How Pure Linen Yarn Is Made | Water-Retted & Semi-Bleached Linen

Linen is one of the earliest natural fibers used by humans, with a history of over 10,000 years. As a rare natural fiber, it accounts for merely 1.5% of the total natural fiber output. Thanks to its natural texture, unique rarity, soft natural hues and elegant quality, linen is known as “the Queen of Natural Fibers”.

Linen has remained immensely popular in the West for centuries. While the textile industry has seen repeated ups and downs throughout history, this ancient apparel fiber has always stood out and stayed steady. Even amid the booming development of chemical fibers, it still retains its timeless appeal.

Linen fiber boasts a host of excellent properties. It absorbs moisture and dissipates heat, offers health benefits and antibacterial effects, resists stains and static electricity, blocks UV rays and delivers outstanding flame retardancy. That is why linen fabrics are hailed as “natural air conditioners”.

Linen stands out for its superior heat dissipation, for it is the only bundled fiber among all natural fibers. Formed by single flax cells bound together with natural gum, this structure leaves little trapped air. Its air permeability exceeds 25%, bringing excellent thermal conductivity. In turn, it can quickly and effectively lower the surface temperature of human skin by 4 to 8 degrees Celsius.

1、Bundling Separation

We divide bundled raw linen fibers into tows of specified diameter and weight. Meanwhile, we remove ultra-short fibers, stalk residues, scraps and other impurities to keep the fibers uniform. After carding, the fibers become softer, tougher and glossier.

2、Fiber Carding

The processed linen fibers are split and carded into long, strong linen sliver. This process aligns fibers in parallel and refines fineness, meeting the requirements for spinning high-quality yarn.

3、Drawing Process

We blend multiple linen slivers to reduce long-term unevenness, letting thick and thin sections overlap. Meanwhile, drafting further splits and combs the slivers into finer process fibers, removing fine impurities and short fibers.

4、Roving Yarn

We further draft the linen sliver, then twist and wind the resultant strand onto dedicated roving bobbins. During the process, the sliver is stretched and refined to split fibers and clear impurities. Meanwhile, proper twist is added to build up sufficient strength, so it can withstand tension in winding and unwinding, and facilitate drafting in spinning and handling in subsequent procedures.

5、Scouring & Bleaching

The linen roving undergoes chemical treatment to remove non-spinnable substances like lignin, pectin and hemicellulose. This boosts fiber splitting and tensile strength, and reduces yarn breakage during fine spinning.

6、Spinning

Drafted, twisted and wound on the fine spinning frame, the fibers turn into finished yarn. It features specified count, twist and strength that meets national quality standards for subsequent processes.

7、Drying Process

Put the wet yarn into the dryer to remove excess moisture. This makes the yarn ready for subsequent processing, storage, transportation and sales.

8、Winding

We rewind the dried wet-spun cops onto larger cones to produce cone yarn, which facilitates sales, transport, storage and further processing. Meanwhile, we remove slubs, thick and thin places and neps during winding to keep the yarn smooth and clean.