Nylon

Overview

Production: about 7 million tonnes (about 5% of all fiber) (global polyamide (nylon) fiber production, 2024). [1]

A family of polyamides, commonly nylon 6 or nylon 6,6 in textiles.

Feel and behavior

Strong, smooth and abrasion-resistant, with properties that vary by polymer and yarn.

Where you find it

Hosiery, outerwear, swimwear, luggage and technical fabrics.

Source and geography

Nylon is the common name for aliphatic polyamides. Two dominate textiles: nylon 6,6, made by condensing hexamethylenediamine with adipic acid, and nylon 6, made by ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactam. The monomers are petrochemical, and reviews note that polyamide production can release nitrous oxide as well as carbon dioxide. Polyamide is the second most produced synthetic fiber after polyester, at about 5% of world fiber output in 2022, serving hosiery, swimwear and activewear as well as carpets, cords and fishing nets.

Worth knowing

• CORDURA's own technical sheet describes its Classic fabrics as high-tenacity air-jet-textured nylon 6,6 made in 330, 500, 700 and 1000 denier.
• Blending a small amount of silicone polymer (PDMS) into nylon 6 during melt spinning cut laundry microfiber shedding by about 60% in a 2023 study.
• Hosiery denier is a direct measure of yarn weight: grams per 9,000 meters of yarn.

Types, grades and fabrics

Types and grades

Textile nylon is almost always nylon 6 or nylon 6,6, and labels rarely say which; nylon 6,6 melts higher and is common in heavy-duty technical fabrics, while nylon 6 is generally easier to dye and is widely used in hosiery, swimwear and carpet. Yarns are sold by linear density: yarns range from the very fine deniers of sheer hosiery to the hundreds of denier used in bag and luggage fabrics. High-tenacity filament serves webbing, luggage and cordage. Air-jet textured nylon gives a cotton-like, matte surface; false-twist textured nylon gives stretch and bulk. Microfiber nylon is finer than about 1 dtex per filament, and bright, semi-dull and full-dull grades differ in delusterant content and sheen.

Fabrics and products

Warp-knit tricot, smooth on one face and fine-ribbed on the other, is the base of lingerie, linings and, with elastane, swimwear. Tulle is a fine nylon net used for veils, petticoats and costume. Hosiery is circular knitted from fine nylon, often with covered elastane. Ripstop nylon interweaves reinforcing yarns in a grid and is used for tents, parachutes, kites and down jackets, often with a silicone or polyurethane coating. Heavy textured fabrics such as CORDURA Classic, which its producer describes as high-tenacity air-jet-textured nylon 6,6 in 330 to 1000 denier, and ballistic basketweaves go into packs, luggage and workwear. Nylon also makes taffeta shells, matte activewear knits and hook-and-loop fasteners.

Buying and care

How to judge quality

For bags and outerwear, compare denier (thread thickness) together with weave density, coating and seam construction; a tightly woven lighter fabric can outperform a loosely woven heavier one for some uses. A genuine ripstop grid should be visible as a regular pattern of heavier lines. Check coatings for tackiness or flaking, which signals hydrolysis of polyurethane. For hosiery, denier signals opacity: roughly 15 denier and under reads sheer, about 30 to 40 semi-opaque and 40 or more opaque, though brands vary. Look for reinforced toes, flat seams and a gusset. Branded fabric names are trademarks, so ask for the fabric specification sheet rather than trusting a logo. Yellowed white nylon on a shelf suggests old or light-exposed stock.

Care in detail

Wash nylon cool to warm, about 30 to 40 C, with a mild detergent, and separate it from dark or bleeding items because nylon soaks up stray dye. Put hosiery and lingerie in a mesh bag or hand wash, and avoid chlorine bleach, which can yellow nylon and destroys any elastane in the blend. Line dry away from direct sun or tumble on low. Iron only at the lowest setting (one dot, about 110 C) and quickly, preferably through a cloth. Coated technical fabrics should never be dry cleaned or wrung; wash them with a technical cleaner and reproof as the maker directs. Store out of sunlight, and check coated gear for sticky, peeling polyurethane, which usually means the coating has hydrolyzed.

