Bond area is fixed by the engraving pattern and usually falls between 10 and 25 percent for hygiene and medical spunbond. Higher bond area gives more strength and less fuzz but a stiffer, more papery fabric; lower bond area feels softer but abrades and lints more. It is one of the first figures a buyer asks for when comparing two spunbonds of the same weight.
Same 15 gsm, but theirs is 12 percent bond area and ours is 18, that's why theirs feels softer.
Two fabrics with the same bond area can feel very different, because point shape and spacing matter as much as the percentage.
Also heard as
- bonded area
- bond percentage
Related terms
Point bonding
Calender bonding with an engraved roll that fuses the web only at small, regularly spaced points.
Calender bonding
Thermal bonding in a heated roll nip, either across the whole surface or at points set by an engraved roll.
Fuzz
Loose fiber ends on the surface of a nonwoven that lift into pills or lint when rubbed.
Hand
How a fabric feels to the touch: softness, smoothness, stiffness, drape and warmth taken together.