Natural Fiber Nonwoven Felts: Eco-Friendly Applications Across Industries

As industries demand more eco-friendly and natural materials, natural fiber nonwoven felts are gaining traction across various sectors. At Bouckaert Industrial Textiles (BIT), we focus on producing high-performance needle-punched felts from 6 oz per square yard and up. Our felts meet the growing demand for sustainability while maintaining quality.

Explore how natural fiber nonwoven felts, including wool, rayon, jute, hemp, and cotton, are transforming industries from automotive to agriculture.

1. Wool Felts: Natural Fiber, Eco-Friendly, and Durable

Wool felts have natural properties like insulation, moisture-wicking, and flame resistance, making them a go-to solution across industries. Their ability to absorb sound, insulate against heat, and resist fire make wool felts a sustainable choice for both industrial and residential applications.

A. SAE/Buzz, Squeak, and Rattle (BSR) Applications

In the automotive industry, wool felts are used in BSR testing to reduce friction and dampen vibrations. This reduces wear and tear on mechanical parts, enhancing durability and sustainability. Automakers use wool felts in sensitive areas like door panels and instrument clusters to reduce noise, contributing to a quieter and more comfortable driving experience.

B. Equestrian Saddle Pads

Wool felts are widely used in saddle pads to provide comfort, moisture control, and insulation for horses and riders. Wool’s moisture-wicking properties help keep the horse’s back dry, and its natural cushioning reduces pressure points, making it a superior material for equestrian equipment.

C. Mattress and Furniture Padding

Wool felts are used in the mattress and furniture industries for padding and flame protection. Wool’s natural flame retardancy makes it a safer choice compared to synthetic materials. Its breathability and softness provide added comfort, which is why it’s increasingly being used in luxury mattresses and eco-friendly furniture designs.

In the furniture industry, wool felts are used as padding in chairs, sofas, and upholstered goods. With consumers demanding more sustainable furniture options, wool’s renewable and biodegradable qualities make it an attractive alternative to synthetic foams.

D. Undercarpet Padding

For interior applications, wool felts serve as under-carpet padding, offering noise reduction and comfort while being naturally fire-resistant. Wool’s durability ensures that carpets last longer and provide better insulation, both thermal and acoustic.

E. Acoustic Panels and Batts for Office Interiors

BIT is pushing into the market for wool acoustic panels and batts in office interiors, providing sustainable sound insulation for modern workspaces. Wool’s natural sound absorption and flame retardancy make it ideal for open-plan offices and meeting rooms. As businesses seek quieter, more productive environments, sustainable materials like wool are gaining popularity in interior design.

In green building projects, wool is increasingly being used for acoustic panels and insulation. Its ability to regulate temperature and absorb noise makes it an excellent material for reducing energy consumption and improving workplace comfort.

2. Rayon Felts: Versatile Natural Fiber Solutions

Rayon felts offer excellent sustainability and performance for a range of industries. Derived from natural sources like wood pulp, rayon provides a renewable, biodegradable option for a variety of applications.

A. Hydroponic Growing Media

Rayon felts are increasingly used as growing media in hydroponic systems. These felts provide water retention and root support, making them ideal for urban and vertical farming. The ability to hold moisture while remaining lightweight makes rayon felts suitable for growing vegetables and herbs in controlled environments.

In hydroponic systems, where traditional soil is replaced by nutrient-rich water, rayon felts provide an essential structure for plant roots to thrive. Rayon’s biodegradable nature ensures that it doesn’t leave behind harmful waste, making it an ideal solution for environmentally conscious urban farms.

B. Medical and Orthopedic Uses

Rayon felts are used in medical dressings and orthopedic padding for their softness, absorbency, and biodegradability. In the medical industry, rayon felts are used in wound care products, such as bandages, where their softness and moisture retention help promote healing.

In orthopedic applications, rayon felts provide cushioning for devices like prosthetics and braces. The ability of rayon to conform to the body and its hypoallergenic properties make it a superior material for sensitive medical uses. Its biodegradability ensures that it reduces environmental impact once discarded.

3. Cotton Felts: Sustainable Natural Fiber for Padding

Though not a focus at BIT due to flammability issues, cotton felts, including recycled shoddy, are still a popular natural fiber option across industries. Cotton, particularly recycled cotton, is being used more frequently in the furniture and bedding industries as consumers demand more eco-friendly options.

