Fabric Types Chart Comparing 15 Common Fabrics

Key points from the fabric chart

• The chart compares 15 fabrics on breathability, comfort, wrinkle resistance, function and whether they can be machine washed.
• Nine are listed as natural, three (satin, chiffon and velvet) as natural or synthetic, and three (rayon, nylon and polyester) as synthetic.
• Linen, wool and rayon get the top breathability score of 5. Flannel gets 0.
• Silk, leather, satin, chiffon and velvet are marked as not machine washable.
• All ratings are from the graphic by A Pair & A Spare.

The 15 fabrics compared

Breathability and comfort are shown on the chart as five dots. The scores below are the number of filled dots. The polyester card is partly covered by its photo, so its last dot cannot be seen.

Natural and synthetic fabrics

The chart sorts fabrics by fibre, but several of its entries are really ways of making cloth that can use more than one fibre. Jersey is a knitted fabric that was first made of wool and is now made of wool, cotton or synthetic fibres [3]. Flannel is a soft woven fabric first made from wool, now often from wool, cotton or synthetic fibre [4]. Velvet is a woven fabric with a dense pile. It was usually silk in the past, and today it can be silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic or a blend [5]. Satin is a weave, and a satin woven from filament fibres such as silk, polyester or nylon is called a satin [6]. Chiffon is a light, sheer, plain-woven fabric [7].

Fabrics for warm and cold weather

On the chart, cotton, linen, silk and chiffon are marked as cooling. Linen is the only one of those to score 5 for both breathability and comfort. Flannel, leather, satin, velvet, nylon and polyester are marked as warming, and jersey, hemp, denim, wool and rayon as both.

Notes on this infographic

• Rayon is labelled synthetic. Rayon, also called viscose, is a semi-synthetic fibre made from regenerated cellulose, such as wood [1].
• Leather is labelled a natural fibre. Leather is not a fibre but a material made by tanning animal skins and hides [2].
• Jersey, flannel, velvet and satin are fabric structures rather than fibres, and each can be made from natural or synthetic fibres [3] [4] [5] [6]. The chart’s labels describe common versions.
• The breathability and comfort scores are the creator’s own ratings, not test results.
• The footer is partly hidden by photos. It reads APAIRANDASPAREDIY.COM, the blog’s old address, which now redirects to genevavanderzeil.com.

Questions about fabric types

How many types of fabric are there?

This chart covers 15 common fabrics. It sorts nine as natural, three as natural or synthetic and three as synthetic.

Which fabric is best for summer?

On this chart linen scores highest, with full marks for breathability and comfort and a cooling function. Cotton, silk and chiffon are also marked as cooling.

Which fabrics are not machine washable?

Silk, leather, satin, chiffon and velvet are marked as not machine washable on the chart. The other ten fabrics, including cotton, linen, wool, denim and polyester, are marked as machine washable. All ratings come from the graphic by A Pair & A Spare, and its breathability and comfort scores are the creator's own ratings, not test results.

Is rayon a synthetic fabric?

The chart labels rayon as synthetic, but rayon, also called viscose, is a semi-synthetic fibre made from regenerated cellulose, such as wood [1]. On the chart it gets the top breathability score of 5 and 5 for comfort, and is marked as both warming and cooling. It is machine washable but not wrinkle resistant.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, Rayon
2. Wikipedia, Leather
3. Wikipedia, Jersey (fabric)
4. Wikipedia, Flannel
5. Wikipedia, Velvet
6. Wikipedia, Satin
7. Wikipedia, Chiffon (fabric)
8. Geneva Vanderzeil (A Pair & A Spare), How To Choose The Right Fabric, the first post in her Fabrics 101 series

Last reviewed 29 October 2026