Felt

Woman's hat
MFA# 2001.677

Description

Man's hat
MFA# 44.186

A nonwoven textile composed of matted Cotton, Wool ,or Hair fibers matted together with through mechanical, chemical, or thermal processes, such as heat and moisture. The oldest known fabric samples, excavated in Turkey, are made of wool felt and date to at least 6500 BCE. Felt was usually made from sheep's wool, Goat hair, or Camel hair. Occasionally vegetable fibers (e.g., Cotton, Kapok), rags, recycled paper or synthetic fibers are used for felt. Felt is a good insulator for both temperature and noise. It has been used to make hats, blankets, rugs, insulation, filtration, polishing cloths, and absorbent cloths, as well as to line boxes and instrument cases.   Synthetic fibers used for felting include acrylic, polyaramide (Nomex), polyester, polypropylene and Rayon. See also Polypropylene felt, Polyester felt and Acrylic felt.

Synonyms and Related Terms

fur felt; wool felt; polyfelt (for synthetics); Filz (Deut.); feutre (Fr.); vilt (Ned.); fieltro (Esp.)

Applications

• Blankets, hats, rugs, table cloths, placemats
• Insulation, filtration, geotextiles
• Polishing cloths, absorbent cloths
• Protective liners, padding, fillers
• Crafts, toys, decorations

Properties

Property	100% Wool Felt or Wool Blend	Cotton Felt	Rayon/Viscose felt	Acrylic Felt	Polyester Felt	Polypropylene Felt	Polyaramide Felt
Fiber Composition	100% Wool (often Merino) Wool with Rayon or Acrylic	100% Cotton	regenerated cotton	100% Acrylic fibers	100% Polyester fibers	100% Polypropylene fibers	100% Aramid fibers
Texture	Soft, smooth, matte appearance	Very soft, warm, stretchy	Soft, smooth with silky feel and sheen	Can be fuzzy or hard, slightly shiny	Slightly fuzzy, soft surface	Can be smooth to fuzzy	Soft, non-abrasive
Durability	Very durable, resists pilling	Less durable, can pill and fuzz	Less durable, prone to tearing, can shrink and wrinkle	Less durable, can pill and fuzz	Durable, resists tearing and fraying	Durable, resists tearing and fraying	Very strong, will no tear but may snag
Collection Risks	Water-repellent; degrades in warm, moist environments, attracts insects	Very absorbent for water and vapors; breathable; biological growth	like cotton, absorbent, breathable	Not water-repellent; sensitive to UV and moisture	Water-resistant; sensitive to UV and heat; absorb oils	Water-repellent; sensitive to UV and heat; absorb oils	Resistant to water, fire and biological growth
Personal Risks	Can cause allergies	Hypoallergenic, combustible	Hypoallergenic, combustible	Hypoallergenic, combustible	Hypoallergenic	Hypoallergenic	Hypoallergenic
Commercial Products: with AIC Oddy tests number/date range		* Acoustic Textile felt (70% cotton): 1 (2019)		* World of Fabrics Acrylic Prefelt: 1(2010) * Buffalo felt: none * Kunin Felt: none	* Benchmark polyester felt: 18 (1999-2018) * Sutherland felt: 10 (2017-2019) * Severnside Fabrics Polyfelt: 6 (2012) * McMaster-Carr Polyester felt: 1 (2019) * Macflex Mac 9 felt: 2 (2008) * University Products Polyfelt: 1 (2017)	* Severnside Fabrics Polyfelt: 4 (2009) * McMaster-Carr Polypropylene felt: none * TenCate Geosynthetics: none * Propex: none * Fibertex: none	* Nomex felt: 2(2009-2020) * McMaster-Carr Nomex felt: none

Resources and Citations

• M.E.Burkett, "Felt" The Dictionary of Art Vol. 10, Grove's Publishing Inc., New York, 1996.
• Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles, Phyllis G.Tortora, Robert S. Merkel (eds.), Fairchild Publications, New York City, 7th edition, 1996
• The Dictionary of Paper, American Paper Institute, New York, Fourth Edition, 1980
• E.J.LaBarre, Dictionary and Encyclopedia of Paper and Paper-making, Swets & Zeitlinger, Amsterdam, 1969
• The Dictionary of Art, Grove's Dictionaries Inc., New York, 1996 Comment: "Felt" M.E. Burkett
• Wikipedia: Felt (Accessed Nov. 29, 2005 and Feb. 2025)
• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990
• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937
• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000