Sixteen fibres, and the reason to pick each one.
A sock is mostly a yarn decision. Naming a fibre is not the same as specifying it, so this page sets out what we knit with, what each one is good at, and where it stops being the right answer.
Natural fibres.
Grown rather than made. Comfortable against skin, and the group most buyers start from.
The default. Soft, breathable, takes colour well. Ask for combed cotton rather than plain carded: combing removes the short fibres, which is most of the difference between a sock that pills after ten washes and one that does not.
Warm even when damp, naturally odour-resistant. Merino is the fine, soft grade used next to skin; coarser wools are warmer per gram and less comfortable. State which you mean.
Very fine, very warm, very light. A luxury sock fibre, usually blended rather than used alone because pure cashmere wears through quickly at the heel.
Smooth, thermoregulating, with a subtle lustre. Used in fine dress socks and in liner socks worn under a heavier pair.
Soft with good moisture movement and a natural antibacterial reputation. Sells well on an eco positioning; check how the fibre is processed before making that claim on a label.
Cotton treated to take colour deeper and hold a slight sheen. The reason a good dress sock looks richer in black and navy than an ordinary one.
Regenerated cellulose.
Made from wood pulp. Softer and more fluid than cotton, and the group buyers reach for when they want drape rather than structure.
Very soft, holds colour through repeated washing better than cotton. Common in premium everyday socks.
Fluid and cool to the touch. Weaker when wet than cotton, so it is usually blended rather than used alone in a sock that will be washed hard.
Closed-loop processed, strong wet and dry, good moisture movement. The straightforward choice when an environmental claim has to survive a buyer's audit.
Technical fibres.
Nothing in a sock stays up, holds shape or survives a season without these. They are not the cheap option in the blend; they are the structural part.
Abrasion resistance. Concentrated at heel and toe, it is what decides whether a sock lasts one season or three.
Moves moisture instead of holding it, dries fast, keeps its shape. The backbone of most performance socks. Recycled grades are available and certifiable.
Wool-like handle at a lower cost, warm and colourfast. Used where wool's price or care requirements do not fit the programme.
A few percent is what makes a sock stay on the leg. Where it sits in the construction — cuff only, or through the whole leg — matters more than how much of it there is.
Functional fibres.
Specified for a stated purpose rather than for handle, and usually asked for by name.
Used for its antimicrobial properties in diabetic, medical and heavy-wear socks.
Odour control and conductivity. Common in performance and hospitality lines where socks are worn long hours.
Certification.
Certificates belong to the yarn, not to the sock. Buyers audit that distinction, so we keep it clear rather than blurring it into a single claim.
| Oeko-Tex | Tested for harmful substances. The certificate most retail buyers ask for first, and the one required for children's and baby lines in most European accounts. |
| GOTS | Organic fibre content with social and environmental criteria through the chain. Needed if the finished product is to be sold as organic. |
| GRS | Recycled content, verified. Applies to the recycled polyester and polyamide grades. |
| Facility | The workshop runs ISO 9001, 10002, 14001 and 45001. These cover how the factory operates, not what the yarn is made of. |
| Certificate numbers | confirm, then link the PDFs |
How to specify a blend.
A blend written properly quotes accurately the first time. A blend written loosely comes back as a question.
Give percentages, and say which fibre carries which job. "80% combed cotton, 17% polyamide, 3% elastane" is a specification. "Cotton mix" is a conversation.
Say where the technical fibre sits. Polyamide spread evenly through a sock behaves differently from polyamide concentrated at heel and toe, at the same percentage and a different price.
State the certificate you need on the finished product. Not on the yarn — on the product, in the market you are selling into. That decides which yarn lots we can buy for you.
If you have a reference pair, send it. Matching a physical sock is faster and more accurate than matching a written description of one, and it costs nothing to post.
Not on this page? Ask anyway.
This is what we buy regularly, not a list of everything a knitting machine will accept. If your programme needs a fibre, a blend or a certificate that is not here, send the requirement. Sourcing a yarn is a purchasing question, not a machine limitation.