Acrylic

Overview

Production: about 1.6 million tonnes (about 1.2% of all fiber) (global acrylic fiber production, 2024). [1]

A synthetic fiber based primarily on acrylonitrile, usually spun into staple yarn.

Feel and behavior

Light and bulky, often with a soft, wool-like texture.

Where you find it

Sweaters, blankets, craft yarn and upholstery blends.

Source and geography

Acrylic fiber is made from polyacrylonitrile copolymers: acrylonitrile, a petrochemical monomer, polymerized with smaller amounts of other vinyl monomers. Acrylonitrile is itself a workplace hazard, and studies of workers in acrylic-fiber plants have examined its blood and neurobehavioral effects. Acrylic is a much smaller fiber than polyester or nylon; industry statistics group it with polyolefins and other synthetics, together about 5% of world fiber output in 2022. Its main apparel markets are knitwear, blankets and craft yarn, and special polyacrylonitrile grades serve as precursor fibers for carbon fiber.

Worth knowing

• In a 2016 washing study, polyester-cotton fabric consistently shed significantly fewer fibers than either acrylic or pure polyester.
• Anti-pilling acrylic fibers have been patented, and low-pill grades generally work by letting pills break away instead of clinging.
• A classic 1959 study of pilling showed that pills stay attached because anchoring fibers resist breaking, which is why strong synthetics pill more visibly than weaker fibers.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Most acrylic reaches shoppers as staple fiber spun into yarn. High-bulk acrylic mixes shrinkable and pre-relaxed fibers; when the yarn is steamed, the shrinkable fibers contract and push the others into loops, giving loft. Bicomponent acrylic combines two polymer compositions side by side so the fiber crimps like wool. Low-pill acrylics are modified so that pills break away more easily; as with low-pill polyester, a common approach is to reduce fiber strength. Solution-dyed acrylic has pigment added to the dope, giving strong lightfastness for awnings and outdoor cushions. Modacrylic, a separate generic name with 35 to 85% acrylonitrile, is more flame resistant and is used for faux fur, wigs and protective blends. Craft yarns are sold by weight class, such as fingering, worsted and bulky.

Fabrics and products

Acrylic is mainly knitted. Jersey and rib knits make sweaters, hats, scarves and gloves, often blended with wool, cotton or nylon to balance cost, warmth and durability. Raschel-knitted and brushed fabrics make blankets and throws. Deep-pile knits in acrylic and modacrylic imitate fur and shearling for coats, trims and toys. Solution-dyed acrylic canvas is used for awnings, boat covers and outdoor upholstery because it resists fading and mildew. Acrylic fleece and sweatshirt linings, socks and baby blankets are common, and hobby knitting and crochet consume a large share of acrylic yarn because it is inexpensive, washable and bright.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

Acrylic's weak point is pilling, so judge the yarn and knit. Firm, tightly knitted fabric with smooth, well-twisted yarn resists pilling better than loose, lofty, low-twist knits. Rub a hidden area between your palms; if fuzz forms quickly, pills will follow. Blends help: acrylic with wool or nylon wears better than loose 100% acrylic. Descriptions such as 'cashmere feel' or 'wool touch' usually mean acrylic, so rely on the fiber content. Pilling ratings from tests such as ISO 12945-2 (Martindale) or ASTM D3512 (random tumble) use a 1 to 5 scale, 5 meaning no pilling; a supplier quoting grade 4 or better is a good sign. Check that seams are linked or overlocked neatly.

Care in detail

Wash acrylic knits inside out at about 30 C on a gentle cycle, with a mild detergent and a full load to reduce friction. Avoid hot water and hot tumble drying, which can stretch, shrink or flatten the knit; dry flat, reshaping while damp, or tumble on the lowest setting. Do not hang heavy sweaters, which lengthen. Ironing is rarely needed; if it is, use the lowest setting through a cloth and avoid direct steam unless you want to relax the fabric permanently. Remove pills with a fabric shaver or sweater comb rather than pulling them, which draws out more fibers. Acrylic is not eaten by moths but can pick up oily stains, which respond to pretreatment with a little dish detergent.

