Waterproof & Breathable Fabric

What do you mean by waterproof breathable fabric?

Waterproof breathable fabrics consist of an outer layer
called the “face fabric”, usually made of nylon or polyester,
and a laminated membrane or coating, usually made of
ePTFE (expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as
Teflon®) or PU (Polyurethane).
Nike Flex
Running Jacket
Price: $100.00
What is waterproof fabric?
Waterproof fabric and waterproof material fabric is a generalised term for any
materials which are resistant, either fully or partially, to penetration by
water. There is a difference between “waterproof” and “water-resistant”:
Fabrics and materials which are described as waterproof are fully resistant
to the penetration of water, whereas water-resistant fabrics can only
withstand partially for a limited time.
Waterproof fabric is usually a textile which is compounded with polymer
waterproof, breathable materials.
The greatest challenge with waterproof garments is making sure it
is breathable.
So the 4 key characteristics we want from waterproof clothing are: waterproof-ness (We know
this is not a word, but we are going with it), breathability, durability and lightness. The last factor
will be price. As you can imagine, having the combination of the four properties at the highest
quality will cost you dearly, very dearly. Those high end super expensive waterproofs?

Again here, the universe of construction method claims is endless: bonded, laminated, printed,
sprayed, waxed, weaved and more- all have been used to make a waterproof garment, but are
they all unique methods construction? Well, not really.

To make a waterproof and durable item, we need a method that will allow the movement of heat
and perspiration out while not allowing water to get in – simple. We can see how the bin liner
won’t work here, so what will? We need a fabric that has holes to allow the heat and sweat out,
but won’t allow water in. The trick is achieved by using the effects of the surface tension of the
fabric (making a fabric hydrophobic, or water repellant) while combining it with a porous
membrane to make it breathable.
How is it manufactured?
Waterproof fabric can be produced in several different
ways. There are some fabrics and materials which are
naturally waterproof, such as rubber and plastic.
Others have protective, waterproof coatings, such as
oilcloth, some are laminated with thin, waterproof films.
There are 4 main types of waterproof, breathable fabrics which are manufactured
slightly differently:

1. Tightly Woven Fabrics – great for the outdoors; an Egyptian cotton, woven very tightly.
When it gets wet the cotton swells and makes the weave even tighter.

2. Fabrics with Membranes – PTFE and PU are polymers most frequently used to make
microporous coatings for fabrics.

3. Fabrics with a Continuous Hydrophilic Coating – made from a solid, water-repellent

coating which has no pores however it is impermeable to air. Normally a mix of PU and PEO.

4. Biocomponent Microporous and Hydrophilic Laminates – modern Gore-Tex. Impermeable

to air with excellent breathability. Very durable.

Water-repellent fabrics are usually woven materials, that have been manufactured to partially
repel water.
Purposes of waterproof fabric
The purposes of waterproof fabric are wide and •Ski Wear
•Sportswear
quite extent. Waterproofing is required to keep us
•Footwear
dry and comfortable, while allowing skin to breathe
•Bags
and to resist annoyances such as mildew and rot. •Rucksacks
Thanks to its multitude of useful characteristics, •Luggage
some of the most sought after uses of waterproof •Aprons
material fabric include: •Protective Clothing
•Umbrellas
▪ Jackets •Hats
▪ Anoraks •Tents
▪ Cagoules •Awnings
▪ Raincoats
▪ Outdoor Wear
❑ Types of waterproof & breathable fabric
There are several methods which can be used to
obtain fabrics which are both breathable and
waterproof. These can be divided into three groups:
- Densely woven fabrics
- Membranes
- Coatings.
❑ Densely woven fabric can also be made from synthetic microfilament
yarns. The individual filaments are less than 10 micrometers in
diameter, so that fibers with very small pores can be engineered.
Microfilaments are usually made from polyamide or polyester.

❑ The use of very fine fibres and filaments and dense construction
results in fabrics with very small pore size compared with conventional
fabrics. Typical pore size for a waterproof fabric is about 10
micrometers compared with 60 micrometer for conventional fabric.

