Heavy-weight materials are generally less easily ignited and burn more slowly than light-weight materials.
Additives: Dyes and other chemicals added for color can increase silk’s flammability.
Resources
- Functional Textiles for Improved Performance, Protection and Health. United Kingdom, Elsevier Science, 2011
- A Guide to Flammable Products and Ignition Sources for Secondary Schools. United States, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1977.
- FDA Consumer. United States, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, 1973.
- Fire Preparedness Manual. United States, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1983.
