Hand feel (Hand, Fabric hand, Fabric feel) is the property of

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

related to the

touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

that expresses sensory comfort. It refers to the way fabrics feel against the skin or in the hand and conveys information about the cloth's softness and smoothness. Hand feel is an estimated and subjective property of different fabrics, but nowadays, hand feel could be measured and assessed statistically.

Tactile senses

Our daily life experiences are profoundly influenced by the sense of touch. Touch is the first sense to develop, beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy. During the next few months in the womb, the baby's entire body develops touch receptors. Around 7 weeks into pregnancy, touch is the first sense to develop in the fetus. Therefore, hand feel is an important characteristic of clothing that provides sensory comfort. Hand feel (also called handle or drape) is one of the basic characteristics that are necessary for sensory comfort that is related to tactile

comfort Comfort (or being comfortable'')'' is a sense of physical or psychological ease, often characterized as a lack of hardship. Persons who are lacking in comfort are uncomfortable, or experiencing discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort c ...

. It is related to the friction between the clothes and the body. It is associated with smoothness, roughness, softness, and stiffness of clothing material. The degree of tactile discomfort may vary with individuals. Some of the terms that describe the tactile sensations are clingy, sticky, scratchy, prickly, soft, stiff, heavy, light and hard.

Terms

There are different terms in use for describing the softness of textile materials. Wool trade term for the same is ''Handle'' or ''A good handling''. The opposing term is 'A poor handling' that suggests the material's poor or harsh hand feel.

Objective

Fabrics during

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

becomes harsh that is undesirable hence they are made soft again for end users or useful input materials for subsequent processes. The hand feel matters in selecting the fabrics for a particular category or line; for instance, softer clothes are preferred for children. Ladies' clothes are designed with lighter and softer than men's cloth.

Softening and stiffening

Softening finishes are aimed to make materials, soft, in against to that stiffening finishes are intended to make materials, stiff in order to prevent sagging. Stiffening adds crispiness to the light

sheer fabric Sheer fabric is fabric which is made using thin thread or low density of knit. This results in a semi-transparent and flimsy cloth. Some fabrics become transparent when wet. Overview The sheerness of a fabric is expressed as a numerical denier ...

s. Stiffening involves the application of

thermoplastic A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains associate ...

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

s and

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

Parchmentising Parchmentising or parchmentizing is a kind of aesthetic finish for textiles. It is a finishing treatment for cellulose fabric that stiffens the fabric and imparts a degree of translucency. Parchment Parchment was a material for writing created ...

is a kind of finish that stiffens the treated cellulosic materials while imparting translucency. More objectives of hand feel are:

Fabric drape

Drape (draping or fabric drape) is the property of different textile materials how they fold, fall, or hang along with a three-dimensional body. Draping depends upon the

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

characteristics and the flexibility, looseness, and softness of the material.Drape finishes can also alter the draping properties of clothes.'''' Draping clothes embrace feminine beauty.'

Loft

Hand feel adds compression resiliency; Soft fabrics tend to spring back to their original shape.

Sewability

Soft fabrics are more compatible in sewing. Softness improves the sewability of the fabrics. Handfeel helps not only in selling the goods and comfort but also aid in sewing (avoids stitching holes).

Factors

Hand feel may vary with the

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

, various yarn parameters (such as hairiness, twist and yarn count), and

gsm The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

(fabric weight), and fabric construction. Some undesired acid, alkaline, and temperature treatments can make certain fabrics harsher. The judgement of fabrics on the scale of soft to harsh is affected by the following parameters.

Fiber properties and yarn

The

staple length A staple fiber is a textile fiber of discrete length. The opposite is a filament fiber, which comes in continuous lengths. Staple length is a characteristic fiber length of a sample of staple fibers. It is an essential criterion in yarn spinning ...

and diameter of the constituting fibers affect the softness of the materials. More considerable fiber length needs less twisting, and loosely twisted yarns tend to have a softer hand feel. Examples are egyptian, and pima cotton is softer than cotton with shorter fibers. The same is with Silk, and synthetic fibers that have infinite length are softer.

Surface contour

The surface contour of the

characterizes its outer surface along its shaft and may be rough, smooth, scaly, serrated, convoluted, or striated, all of which contribute to the friction, softness, and texture. The property is important for the texture and hand feel of the fabric that is made.

Fabric construction and thickness

The fabric construction and thickness of the cloth can present harsh or soft handfeel. Usually, the fine and lightweight structures with loose weave or knit constructions are more delicate until the twisted or textured yarns are not used. On the other hand, heavy, and thicker fabrics could be soft or harsh depending upon the after treatments and varied yarn forms.

