Burn Test - CAUTION. WARNING. BE CAREFUL! This should only
be done by skilled burners! Make sure there is a bucket of water nearby and that you burn
in a metal bucket or non-plastic sink.
To identify fabric that is unknown, a simple burn test can
be done to determine if the fabric is a natural fiber, man made fiber, or a blend of
natural and man made fibers. The burn test is used by many fabric stores and designers and
takes practice to determine the exact fiber content. However, an inexperienced person can
still determine the difference between many fibers to "narrow" the choices down
to natural or man made fibers. This elimination process will give information necessary to
decide the care of the fabric.
WARNING: All fibers will burn! Asbestos treated fibers are,
for the most part fire proof. The burning test should be done with caution. Use a small
piece of fabric only. Hold the fabric with tweezers, not your fingers. Burn over a metal
dish with soda in the bottom or even water in the bottom of the dish. Some fabrics will
ignite and melt. The result is burning drips which can adhere to fabric or skin and cause
a serious burn.
Cotton is a plant fiber. When ignited it burns with a
steady flame and smells like burning leaves. The ash left is easily crumbled. Small
samples of burning cotton can be blown out as you would a candle.
Linen is also a plant fiber but different from cotton in
that the individual plant fibers which make up the yarn are long where cotton fibers are
short. Linen takes longer to ignite. The fabric closest to the ash is very brittle. Linen
is easily extinguished by blowing on it as you would a candle.
Silk is a protein fiber and usually burns readily, not
necessarily with a steady flame, and smells like burning hair. The ash is easily crumbled.
Silk samples are not as easily extinguished as cotton or linen.
Wool is also a protein fiber but is harder to ignite than
silk as the individual "hair" fibers are shorter than silk and the weave of the
fabrics is generally looser than with silk. The flame is steady but more difficult to keep
burning. The smell of burning wool is like burning hair.
Man Made Fibers
Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers), technically
cellulose acetate. Acetate burns readily with a flickering flame that cannot be easily
extinguished. The burning cellulose drips and leaves a hard ash. The smell is similar to
burning wood chips.
Acrylic technically acrylonitrile is made from natural gas
and petroleum. Acrylics burn readily due to the fiber content and the lofty, air filled
pockets. A match or cigarette dropped on an acrylic blanket can ignite the fabric which
will burn rapidly unless extinguished. The ash is hard. The smell is acrid or harsh.
Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum. Nylon melts and
then burns rapidly if the flame remains on the melted fiber. If you can keep the flame on
the melting nylon, it smells like burning plastic.
Polyester is a polymer produced from coal, air, water, and
petroleum products. Polyester melts and burns at the same time, the melting, burning ash
can bond quickly to any surface it drips on including skin. The smoke from polyester is
black with a sweetish smell. The extinguished ash is hard.
Rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber which is almost pure
cellulose. Rayon burns rapidly and leaves only a slight ash. The burning smell is close to
burning leaves.
Blends consist of two or more fibers and, ideally, are
supposed to take on the characteristics of each fiber in the blend. The burning test can
be used but the fabric content will be an assumption.