❑ Fabric made from microfilaments is claimed to have up to 7000

filaments per centimeter. The military variant of Ventil fabric has about
6000 fibres per centimeter.
❑ Waterproof breathable fabrics are designed for use in garments
that provide protection from the weather that is from wind, rain
and loss of body heat.

❑ The term 'breathable' implies that the fabric is actively ventilated.

❑ If the body is to remain at the physiologically required

temperature, clothing must permit the passage of water vapor
from perspiration at the rates under the activity conditions the
ability of fabric to allow water vapor to penetrate is commonly
known as breathability.
▪ Membranes are extremely thin films made from polymeric

material and engineered in such a way that they have a very high
resistance to liquid water penetration yet allow the passage of
water vapor.

▪ A typical membrane is only about 10 micrometers thick and,

therefore, is laminated to a conventional textile fabric to provide
the necessary mechanical strength.

▪ They are of two types, microporous and hydrophilic

Coating and laminating are two of the most widely used
processes for transforming flexible films and sheets into
products.
Coating is the process of applying one or more layers of a
fluid or melt to the surface of a material, while laminating is
the bonding of two or more webs.
Laminated fabrics are essentially a “sandwich”
of three layers:
1. External treated durable material – this is usually a hydrophobic (non
absorbent) material that is very durable such as Polyamide, Polyester or Nylon.

2. Membrane – the “heart” of the fabric. Made from a very thin synthetic
material, the membrane can feature different configurations (depending on the
fabric) of microscopic pores that allow vapour to pass though and blocks water
drops from coming in.

3. Internal lining – can be a loose fabric or laminated to the membrane on

the inside. The lining’s purpose is to keep the membrane from getting
contaminated from body oils, salt and grime.
Lamination is the
expensive option in the
world of waterproof
clothing.

Laminated clothes tend to

be durable and very
breathable, which leads to a
higher price point.
DEFINITATION OF COATING
Coating is application of an appropriate chemical system to
form a layer of coating compound on the substrate.

Coating is a process in which a polymeric layer is applied

directly on one or both the surfaces of the fabric

Depending upon the end use , heavy duty technical textiles,

coating may be applied
❑ Coatings these consist of a layer of polymeric material applied to
one surface of the fabric. Polyurethane is used as the coating
material. Like membranes, the coatings are of two types; micro
porous and hydrophilic.

❑ These coatings are much thicker than membranes. Contains

very fine interconnected channels, much smaller than the finest
raindrop but much larger than a water-vapor molecule
Coating
Coating has a couple of variations: a
standard PU (Polyurethane) coating
that has very limited diffusion ability,
and a printed porous membrane that
has more breathability to it (also
known as 2.5 layer fabrics).
Coating is the cheaper option and is
offered by pretty much any company
that claims to make outdoor gear.
Coating techniques

• Lick roll
• Knife coating
• Gravure coating (engraving)
• Rotary screen coating
• Hot melt coating
• Transfer coating
Factors to be considered to evaluate the performance of
laminated fabrics.
• Durability of the bond
• Shrinking behavior-should be non
shrinkable
• Good crease-resistant property
• Permissible disappearance of foam
(after a certain period foam will
degrade but time should be
approved)
• Good thermal insulation where
necessary
• Should not be dissolved in organic
solvents
• Should not hamper the
elasticity of the component
fabric
• Should not grow bacteria
• Should be odorless, there is
any, it should be harmless
• Should not be burnt or melt
easily
• Should not be toxic
• Should be comfortable.
▪ Waterproof breathable fabrics are designed for use in garments that provide
protection from the weather that is from wind, rain and loss of body heat.

▪ The term 'breathable' implies that the fabric is actively ventilated. This is not the
case. Breathable fabrics passively allow water vapor to diffuse through them yet
still prevent the penetration of liquid water.