Process

The feel of some fabrics like

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

(satin), fine

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

s (),

rayon Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. It is also called viscose. Many types and grades of viscose f ...

(modal or

lyocell Lyocell, originally trademarked in 1982 as Tencel, is a form of regenerated cellulose. It consists of cellulose fibers, made by dissolving pulp and then reconstituting it by dry jet-wet spinning. The fiber is used to make textiles for clothing a ...

), nylon and

microfiber Microfiber (or microfibre) is synthetic fiber finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometers. A strand of silk is about one denier and about a fifth of the diameter of a human hair. The most common ty ...

s' fabrics are naturally soft. Still, in large, it is manipulated with different processes and finishing techniques.

Fabric softener A fabric softener (American English) or fabric conditioner (British English) is a conditioner that is applied to laundry during the rinse cycle in a washing machine to reduce harshness in clothes that are dried in air after machine washing. In con ...

s and certain surface finishes such as napping help improve the hand feel of fabrics.

Fabric softeners

s are substances that aid in the softening, durability, and drape of fabrics. Softeners also help in providing body to the fabrics and they facilitate other finishing processes, such as wrinkle resistance finish where fabrics become stiffened due to the finish. Silicone compounds, substituted ammonium compounds, fats, wax emulsions, and oils are the most commonly used softening agents.

Surface finishes

Surface finishes are the treatments that alter the surface and feel of the textiles. They include several mechanical and chemical applications.

Mechanical

= Napping

= Napping or Raising produces a soft and fibrous surface, it is a mechanical finish. A machine equipped with metallic wires that breaks the yarns and creates a fibrous surface on the surface.

Sueding

Sueding is a similar finish to napping, but it's a delicate finish; the arrangements on the machine, such as bristles, are softer.

Shearing

Shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

improves the

appearance Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or p ...

and feel of the fabric by cutting the loops or raised surface to a uniform and even height.

Chemical

= Mercerizing

Mercerizing Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster. Development The process was devi ...

improves the characteristics of the cellulosic materials and improves the feel and aesthetics of the treated fabrics.

=Deweighting

Deweighting Deweighting, deweighing or weight reduction, is a chemical treatment that peels the surface of polyester fibers and makes them softer and finer. It also reduces the fiber weight and hence weakens the strength. Additionally, the treatment enhances ...

, or weight reduction, is a treatment for polyester to make it like silk. The treatment peels the surface and reduces the fiber weight and strength while making them softer and finer. Additionally, the treatment enhances the absorbency of the treated substrates.

Bio polishing

Bio polishing or Enzyme wash is applicable in cellulosic fibers; it is a

cellulase Cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4; systematic name 4-β-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase) is any of several enzymes produced chiefly by fungi, bacteria, and protozoans that catalyze cellulolysis, the decomposition of cellulose and of some related polysaccharide ...

enzyme treatment that helps cut protruding fibers and produce a clean, lustrous and softer material.

Functional finishes

Functional finishes add value other than handfeel and aesthetics. Moisture wicking is an example of functional finish that enhances the wearer's comfort.

Testing

So far, hand feel has been a subjectively judged parameter based on manual touch. But now, there are hand feel testers that can evaluate the quality with parameters of bending, roughness, compression, and friction.

Tests

One of the instrumental test methods is "

AATCC AATCC—the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists— is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit professional association that provides test method development, quality control materials, educational development, and networking for textile and a ...

TM 202:2014," which measures the "feels and looks" similar to manual sensory perceptions.

Kawabata evaluation system

The Kawabata evaluation system predicts human responses and understands the perception of softness. Additionally, it can be used to determine the transient heat transfer properties associated with the sensation of coolness generated when fabrics come into contact with the skin while being worn.

Interactive touch-activated display

The interactive touch-activated display, also known as the "iTad," is a device equipped with multitouch sensing that can help feel images on a touch screen.

How different fabrics feel when someone judges them manually

Manually evaluating the fabric's feel is subjective.

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

s of different people may differ. Skillful assessment may require experience in the handling of different fabrics. Thermal conductivity also plays a role in how different fabrics feel. * Cotton, linen, and rayon are good conductors of heat. The heat from the finger may be lost on touching while judging. Thus, these fibers "feel cool to the touch." * Wool feels warm as it is not a good conductor of heat. The heat is not lost when someone puts his/her finger on the fabric of wool, it remains there and that is why the wool feels warm. Wool has elasticity and is springy as well. * Silk, like wool, feels warm. It is elastic and feels smooth.

References

{{Reflist Textiles Clothing industry Somatosensory system