Cost Effectiveness of Fabrics and Garments Made of Nomex®

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Cost Effectiveness of Nomex® Fabrics and Garments | DuPont

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DuPont™ Nomex® fibre is a highly cost-effective solution in terms of cost per wear thanks to its exceptional durability.

Garments made of Nomex® fibres help offer better strength and lower shrinkage after washing and drying than FR cotton. This can lead to an excellent appearance over a longer lifetime.

Suitable for home or industrial laundry, garments made of Nomex® fibres retain their inherent benefits throughout many washes, offering the same level of protection throughout their service life.

What influences the cost effectiveness of protective clothing?

Garments made of Nomex® fibres are suitable for home or industrial laundering and dry-cleaning, have a wrinkle-free appearance and do not require ironing after washing. Garments made of Nomex® fibres allow for easy removal of soil and stains (stain release finishes can be applied to the fabric to help enhance this). Please contact your garment manufacturer for specific laundering recommendations.

The purchase price of a garment made of Nomex® fibres is higher than that of a typical garment made of cotton or cotton blend, which was treated with flame-retardant chemicals.
This purchase cost can be offset against the higher average number of washings that the garment will undergo during its lifetime, so that the cost per wear of a typical garment made of Nomex® is considerably lower than that of its cotton counterpart.

Garments made of Nomex® fibres maintain their aesthetics over time, even after 200 washes.

Durability

A wash study (according to the EN ISO 15797 test for industrial washing, drying and finishing of work wear) was conducted at an external laboratory, commissioned by DuPont.

The study assessed the durability of 3 fabrics made of Nomex® fibre and 4 cotton and cotton-blended fabrics which were treated with flame-retardant chemicals.

The fabrics made of Nomex® were washed 200 times, the cotton and cotton-blended fabrics 50 times (which is the manufacturer’s suggested life cycle of some of those fabrics).

Throughout the wash study, all fabrics were subjected to mechanical resistance and dimensional stability tests, looking at the effects of intense washing on:

Tear strength (according to EN ISO 13937-2), which shows the resistance to the propagation of an existing tear (i.e., the possible widening of holes in a fabric)
Tensile breaking strength (according to EN ISO 13934-1), which shows the resistance of a fabric to ripping
Abrasion resistance (Martindale abrasion resistance test EN ISO 12947-2), measuring the resistance of a fabric to rubbing on its surface
Dimensional stability, to assess the shrinkage of a fabric (EN ISO 5077)
Aesthetics over time

Test results

Fabrics made of Nomex® maintain their exceptional strength during the entire wear life and even after 200 washes, whereas cotton and cotton-blended fabrics after only 50 washes significantly loose mechanical strength.
Fabrics made of Nomex® also maintain their dimensional stability even after 200 washes, whereas cotton and cotton-blended fabrics which have been treated with flame-retardant chemicals show significant shrinkage after only 50 washes.
Fabrics made of Nomex® maintain their excellent appearance, the original colours are stable.

2.Ease of care

3.Life cycle cost: purchase price and cost per wear

The purchase price of a garment made of Nomex® fibres is higher than that of a typical garment made of cotton or cotton blend, which was treated with flame-retardant chemicals. This purchase cost can be offset against the higher average number of washings that the garment will undergo during its lifetime, so that the cost per wear of a typical garment made of Nomex® is considerably lower than that of its cotton counterpart.

Garments made of Nomex® fibres maintain their aesthetics over time, even after 200 washes.