Buying questions
What fabric are wet wipes actually made of?
Most wet wipes are spunlace: staple fibre entangled by water jets, with no binder. The blend, not the process name, decides how the wipe feels and how it fails.
At a glance
Specification at a glance
| Blend | Absorbency | Strength wet | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50/50 viscose polyester | High | Medium | Baby and personal care |
| 60/40 viscose polyester | Higher | Lower | Soft skin wipes |
| 70/30 viscose polyester | High | Low | Light amenity wipes |
| 100 % polyester | Low | High | Industrial, solvent |
| Pulp blend (airlaid) | Very high | Low | Flushable claims |
Why spunlace and not spunbond
Spunbond is filaments, so it is strong and does not absorb much. A wipe needs to hold liquid, feel like cloth and tear at a perforation. Water entangled staple fibre delivers all three, which is why the wipe aisle is almost entirely spunlace.
The blend table is the real specification
Viscose absorbs and feels soft; polyester adds wet strength and scrub. Moving from 50/50 to 60/40 viscose raises absorbency and softness and lowers wet tensile, which shows up first as tearing at the perforation in a 100 count pack.
When airlaid or pulp blends appear
Flushable and high pulp products use airlaid or a pulp composite. They disperse in water, and they are weaker wet, which is why they are specified against a dispersion test rather than a tensile target.
Send the question with your specification
Tell us the product, the weight you run now and the market it sells into. We answer with the grade, the test values and the documents you will need.
Questions
Common questions
Is spunlace the same as nonwoven?
Spunlace is one nonwoven process. Spunbond, meltblown, airlaid and needle punched are others.
Can wipes be made without plastic fibre?
Yes, 100 percent viscose or plant fibre blends exist. They disperse better and cost more, and wet strength is lower.
What weight is standard for baby wipes?
45 to 50 gsm in most markets, with 60 gsm for premium or high lotion load products.