A. Mattress and Furniture Padding

Recycled cotton felts are widely used in the mattress and furniture industries for padding. Offering a more sustainable alternative to synthetics, cotton felts provide comfort and breathability. Recycled cotton (often referred to as shoddy) is made from post-consumer denim and other fabrics, giving it a second life as padding material.

In mattresses, cotton felts serve as a cushioning layer that also helps regulate temperature. In furniture, these felts are often used in upholstery, contributing to more eco-conscious designs without sacrificing comfort or durability.

B. Insulation from Recycled Denim

Recycled cotton felts (shoddy), especially from denim, are used as thermal and acoustic insulation in eco-friendly construction projects. Denim-based felts are highly effective at absorbing sound and regulating heat, making them ideal for use in walls, floors, and ceilings in sustainable buildings.

4. Jute and Hemp: Natural Fibers for Automotive and Packaging

Jute and hemp fibers are becoming prominent in the automotive industry and for sustainable packaging. These bast fibers offer strength, flexibility, and biodegradability, making them ideal for applications where synthetic materials might otherwise be used.

A. Automotive Molded Parts and Acoustics

Jute and hemp fibers are increasingly used in the automotive industry for molded parts and acoustic insulation. These fibers provide lightweight yet durable solutions for door panels, trunk liners, dashboards, and other internal components. The stiffness and strength of jute and hemp make them ideal for producing moldable, environmentally friendly parts that maintain structural integrity under stress.

Hemp and jute are also effective in reducing cabin noise, contributing to a more comfortable driving experience. Automakers are looking for alternatives to petrochemical-based products, and bast fibers are offering a sustainable solution without compromising performance.

B. Eco-Friendly Packaging and Insulation

Jute and hemp are used in eco-friendly packaging and insulation, offering biodegradable and cost-effective alternatives for various industries. As packaging materials, they provide cushioning and support, while also being compostable at the end of their lifecycle.

C. Agricultural Textiles

Hemp and jute felts are used in agricultural textiles for erosion prevention and weed control. These materials decompose into the soil and enrich it with organic matter. Jute and hemp-based textiles are ideal for use in landscaping, farming, and other outdoor applications where biodegradability is a key concern.

5. Additional Applications for Natural Fiber Nonwoven Felts

Natural fiber nonwoven felts are also used in niche applications, such as:

• Soundproofing in Green Buildings: Wool, rayon, and cotton felts are used for soundproofing walls in sustainable construction projects.
• Protective Packaging for Fragile Goods: Wool and cotton felts are used to protect fragile items like electronics and glass during shipping. These materials provide cushioning without relying on plastic or foam.

Conclusion: The Future of Natural Fiber Nonwoven Felts

At Bouckaert Industrial Textiles, we are committed to producing high-quality, eco-friendly natural fiber nonwoven felts to meet the growing demand for sustainable materials. From wool felts used in automotive and equestrian applications to rayon felts supporting hydroponic agriculture, we ensure our materials contribute to a greener future.

As industries continue to innovate and search for greener solutions, natural fibers like wool, rayon, and hemp will play a crucial role in providing durable, eco-friendly felts for a wide range of applications.

Read more about natural fiber uses in sustainable applications here.

Learn more about our SAE Felts on our product page.

SAE Felt: What is it and how is it made?

What is SAE Industrial Felt?

SAE industrial felt, or technical felt, is nonwoven wool felt used in technical applications. There are two methods of manufacturing industrial felt: wet felting or dry needle punch felting.

Technical felts are produced in a variety of thicknesses, densities, and compositions to meet a wide range of needs. The SAE, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, mandates the standards of measurements applied to nonwoven wool felts used in:

• Gaskets
• Dryer seals
• Pads
• Washers
• Vibration Cushioning
• Dust Shields
• Acoustic Panels

At Bouckaert, we custom manufacture our SAE industrial felt using the needle punch method. Before discussing the differences between manufacturing methods, here are the characteristics of SAE felts and nonwoven wool felts in general.

