Fabrics

Carbon fibre fabrics can be divided, depending on the type of weave, into three main macrocategories: twill, plain and satin weave fabrics. Twills normally have a higher drapability than plain fabrics, while plain fabrics are slightly stronger and are less delicate during drafting, lowering the risk of tearing during placement. The second difference between the fabrics is the grammage, corresponding to the specific weight of a square metre of that particular fabric. The last difference is the number of filaments that make up the individual fibre of the fabric, usually indicated by a K-value. Fabrics with a high K-value and low grammage (spread tow fibre) have flatter and wider fibres, heavier fabrics have thicker and narrower fibres.