Felt
Felt is a dense textile made by matting fibers together rather than weaving them. Its fibers interlock under moisture, heat, pressure, or agitation.
Felting: Felting is the process of interlocking fibers into a coherent textile through moisture, heat, pressure, or agitation. This broader process produces felt by entangling its fibers.
Textile: A textile is a flexible material made from fibers, yarns, or filaments. Felt is a textile whose fibers are matted rather than woven.
Industrial felt: Industrial felt is felt engineered for uses such as sealing, filtration, cushioning, and polishing. Its dense structure suits demanding technical functions.
Boiled wool: Boiled wool is knitted wool fabric that has been shrunk and thickened through wet processing. It can resemble felt, but retains a knitted construction.
Wool: Wool is the natural fiber obtained from the fleece of sheep and some other mammals. Its scaly surface helps fibers lock together during felting.
Fiber: A fiber is a long, thin strand of material that can be spun or assembled into textiles. Felt begins with fibers that interlock directly.
Felt hat: A felt hat is headwear formed from felt, often shaped over a block. Felt can be molded into durable, lightweight headwear.
Fleece fabric: Fleece fabric is a soft, napped textile commonly made from synthetic fibers. Its surface may look felt-like, but it is generally knitted or woven.
Keratin: Keratin is a structural protein found in hair, wool, feathers, and nails. Wool’s keratin fibers provide the structure that enables felting.
Nonwoven fabric: Nonwoven fabric is a sheet material made by bonding or entangling fibers without weaving or knitting. Felt belongs to this broad structural class.