▪ The breathable fabric passively allows the water vapor and prevents the
penetration of liquid water for comfort clothing. The breathable are very much
better than fabric coated with conventional waterproof materials, which have a
higher resistance to vapor transport than ordinary woven and knitted apparel
fabric.
 Waterproof Ratings and Breathability
10,000/10,000? 20,000/20,000?
What do the rating numbers mean?
Manufacturers typically describe the waterproof breathability of fabrics
using two numbers.
The first is in millimeters (mm) and is a measure of how waterproof a
fabric is?
In the case of a 10k or 10,000 mm fabric, if you put a square tube with
inner dimensions of 1” x 1” over a piece of said fabric, you could fill it
with water to a height of 10,000 mm (32.8 feet) before water would
begin to leak through. The higher the number, the more waterproof the
fabric.
 Breathability
The ability of a fabric to allow water vapor to
penetrate is commonly known as breathability.
The second number is a measure of how breathable the
fabric is and is normally expressed in terms of how many
grams (g) of water vapor can pass through a square meter
(m2) of the fabric from the inside to the outside in a 24-hour
period i.e. g/24 hrs.
In the case of a 20k (20,000 g) fabric, this would be 20,000
grams. The larger the number, the more breathable the
fabric.
Breathability Ratings (g/m2 )
The most common measure
of breathability ratings describe
the grams of water that can pass
through a square meter of fabric in
24 hours. If we use the 5,000g (5K)
example that would be 5,000 grams
of water that can pass through over
24 hrs. The higher the number g/m2
the more breathable is the fabric.
WATERPROOF
RESISTANCE PROVIDED WHAT IT CAN WITHSTAND
RATING (MM)
NO RESISTANCE TO SOME LIGHT RAIN, DRY SNOW, NO
0-5,000 MM
RESISTANCE TO MOISTURE PRESSURE

RAINPROOF AND WATERPROOF LIGHT RAIN, AVERAGE SNOW, LIGHT

6,000-10,000 MM
UNDER LIGHT PRESSURE PRESSURE

RAINPROOF AND WATERPROOF MODERATE RAIN, AVERAGE SNOW,

11,000-15,000 MM
EXCEPT UNDER HIGH PRESSURE LIGHT PRESSURE

RAINPROOF AND WATERPROOF HEAVY RAIN, WET SNOW, SOME

16,000-20,000 MM
UNDER HIGH PRESSURE PRESSURE

RAINPROOF AND WATERPROOF HEAVY RAIN, WET SNOW, HIGH

20,000 MM+
UNDER VERY HIGH PRESSURE PRESSURE
❖ Firefighters can lose up to 4 liters Hr. -1 (= 4000 g of
fluid per hour) when in proximity to a fire.
TABLE: Heat energy produced by various activities and
corresponding perspiration rate (g/day).
Activity Work rate Perspiration rate
(Watts) (g day-1)
Sleeping 60 2280
Sitting 100 3800
Gentle walking 200 7600
Active walking 300 11500
With light pack 400 15200
With heavy pack 500 19000
Mounting walk with heavy pack 600-800 22800-30400
Maximum work rate 1000-1200 38000-45600
SHOULD WE
JUST GO
FOR THE
HIGHEST Waterproof Rating Level of Water
RATING?
•Not necessarily. The waterproof and
(mm) Resistance

breathability ratings you need will depend No resistance/Little

0-5,000mm
on the conditions and the activity that you resistance
are doing.

•Generally, a minimum of 5,000mm is good

6,000-10,000mm Some resistance
for both skiing and snowboarding in cold
but clear conditions, especially if you enjoy
11,000-15,000mm Normal resistance
taking regular breaks. 5-10,000mm is ideal
for those who spend long days out on the
16,000-20,000mm High resistance
mountain, in all weather conditions; while
10-20,000mm is best for those in wetter
20,000mm + Highest resistance
climates or skiers and snowboarders who
prefer backcountry.
Properties to be considered to evaluate the performance
of laminated fabrics.
• Durability of the bond
• Shrinking behavior-should be non shrinkable
• Good crease-resistant property
• Permissible disappearance of foam (after a certain period foam will degrade
but time should be approved)
• Good thermal insulation where necessary
• Should not be dissolved in organic solvents
• Should not hamper the elasticity of the component fabric
• Should not grow bacteria
• Should be odorless, there is any, it should be harmless
• Should not burnt or melt easily
• Should not be toxic
• Should be comfortable.