How to Do a Fabric Burn Test

Learn how to do a fabric burn test so that you can figure out the fiber content of the fabric. It’s great for that mystery fabric in your stash!

Sometimes you get fabric when someone cleans out their stash. Sometimes you thrift fabric.  This kind of fabric is rarely marked with the content, but a fabric burn test can help you figure it out.

Now it’s impossible to figure out exactly what kind of fiber the fabric is made from, but you can find out if it’s a synthetic, natural, or blended. If you need a refresher, all about fabric to learn the basics.

How to Do a Fabric Burn Test

Supplies

• Small pieces of fabric with unknown content
• Small pieces of fabric with known content for comparing
• Metal container to hold burning fabric
• Matches or a lighter

Questions to ask while burning

You are going to burn your fabric scrap and ask yourself some questions along the way:

• How is it burning? Does is melt and bubble or burn?
• How does it smell? Does it smell like plastic burning or does it smell like hair burning?
• What color of smoke does it give off? Is it black or white?
• What does it look like afterwards? Is it like ashes or like hard melted plastic?
• If the fabric is burning, it is a natural fiber. If it smells like a regular fire and gives off white to gray smoke, it is a natural fiber. The burned bits were ashy.
• If the fabric melts when it burns, it is a synthetic fiber. If it gives of a unnatural smell, like burning plastic or rubber, and gives off dark smoke it is a synthetic fiber.  The burned bits will be hard.
• If the fabric does a little bit of both, it is a blend.

Cotton Spandex Jersey

Burned, smelled natural, white smoke, and ashy

Bamboo Rayon Spandex French Terry

Burned, smelled natural, white smoke, and ashy

Wool Blend Coating

Burned, smelled natural, white smoke, and ashy, but there was also some melting and dark smoke. I think this is a blend.

Unknown Fuzzy Sweatshirt Fabric

melts, unnatural smell, dark smoke, and it’s hard after burning

Cotton muslin

Burned, smelled natural, white smoke, and ashy

Unknown slub fabric

melts, unnatural smell, dark smoke, and it’s hard after burning

Silk

Burned, smelled natural, white smoke, and ashy

Unknown silk-like fabric

melts, unnatural smell, dark smoke, and it’s hard after burning

Acrylic craft felt

melts, unnatural smell, dark smoke, and it’s hard after burning

It is easier to tell when you compare the pieces after they’re burned. Now this isn’t a foolproof method, but it’s better than not knowing! I found a really handy fiber burn chart to help answer more questions!

If you make something using this tutorial, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!