How to tell if a fabric is natural or synthetic depends on how the burnt material burns, smells and behaves after being burned. If a fabric is 100% cotton. You would have to look at other things as well as how the fabric burns to tell cotton from linen from wool.) Over the years these synthetic fibres have increasingly grown in popularity. Note about handling fabric: SHARE PIN EMAIL. What are Natural and Synthetic Fabrics? Let the fabric burn for a second or two and then analyze the results. Wool, a natural fabric often made from the soft hair of a camelid (e.g. But how to tell if a fabric is natural, artificial or synthetic? Cotton fabric will burn like most natural materials since it comes from a plant. Let the fabric burn for a second or two and then analyze the results. How to tell if a fabric is natural or synthetic depends on how the burnt material burns, smells and behaves after being burned. Testing fabric for natural or synthetic content How to test fabric for natural fiber content: (Mostly I'm looking at testing for cotton in fabric. Natural fabrics are only warmer than synthetic fabrics if the natural fabric is obtained from an animal. If you look at the label of any finished garment, you can tell whether natural or synthetic fibres were used to make it. Do a fabric burn test to find out if a fabric is made from cotton or other natural or synthetic fibers such as wool, silk, linen, rayon, or polyester. Wool is warmer than any synthetic fabric available. Textile fibres: plant-based If a fabric is 100% cotton. A textile’s level of comfort, color-fastness, wear and tear, absorbency, ability to resist wrinkles and ease of care is dependent on the percentages of natural and/or synthetic fibre used. Do a fabric burn test to find out if a fabric is made from cotton or other natural or synthetic fibers such as wool, silk, linen, rayon, or polyester. Let’s see their specific features. Overall the most common types of textile fibres we may encounter are: natural fibres, which consist of plant and animal fibres, and artificial and synthetic fibres. But, polyester (a synthetic fabric) can be warmer than cotton (a natural plant-based fabric). Natural fabrics—such as cotton, silk and wool—are made of animal or plant-based fibres, while synthetics are man-made and produced entirely from chemicals to create fabrics like polyester, rayon, acrylic, and many others. Cotton fabric will burn like most natural materials since it comes from a plant.