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FABRICS

Wicking fabric

Discover the perfect wicking fabric for your next creative project and make amazing customized fashion that draws moisture away from the skin and keeps you cool, comfortable and dry. Wicking material is ideal for making sportswear to optimize performance.

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4.6/5 from 1600+ independent 3rd party reviews

1-2 Days Production

Cottons, Silks, Jerseys, Recycled Poly-fabrics & more

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You can take advantage of our wholesale prices or use our dropshipping service to sell without ever holding inventory. Plus, we offer discounts on all products which you can pass on to your customers.

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Custom Wicking Fabric Printing

What is wicking fabric?

Wicking fabric draws moisture away from the skin towards the outer layer of the fabric to keep the wearer dry and comfortable. These technical fabrics have an increased surface area, allowing for a larger absorption of water away from the skin and a quicker rate of evaporation. Through a complex 'capillary' like construct, moisture is transported through this network to the surface where it's spread out into a thinner layer.
Wicking fabrics are also known as breathable fabrics, as air can leave freely and enter freely. These properties lend wicking material well to making sportswear, where body temperature rises and perspiration is inevitable.

Popular wicking fabrics include

Breathable Waterproof
Airflow Sports Stretch
Lycra
G-Mesh
Neoprene
Speaker Cloth
Softshell Jersey

How is it manufactured?

High-tech polyester textiles are treated with wicking agents which, when knitted with fine, water-repellent fibers, creates a technical capillary system that increases surface area. Polyester, unlike cotton, absorbs only 0.4% of its weight in water, compared to 7%, so all wicking material is made from synthetic fiber blends.

Each wicking fabric is made using different yarns that will affect the performance of the wicking capabilities and preferred end use. Heavier fabrics are made using thicker yarns, so the wicking ability will be less effective than lightweight fabrics, however heavier wicking materials are good for colder climates and
These capillaries diffuse the highly concentrated areas of moisture to lower concentrated areas in order to increase the rate of evaporation away from the fabric.

Purposes of wicking fabrics

Typically, technical wicking fabrics are used for sportswear so the person can stay cool and maximize performance. Other clothing garments are made using wicking material, such as wetsuits, jackets and t-shirts. The Speaker Cloth is also used for covering speaker grilles and in arts and crafts too.

Properties

Because there are so many different choices when it comes to wicking fabric, there are also many properties associated with them. Here are just a few favourites:

Breathable – easily let's air in and out, helping to regulate body temperature during exercise or hot climates. If you were to exercise wearing cotton, and you're in a cold environment, sweat will build up and leave you feeling freezing, which can be dangerous.
Quick drying – the fact that the moisture is transported to the surface and spread over across a large, thin layer, means it can evaporate quickly and the area can dry.
Permeable - this is the fabric's ability to transport moisture through its own construction, and the extent of how permeable a fabric is will depend on the sizes of spaces between yarns.
Wicking – wicking fabrics don't just absorb water, but they absorb and then move the moisture to drier areas, ideally the surface, where it can evaporate.
Insulating – many wicking materials are also great insulators, in that the sweat doesn't pool and have chance to turn cold.

Advantages of wicking fabrics

Wicking fabrics are perfect for making sports apparel, as they help the wearer to excel at their performance and stay comfortable. Not only do they mitigate the problems with moisture retention in fabrics, but they're also soft, comfortable and highly technical with many other desired properties.

Design Your Own

Terry Toweling Lycra Heavy Matt Airflow Light Sports Breathable Waterproof Florence Power Net Lycra Heavy Matt Lycra Matt Lycra Soft Sheen Neoprene Slinky Matt Lycra Softshell Jersey Speaker Grille Cloth Loose Knit Jersey

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