Care at a glance

Follow the label and avoid high heat. Coatings and elastane blends may need special care.

Environmental and social footprint

Nylon is made from petrochemicals, and the adipic acid route used for nylon 6,6 has historically been a significant industrial source of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, unless emissions are abated. Nylon garments shed microplastic fibers like other synthetics. In a 2019 study that washed individual cotton, acrylic, polyester and polyamide garments, Cesa and colleagues found releases peaked in the first three washes and that a standard machine filter let about 40 to 75% of fiber mass pass. Fabric design matters: a 2023 laboratory study reported about 60% less shedding from nylon 6 fibers blended with polydimethylsiloxane to lower surface friction. Because nylon 6 depolymerizes cleanly, it is a stronger candidate for closed-loop recycling than most synthetics.

Tradeoffs

Polymer type affects recycling options. Durability claims should be matched to the actual fabric and use.

A useful question to ask: Which polyamide is used, and is a realistic take-back or recycling route available?

Science

Data sheet

Engineered organic polymer

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

Structure and chemistry

Both polymers repeat amide (-CO-NH-) links separated by methylene sequences, and the names encode carbon counts: nylon 6 has a single six-carbon repeat unit with five CH2 groups between amides, while nylon 6,6 alternates a six-carbon diamine with a six-carbon diacid. The amide groups hydrogen-bond to neighboring chains, stabilizing crystalline regions that give high tenacity, toughness and a melting range of roughly 220 to 270 C. Amorphous regions between the crystallites admit water, which plasticizes the polymer and lowers its effective glass transition, and the amine chain ends provide the sites to which anionic dyes bind. As with other melt-spun fibers, the spinneret sets a round, trilobal or other cross-section.

From source to yarn

For nylon 6,6, a 2025 review describes prepolymerizing adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine in water at about 254 C and 18 bar, then continuing melt polycondensation near 267 C; nylon 6 is polymerized from caprolactam. The polymer is melt spun, quenched and drawn, with draw ratios of about 4 to 5 for industrial yarns and about 2 to 2.5 for apparel, where uniform dye diffusion matters more than maximum strength. Unlike polyester, polyamide should not be over-dried before extrusion, because moisture affects its melt equilibrium. Apparel filament is commonly false-twist textured for stretch and bulk, and because water plasticizes nylon, steam setting is effective for fixing yarn and fabric shape.

Performance in use

Nylon combines high tenacity and toughness with excellent fatigue behavior, abrasion resistance and resilience, which is why fine hosiery and swimwear yarns survive repeated stretching and abrasion. It absorbs more water than polyester but much less than cellulosic or protein fibers, and it dries fairly quickly. Acid dyes bind ionically to its amine end groups, giving bright shades, while disperse dyes are also used. It is thermoplastic, melting rather than charring, and prolonged ultraviolet exposure yellows and weakens it unless stabilizers are added. Mechanical recycling of nylon 6 is feasible, but properties shift with each melt cycle.

How it is identified

Burn tests are indicative only and should be done with care: nylon melts and drips, burns with a distinctive odor and leaves a hard bead. Microscopy shows smooth, featureless filaments shaped by the spinneret. FTIR identifies the amide bands of polyamide, and differential scanning calorimetry can help separate nylon 6 from nylon 6,6 by melting behavior. Chemically recycled nylon 6 cannot be distinguished from virgin nylon 6, and 'nylon' on a label does not say which polymer was used.

History

Timeline

1. 1935Wallace Carothers's group at DuPont made the polyamide that became nylon 6,6. [4]
2. 1939DuPont began commercial nylon production at Seaford, Delaware, on 15 December 1939. [4]
3. 1940Nylon stockings went on sale nationally in the United States on 15 May 1940, after a limited release in Wilmington in October 1939. [5]
4. 1995The American Chemical Society designated the Seaford plant a National Historic Chemical Landmark. [4]
5. 2011Aquafil began regenerating nylon 6 waste to caprolactam in Ljubljana, Slovenia, under the ECONYL name, according to the producer. [6]
6. 2024Polyamide output reached about 7 million tonnes, about 5% of global fiber production. [1]

Nylon emerged from Wallace Carothers’ polymer research at DuPont. Commercial production began in 1939. Its early consumer and wartime uses led into a broad family of apparel and technical polyamide textiles.

