You're probably wearing something made of polyester right now. Sportswear, outdoor jackets, backpack straps, seatbelt webbing, curtains… whenever you see "polyester fiber" on a label, that's exactly what it is.

In the 1970s, "Díquèliáng" (the Chinese name for polyester) took China by storm. As of 2010, global polyester fiber production accounted for 74% of the world's total synthetic fibers. (Source: Baidu Baike – Polyester Fiber) That means out of every four synthetic fibers produced worldwide, three are polyester.

A Brief History

In 1941, British chemists John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson, working in a printing association laboratory in Manchester, first developed the polyester material.

In 1947, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) of the UK conducted the first industrial trials. In 1951, DuPont built a polyester plant in the United States with an annual capacity of 16,000 tons, achieving the world's first large-scale industrial production. Germany, France, Italy, and Japan quickly followed, and polyester began to spread globally.

In 1972, polyester became the world's most produced synthetic fiber—a position it has held ever since.

How It's Made

The raw material for polyester is petroleum. Terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol are extracted from petroleum and undergo a polycondensation reaction to form a polyester melt. The melt is then extruded through spinnerets into fine filaments, cooled, and solidified. And just like that, a polyester yarn is "grown" from oil. This is exactly why when oil prices rise, the cost of webbing raw materials fluctuates as well.

A Small Note on Names

Polyester goes by many names around the world. In the UK, it's called Terylene; in the US, Dacron; in Japan, Tetoron; and in China, we call it Díquèliáng or simply "polyester."

Properties of Polyester

High strength, good abrasion resistance; low elasticity, dimensionally stable, wrinkle-resistant; good heat resistance, melting point approx. 255–260°C; resistant to chemicals, acids, alkalis, and UV radiation; low moisture absorption, difficult to dye (requires high temperature and pressure). Compared to cotton or nylon, it has a lower cost—cheap, tough, and reliable. Excellent overall cost-performance ratio, durable for outdoor use.

Common Applications

Luggage webbing, garment trims, pet products, industrial strapping, seatbelt webbing, outdoor gear.