Care at a glance

Follow the label. Avoid excess heat and handle pills carefully rather than pulling them off.

Environmental and social footprint

Acrylic's footprint combines fossil feedstock, solvent-based spinning and high fiber shedding. Napper and Thompson (2016) estimated that a 6 kg wash of acrylic fabric could release more than 700,000 fibers and found polyester-cotton shed significantly less than acrylic or polyester. In a 2024 study comparing acrylic, polyamide, polyester, recycled polyester and polypropylene, Akyildiz and colleagues recorded the highest count, about 2,405 fibers, from a woven acrylic sample, and found that an optional prewash released far more fibers than the main wash. Because acrylic garments often pill and look worn early, their service life can be short, which adds to waste. Recycling of acrylic textiles is still mostly at pilot scale.

Tradeoffs

Fossil feedstock, process chemistry, pilling and synthetic-fiber shedding all merit consideration.

A useful question to ask: How does the fabric perform after washing, and what lifetime is expected?

Science

Data sheet

Engineered organic polymer

Polymer chemistry and fiber-forming conditions determine the starting material.

Structure and chemistry

The polymer backbone is a carbon chain carrying a strongly polar nitrile group (-C=N) on every second carbon. Interactions between these nitrile groups hold the chains tightly together, so polyacrylonitrile degrades before it melts and cannot be melt spun. Comonomers loosen the packing so that dyes can diffuse in, and anionic sites in the polymer bind cationic dyes electrostatically. The fiber forms with a skin and core, and wet-spun fibers can contain voids. When polyacrylonitrile is heated in air, the nitrile groups cyclize and the chains become a ladder-like, increasingly aromatic structure, the first stage in turning acrylic precursor into carbon fiber.

From source to yarn

Acrylonitrile is copolymerized, in many plants by continuous polymerization, and the polymer is dissolved in a solvent to make a spinning dope. Because it cannot melt, acrylic is solution spun, most commonly by wet spinning into a coagulation bath of nonsolvent, where solvent diffuses out while nonsolvent diffuses in, so a skin forms before the core solidifies. The coagulated tow is washed and stretched to orient the chains, then dried, crimped and usually cut to staple for spinning into bulky yarns, often blended with wool. Gel-spun and dope-dyed variants exist for specialty uses.

Performance in use

Acrylic gives a light, bulky, wool-like hand at low cost, and blending it with wool reduces price and improves resistance to shrinkage and stretching. It absorbs little water and dries quickly. Cationic (basic) dyes bind electrostatically, giving bright shades, and polyacrylonitrile fibers resist weathering and many chemicals. Heat, however, can soften and permanently distort acrylic knits, so hot irons and dryers need care. Its weak points are pilling in spun staple fabrics and fiber shedding: in one washing study acrylic fabric shed more fibers than a polyester-cotton blend, an estimated 700,000 or more fibers from an average 6 kg load.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only and should be done in a ventilated space, because burning synthetics release irritating and potentially toxic gases. Acrylic ignites readily, melts and burns, leaving a hard, irregular dark bead. Under the microscope the fibers look smooth with little surface detail. FTIR detects the nitrile group, which quickly separates acrylic and modacrylic from wool, polyester and nylon. Knitwear sold with phrases such as 'wool feel' or 'cashmere touch' may be acrylic or an acrylic blend, so the fiber content line matters more than the description.

History

Timeline

1. 1950DuPont's Orlon became the first commercially manufactured acrylic fiber. [3]
2. 1998A follow-up of 2,559 workers exposed to acrylonitrile in Orlon production between 1944 and 1991 found no excess cancer mortality. [4]
3. 2016A domestic washing study estimated that a 6 kg load of acrylic fabric could release more than 700,000 fibers. [5]
4. 2024Acrylic output was about 1.6 million tonnes, about 1.2% of global fiber production. [1]

Acrylic developed as part of the mid-twentieth-century expansion of manufactured fibers. Its wool-like bulk suited affordable knitwear and blankets. Yarn structure and finishing produce many different surfaces under the same generic name.

