Cellulose acetate in textile application

The first cellulose acetate fiber, commonly referred to as acetate, was produced in Europe in 1918 and on a large scale in the United States of America in 1924 making acetate the second man-made fiber to be produced. The usage of acetate worldwide peaked at a consumption of approximately 400 kilotons in the early 1970's. In the past three decades the use of acetate fiber has declined as fabric manufacturers moved to lower costs manmade fibers such as polyester. Manufacturers of acetate have worked aggressively to reduce their cost while maintaining product quality. These efforts have had some reward, leading to acetate's categorization as a niche fiber. As such, cellulose acetate represents less than one percent of the world's total fiber consumption as compared to cotton at over a third of the world's consumption and polyester at around a fourth. Acetate has been used and continues to be used in many different textile applications because of its attributes and good textile processing performance. It is used in woven fabrics, knits and braids. It is found in multiple applications including medical gauze, ribbons, coffin linings, home furnishings, woven velvets, tricot knits, men's linings, circular knits, woven satins, woven fashion, women's linings. It is found in a variety of deniers, lusters, colors, finishes, compactions types and package Sizes. It is often blended with other fibers to make combination yarns.