Characteristics of Industrial Wool Felt

Felt is a versatile fabric explicitly engineered for high-pressure applications in specialized industries. With the natural benefits of using wool fiber (click here for our previous post on wool felt usages), here are some of the advantages to using industrial wool felt:

• Maintains its physical properties as it wears
• Highly absorbent and moisture-wicking (will seal out lubricants and oil)
• Sound and vibration dampening
• Does not ravel or fray
• Resistant to wear and tear
• Acts as a filtration system (gas and oil applications)
• Excellent padding for moving parts in machinery
• Natural fire-retardant properties

Industrial applications such as these require high levels of aversion to abrasion, oil and grease absorption, and wear and tear. To ensure the best application results, SAE felts are classified by their density, wool content, and durability.

• Density: Each grade of SAE felt ranges from hardest to most pliable, the main differing characteristic between felt grades. The thickness of pressed wool felt is controlled by the amount of pressure or needling applied during the manufacturing process. The denser the felt, the better it will retain its shape against the physical environment.
• Wool content: Each grade of SAE felt is (usually) a combination of raw wool fibers and polyester fiber but additional materials such as cotton, rayon/viscose, synthetic, or plant fibers can be used instead. These “filler” materials are added to create a particular characteristic to the final product that can not be achieved by wool and/or polyester alone.
• Durability: During the manufacturing process, the more pressure/needling applied (we will get into this in the next segment), the denser the felt will be. Durability relies, in part, on the amount of densification.

To note, the color of SAE industrial felts will vary. Since the wool used is natural and undyed, there is no way to control color consistency from lot to lot. There are also strict tolerance requirements based on wool content and density combined. The shape of wool can change naturally (depending on temperature) or manually (from cutting the material); density and wool content need to be adjusted to consider tolerance issues.

The Differences in Manufacturing

Wet Felting VS Dry Needle Punch Felting

All technical felts are produced under the same specs; the difference lies in the manufacturing process. Despite these “technical” differences, both processes in making SAE grade felt start the same way.

The wool fiber is first cleaned and blended with any additional synthetic materials before the carding process. The carding machine disentangles and mixes the fibers together to create a uniform web, aligning the individual fibers into a singular direction. Several of these webs are layered in alternating directions on a machine called a cross-lapper to build-up to the weight of the desired finished felt. This layered material will be much thicker (and less dense) than the finished product as it has not been densified yet. This material is referred to as a batt.

Wet Felting

The wet felting manufacturing process is known as the more “traditional” way of producing nonwoven felts. It uses heat, moisture, and pressure to mat and densify the fiber together.

The batts are wetted with hot water and fed into a plate hardener. The plate hardener applies vibrational pressure to the wetted material using rollers to help the fibers interlock together. The hot water, added acid, and pressure eventually cause the batts to shrink down in size, creating the densely matted fibers of a pressed felt.

The wet felt is left with a sulfuric acid residue that is then neutralized in tanks filled with sodium chloride (soda ash) and warm water solution. Once the felt is neutralized, it goes through a refulling machine to smooth out any irregularities on the surface. The felt must then be dried either in a dryer or oven or hung and stretched in a drying room.

Needle Punch Method (Dry Needle Felting)

Here at BIT, we manufacture our SAE grade felts using the needle punch method. Needle punched SAE felt is marked with an “N” for “needled in the official designation (example F-7N).  Here’s the difference in manufacturing:

As the name suggests, dry needle punch felting eliminates the use of moisture. Instead, the batts enter a needle loom; a precise machine that uses thousands of barbed needles mounted on a needle board to pierce the layered webs of fiber. The repeated punching of the needles entangles the fibers together to create the thick, dense felt.

Depending on the desired density, some needle punched SAE felts will then go through a heated press to further densify the material. Read more in-depth on the needle punch method here.

So Why Use Needle Punched Felt Vs A Pressed Felt for your SAE Needs?

The Pros and Cons of Needle Punched SAE Felt Vs Pressed SAE Felt

The use of chemicals in wet pressed felts gives the advantage of creating a smoother finish that allows the material to hold its shape better as it wears. The upside for needle punched felt is its economical and eco-friendly benefits; eliminating the use of harsh elements makes a cleaner production line that is more cost and time effective.

For exceptional sound insulation, needle punched felt is the go-to choice for acoustic paneling needs. But if there is one thing to remember when choosing between a wet felt or a needle punch felt, it is that both are produced under the same specs mandated by the SAE. The performance of needle punch felt is not compromised because of its manufacturing process.

Want to know how BIT can add value to your business by providing custom manufactured SAE grade industrial felts? Get in touch today!