We both know cotton and linen. What about cotton linen fabric? Cotton linen fabric is a natural fabric that is a blend of natural cotton and linen, has gradually become a symbol of modern environmental protection and cozy lives. We, Aung Crown – a Chinese custom hat & cap manufacturer, will go deeply into cotton linen fabric. Are you ready for this journey?

1. Core Features of Cotton Linen Fabric

Cotton linen fabric is a very nice, breathable, and natural fabric composed of natural cotton and linen. Here are the core features.

1. Breathability and Absorption: Linen can enhance airflow, and the ventilation of linen is better than pure cotton because of its fabric air structure. So, linen apparel is suitable for hot and humid environments, and the absorption rate can reach 12% to 15%, which can quickly absorb sweat. Cotton linen fabric has this same point as linen, or can even be better than linen.  
2. Environmental Protection and Well-Being: The linen planting process is low in water consumption with chemical fertilizers, which is good for biodegradability. Certifications for organic cotton and linen, like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), can make sure that there is no chemical residue.
3. Durability: The linen fabric strength is 2 to 3 times stronger than cotton, and linen is wear-resistant, which is suitable for high-frequency use apparel. After blending with cotton, cotton linen fabric can be used for a longer time. Please note that it might be slightly linty after washing many times.
4. Aesthetic and Touching: Natural matte texture and rough surfaces are commonly applied in the Bohemian style and minimalist style. After dying, the color is gentle, which is suitable for natural designs.
5. Cons and Solutions: It’s easy to get wrinkles. To address this problem, it can be blended with 5% spandex or with wrinkle-resistant finishing. It’s also easy to shrink. After pre-treatment, the rate of shrinkage can be controlled by 3%. So, please make sure that the fabric is pre-treatment or not when purchasing.

2. Cons & Pros of Cotton Linen Apparel

What are the cons and pros of cotton linen apparel? In recent years, cotton linen clothing has become popular among most people. Cotton linen apparel exploits both fabrics, which are as cozy as cotton and as breathable as linen. So, the whole look is stylish and cozy after wearing cotton linen apparel. Although cotton linen fabric is so popular, people don’t know so much about it. Here are the features, cons, and pros of cotton linen fabric.

Features of Cotton Linen Fabric

Cotton linen fabric is a composite fabric that is composed of cotton and linen in a certain proportion. Cotton textile is cozy, warm, but it’s very easy to shrink and get wrinkles. Linen textile is cool, breathable, however, it’s poor at elasticity. To combine the benefits of both cotton and linen, the concept of cotton-linen fabric was introduced in the fashion industry.

Pros of Cotton Linen Fabric

Linen is the main representative of hemp fabrics. The heat dissipation of linen is 4 times higher than wool and 18 times higher than silk. That’s why linen is hot-sale in summer. Therefore, after compositing with cotton, the heat dissipation of cotton linen fabric is weaker than linen, but it’s still better than other fabrics. In addition, linen is great at moisture, so sweat doesn’t stay in clothes after sweating.

Moreover, linen apparel can balance human electrolysis, which can contribute to reduce perspiration. Therefore, after blending with cotton, cotton linen apparel has the same function, too, which is a great choice for people who sweat a lot.

People start to note the radiation of electrical products, and cotton linen apparel ingeniously has radiation protection. Therefore, cotton linen apparel can better reduce the radiation for office people or pregnant women who work at the front of computers for a long time.

Besides that, cotton linen apparel is also anti-bacterial and anti-insect. Cotton textile is prone to insect infestation and mould deterioration. After blending with linen, it can better solve this problem.

Cons of Cotton Linen Fabric

Whether it’s cotton or linen, both are limited in wrinkle resistance. Therefore, cotton textile and linen textile are confronted with friction or washing, and both of them will deform or get wrinkles. If the wrinkle is too severe to affect the surface, it needs to be ironed.

The comfort of cotton linen fabric is better than linen, but poorer than cotton. Moreover, cotton linen apparel has a little bit of hemp, on a prickly feeling after wearing it. The dye color tone belongs to dark colors, therefore, the luster of cotton linen apparel is generally. So, people who prefer a higher luster and color need to consider carefully before choosing.

3. Reasons for Cotton Linen Fabric Wrinkles and How to Prevent Them

* Reasons

Cotton linen fabric is made from natural cellulose fibers, and its natural stretch and recovery are poor, particularly for pure cotton or pure linen textile. Without blending with other fabrics, the con that is very easy to get wrinkles can be explored more.

* Prevent Ways

In research/Production

When choosing blended textile, please check 70% linen to compose with other fibers, and 50% to 70% linen to blend with other fibers.

During Use

1. Wash by washing machines, but do not dry out in case wrinkles are hard to iron back. If you choose to dry out by washing machines, please iron flat to hang out to dry, and iron after drying.
2. Hand washing is the best way. Please do not twist and turn after washing. Pressing to dry and shaking, flattening the clothes before hanging them out to dry, and ironing them when they are dry.

* How to Recover from Wrinkles?

Ironing devices in dry cleaners are pretty nice and can arrange iron and wash at 130℃/266℉.

4. How to Distinguish Cotton Linen Fabric?

How to distinguish cotton and linen fabric? The easiest way to distinguish fabrics composition is by burning fabrics, same as with cotton linen fabrics. Then, how to do that? Draw some yarns from outfits or fabrics, use fire to light them up, observe the burning fire state, smell the odor emitted by burning fabric yarns, and look at the residue after burning to tell the whether the fabrics match the fabric composition marked on the label on garments to identify the authenticity of the fabric composition. Because cotton and linen are blended from cotton and linen, it also has the characteristics of cotton and linen.

In general, cotton fiber and linen fiber are both flammable near a flame and burn quickly with a yellow flame and blue smoke. Usually, there is no agglomeration, and finally, both become powder after burning. Cotton and linen are natural composites. After burning, natural composition usually becomes powder; other chemical compositions become agglomeration or granularity.

General cotton linen fabric is an interwoven fabric that is mostly interwoven with cotton as warp and linen as weft, therefore, the texture of cotton linen fabric is pretty sturdy, and the draping sense is great. The touch of cotton linen fabric is softer than linen, and it’s smooth to the touch. Fine cotton linen fabric is cool to the touch. If the linen composition is more, then the touch is a little coarse. However, most cotton linen fabric is thin, which is suitable for summer and autumn outfits. The appearance of cotton linen keeps bold and unconstrained styles of linen owned and the soft, fine, and non-pillable nature of cotton.