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RUGGED & TOUGH

INDUSTRIAL WEAR

Polymer Film vs. Woven-coated Neoprene
Specialized fabrics produced with materials like Neoprene offer similar
Polymer film garments properties as PVC (above) with superior chemical, thermal, and abrasion
Polymer film garments are made from material such as PVC (Poly Vinyl resistance. These are uniquely designed for chemical plants, mining and oil
Chloride), PU (Polyurethane), and Neoprene. They excel in splash protec- refineries. These are generally the most expensive of the polymer film
tion but are generally poor with puncture and abrasive protection. garments.
Woven-coated fabrices Nylon
Woven-coated fabrics are made from nylon, or polyesters. They are tough, Nylon is one of the strongest fibers, with high tensile, tear and puncture
hard to rip or tear but offer limited protection against chemicals. resistance. Fabrics with thread thicknesses of 300D – 420D (Denier) are
used in high impact industries like forestry, lumber yards, metal shops due
Understanding Each Material to their high resistance to tearing and puncture. Nylons are 20% - 25% more
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) expensive than polyesters, are stiffer in feel, and classified as medium
weight. Nylons do not hold dyes very well; as such they cannot meet the
PVC is the most economical material. It has good chemical resistance, high visibility requirements of CSA or ANSI retroreflective materials.
which increases with thickness; has a low melting temperature of 160°C /
320°F which allows for heat welding seams to form unibody garments; has Polyester
low tensile strength and is easy to tear and puncture if not impregnated with Polyester has excellent dye retention and is the fabric of choice in the high
a supporting fabric. Rainwear described as “PVC” denotes an unsupported visibility market. Polyester is lighter in weight, with low tensile, tear and
PVC fabric (generally disposable); “PVC/POLY” denotes a supported fabric puncture resistance. Given the weakness of polyester fabric, Viking
®
backing that has been “Skimmed” (Pressed) onto the PVC film that gives designed our Tri-lobal fabric that more than quadruples the tensile, tear and
tensile support to resist tearing; and “PVC/POLY/PVC denotes a supported puncture resistance of oxford polyester (flat weave). Tri-lobal polyester will
fabric backing that is “Sandwiched” between two PVC film layers to give meet the durability needs of construction, mining, and forestry industries.
maximum tensile support as well as reduce risk of delamination from
exposure to acids, fats, and oils. Produced in thicknesses from .20mm to
.65mm, thicker garments offer superior durability and chemical protection,
with industrial grade being .45mm. PVC rainwear offers the highest level of How does it keep me dry and warm?
waterproof, windproof, and splash protection, and is easy to clean. PVC
garments are designed for low to mild risk industries, and depending on How does woven fabric become waterproof?
garment thickness, can be used as a disposable garment or as a heavy- In order for a woven fabric to become waterproof, or waterproof/breathable,
duty garment. a spray coating or a laminated film of PU or PVC is applied to create a barrier
The downside to PVC rainwear is that it is heavy, and rigid in feel. PVC that droplets of water cannot pass through (waterproof).
rainwear should feel pliable to the touch. Hardness is an indicator that the PVC-coated
material has fillers in it, which are cheaper but also significantly impact the
durability (they will degrade faster from sun and chemical exposure), as well PVC coating offers superior waterproofness as it is solid and non-porous
as their tensile strength (tearing and puncture). Backing fabrics should also (generally over 10,000 mm w.c. (withstands 14 psi or 980 mbar of hydrostatic
be examined, with tighter woven fibers being superior to loose threads. If water pressure), with zero breathability. PVC coated wovens are typically
you can see through the backing, most likely it will tear easily. designed for climates between -5°C to +18°C with high precipitation and
winds, in heavy-duty applications.
PU (Polyurethane) PU-coated
An alternative for PVC which is 100% waterproof and provides splash
protection. Polyurethane is a more expensive material, PU has fair chemical PU-coated wovens are frequently mislabelled as Waterproof/Breathable, as
resistance which increases with thickness, has a low melting point of 240°C PU is a porous film. All PU coatings will demonstrate some level of breatha-
/ 464°F which allows for heat welding seams to form unibody garments, and bility when tested, however depending on the quality of PU, as well as the
its porous property gives it varying degrees of breathability. PU is a very soft coating methodology, the Water Vapour Transmission level can be as low
material that requires a supportive fabric backing, is lighter in weight than as 300 g/m2/24 hours, whereas the industry expectation for breathability is
PVC and stretches easily, but has low abrasion resistance. a minimum of 5,000 g/m2/24 hours. PU coatings are applied in layers with
waterproofness increasing with the number of coatings, waterproof PU
The downside to PU rainwear is that it is very soft with low tensile strength, coated wovens should be able to resist water penetration under a
so it will tear easily. PU is a porous material, and when it stretches can open Hydrostatic Water Pressure test of a minimum of 7 psi, or 490 mbar.
these pores allowing water to absorb through (most common on pant seat).
PU garments are designed for low risk, light duty use. High quality fabric
backing can be used to restrict stretching, increasing the fabric’s
waterproofness while also allowing for higher levels of breathability.
Generally these fabrics are more than double the cost of basic PU garments. All coated wovens must be tape sealed
on the seams to prevent water from pen-
etrating through the sewn fabric layers.

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