The deeper record

Nylon 6,6 came out of Wallace Carothers's polymer research at DuPont, DuPont introduced nylon in 1938 and began commercial fiber production in 1939; a 2020 review describes it as the first commercial melt-spun fiber. In the same year Paul Schlack developed nylon 6 in Germany, sold as Perlon and declared vital to the war effort by the Nazi state. Nylon's early consumer and wartime uses led into a broad family of apparel, carpet and industrial yarns. Because nylon 6 depolymerizes back to caprolactam, it later became a prominent candidate for chemical recycling, as in Aquafil's regeneration of nylon 6 in Slovenia since 2011.

Labeling and law

Under 16 CFR 303.7, nylon is a manufactured fiber of long-chain synthetic polyamide in which less than 85% of the amide linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings; polyamides at or above that threshold are aramids, a separate generic class. Because the US rule incorporates ISO 2076, polyamide is also acceptable on US labels, and the EU uses 'polyamide or nylon' under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. Labels need not specify nylon 6 or 6,6. Trademarks such as ECONYL may appear only with the generic name, and recycled claims fall under the FTC Green Guides.

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

Frequently asked

What does 1000D mean on a nylon backpack?

It means the yarns used weigh about 1000 grams per 9,000 meters, so they are thick. Higher denier usually means more abrasion resistance and weight, but weave density, polymer type, coatings and seam quality matter as much. A tightly woven lower-denier ripstop can outperform a loose heavy fabric for some uses.

Is nylon or polyester better for a rain jacket?

Both work; the waterproofing comes from coatings or membranes, not the fiber. Nylon shells are usually stronger and more abrasion resistant for their weight, while polyester absorbs less water, resists sunlight better and dries a little faster. Check the fabric weight, the waterproof layer and the seam taping rather than the fiber alone.

Why did my white nylon turn gray or yellow?

Nylon attracts loose dye in wash water, so washing it with colored items grays it. Sunlight, chlorine bleach and some storage conditions also yellow nylon. Wash whites separately in cool water, avoid chlorine bleach and store garments out of direct light.

What denier tights are the most durable?

Higher denier tights generally last longer because each yarn is thicker. Sheer styles of about 15 denier or less snag and ladder easily, while opaque tights of 40 denier and up resist runs better. Reinforced toes and quality elastane covering also extend life.

Sources

• Textile Exchange: Materials Market Report 2025
• Materials: Melt-spun fibers for textile applications (2020)
• Polymers: Advancing textile waste recycling, challenges and opportunities across polymer and non-polymer fiber types (2025)
• Global Challenges: Recycling and degradation pathways of synthetic textile fibers such as polyamide and elastane (2025)
• International Journal of Cosmetic Science: Dyestuff-fibre interactions (1996)
• eCFR: 16 CFR 303.7, Generic names and definitions for manufactured fibers
• CORDURA: CORDURA Classic fabric technical sheet
• Environmental Pollution: Laundering and textile parameters influence fibers release in household washings (Cesa et al., 2019)
• Environmental Pollution: Modified polyamide fibers with low surface friction coefficient to reduce microplastics emission (Qian et al., 2023)
• ScienceDirect Topics: Microfibres
• GINETEX: Care symbols
• MFA Boston CAMEO: Nylon 6,6
• MFA Boston CAMEO: Nylon 6
• American Chemical Society: Wallace Carothers and the development of nylon, National Historic Chemical Landmark
• Smithsonian Magazine: Stocking series, part 1, wartime rationing and nylon riots
• Aquafil: The ECONYL Regeneration System (producer source)

Cite this page

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