The deeper record

Acrylic belongs to the mid-twentieth-century expansion of synthetic fibers, when DuPont's Orlon became an early commercial acrylic. A long-term mortality study followed 2,559 employees exposed to acrylonitrile in Orlon production at two DuPont plants between 1944 and 1991 and found no excess of cancer deaths compared with US or company rates. Acrylic became a mass-market alternative to wool in sweaters and blankets. Later, polyacrylonitrile fibers became a precursor for carbon fiber through oxidative stabilization and carbonization, and dissolution-based recycling of acrylic textiles has reached pilot scale at a Thai producer in Bangkok.

Labeling and law

Under 16 CFR 303.7, acrylic is a manufactured fiber composed of at least 85% by weight of acrylonitrile units, while modacrylic contains less than 85% but at least 35% acrylonitrile units; the two are separate generic names on US labels under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. In the EU, fiber names are governed by Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Trade names must appear with the generic name. Claims about recycled acrylic content need substantiation, for example through a recycled-content certification that covers the specific yarn.

This describes what rules and standards cover. It is not legal advice; jurisdiction, product form and current rule text control.

Frequently asked

Why does acrylic pill so much?

Acrylic is usually spun from short staple fibers that work loose and tangle under friction. The fibers are strong, so the tangled balls stay anchored instead of breaking off. Tighter knits, higher-twist yarns, low-pill fiber grades and blends with wool or nylon reduce the problem.

Is acrylic warm?

Yes. Its bulky, crimped fibers trap air, so an acrylic sweater can feel comparably warm to a similar wool knit in dry conditions. It absorbs much less moisture than wool, so it can feel clammy when you sweat and does not buffer humidity the same way.

Is acrylic yarn safe for baby blankets?

Acrylic is commonly used for baby items because it is soft, washable and inexpensive. It melts when exposed to flame rather than self-extinguishing like wool, so keep blankets away from heat sources, and check for loose fibers or pills that could come off. Follow the yarn maker's washing instructions.

What does 'killing' acrylic mean?

Knitters use the term for deliberately steaming or heating acrylic so the fibers relax permanently. The fabric loses bounce and gains drape, which suits lace or shawls. The same effect happens by accident in hot dryers, which is why acrylic sweaters can come out limp and stretched.

Sources

• Textile Exchange: Materials Market Report 2025
• eCFR: 16 CFR 303.7, Generic names and definitions for manufactured fibers
• Polymers: Advancing textile waste recycling, challenges and opportunities across polymer and non-polymer fiber types (2025)
• Marine Pollution Bulletin: Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines, effects of fabric type and washing conditions (2016)
• Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health: Mortality and morbidity of workers exposed to acrylonitrile in fiber production (1998)
• International Journal of Cosmetic Science: Dyestuff-fibre interactions (1996)
• Textile Research Journal: The Mechanism of Pilling (Gintis and Mead, 1959)
• Environmental Pollution: Release of microplastic fibers from synthetic textiles during household washing (Akyildiz et al., 2024)
• ISO 12945-2:2020, Determination of fabric propensity to surface pilling, fuzzing or matting, Part 2: Modified Martindale method
• ASTM D3512/D3512M: Pilling resistance, random tumble pilling tester
• USPTO: Process for producing acrylic synthetic fibers having anti-pilling properties
• MFA Boston CAMEO: Acrylic fiber
• MFA Boston CAMEO: Orlon

Cite this page

Chaos. (2026). Acrylic. In Fibers of Earth: An independent textile atlas. https://www.hendrickresearch.com/fibers/materials/acrylic/