Many People may feel a bit confused about the three terms of Spandex & Elastane & LYCRA .What is the difference? Here’s some tips you may need to know.

Spandex Vs Elastane

What’s difference between Spandex and Elastane?

There’s no difference. They’re actually the exact same thing.Spandex equals to Elastane and Elastane equals to Spandex.They literally mean the same thing.But the difference is just where those terms are used.

Spandex is predominately used in the USA and Elastane is predominately used in the rest of the World.So for example ,if you’re in the UK,and you hear a lot saying. It’s what an American would call spandex .So they are exactly same thing. 

What is Spandex/Elastane?

Spandex/Elanstane is a synthetic fiber created by Dupont in 1959 .

And essentially it’s main use in textiles is to give fabric stretch and shape retention. So something like a cotton spandex tee Vs a regular cotton tee.You notice cotton tee seems kind of lose their shape overtime to get through dragging and that kind of like just wear out versus a spandex tee which will do well holding its shape and have that longevity .That’s because of those spandex .

Spandex, has unique properties that make it well suited to certain applications, such as sports apparel. The fabric is able to expand up to 600% and spring back without losing its integrity, although over time, the fibers may become exhausted. Unlike many other synthetic fabrics, spandex is a polyurethane, and it is this fact that is responsible for the fabric’s peculiarly elastic qualities.

Care Instructions

Spandex may be used in compression garments.

Spandex is relatively easy to care for. It can usually be washed by machine in cool to lukewarm water and drip dried or machine dried at very low temperature if removed promptly. Most items containing the fabric have care instructions included on the label; besides water temperature and drying instructions, many garment labels will also advise against using fabric softener, as it can break down the elasticity of the fabric. If an iron is needed, it should remain on a very low heat setting.

What’s the difference between LYCRA® fiber, spandex and elastane?

LYCRA® fiber is the trademarked brand name of a class of synthetic elastic fibers known as spandex in the U.S, and elastane in the rest of the world.

Spandex is the more generic term to describe the cloth whereas Lycra is one of the most popular brand names of Spandex.

Many other companies market the spandex clothing but it is only the Invista Company who markets the Lycra brand.

 How is Elastane made?

There are two main ways of processing Elastane into garments. The first one is to wrap the Elastane fibre in a non-elastic thread. This can either be natural or man-made. The resulting yarn has the appearance and properties of the fibre that it is wrapped with. The second method is to incorporate the actual Elastane fibres into the garments during the weaving process. Small amount of Elastane are only required to add the properties of it into the fabrics. Trousers only use around 2% to add to the comfort and fit, with the highest percentages being used in swimwear, corsetry or sportswear reaching 15-40% Elastane. It is never used alone and is always blended with other fibres.

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