Textile Manufacturing Explained: Definition, Types, and Processes

Local demand and export opportunities continue to drive steady growth in the Philippines’ textile manufacturing industry. Recent projections show the local textile market could reach USD 75.2 million by 2033, pointing to renewed interest in local production and processing.

While the country still competes with bigger textile producers in Asia, there’s strong potential in areas like custom fabric production, niche manufacturing, and sustainable practices. More manufacturers are upgrading their operations in response to these shifts.

For manufacturers aiming to stay competitive, this is the right time to improve processes, reduce waste, and keep production consistent from start to finish.

What is Textile Manufacturing?

Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest yet most vital industries in the world. At its core, it involves transforming raw fibers into yarn, and then weaving or knitting that yarn into fabric. Manufacturers dye, print, or craft these fabrics into clothing, home goods, upholstery, and industrial materials.

Textile production usually involves a lengthy and intricate series of steps, resulting in a wide variety of finished goods.

The processes involved in textile manufacturing may include:

• Spinning
• Weaving
• Dyeing
• Knitting
• Bonding
• Embroidery
• Felting
• Tufting

Various fibers go into producing yarn, but cotton remains the most significant among natural options. Textiles are typically categorized based on the fiber they’re made of. Natural fibers include:

• Cotton
• Wool
• Silk
• Linen

Historical and Modern Textile Manufacturing

Textile manufacturing has existed for thousands of years. Early techniques involved creating loops from threads—regardless of the material—to produce items like baskets and nets. Evidence of such methods dates back to the Neolithic period.

Later, during the era of the Silk Road (207 BCE – 220 CE), textiles like silk became valuable trade commodities. Silk, in particular, played a key role in connecting different regions through trade, marking early forms of international exchange.

With the Industrial Revolution came the shift to mechanized production. Machinery and later software began to automate key processes—from fabric design to mass production. This significantly reduced production time and supported better financial outcomes for businesses.

Today, textile manufacturers face new challenges: maintaining profitability, boosting productivity, and offering distinctive, high-quality products.

To address these needs, many companies turn to systems like manufacturing inventory software. These tools help streamline production, improve customer satisfaction, and support better decision-making to stay competitive in the market.

Textile Manufacturing Process 

Textile manufacturing shares many characteristics with process manufacturing, as it involves a continuous flow of steps from raw materials to finished goods. This part of the article outlines the key steps involved in the textile manufacturing process, starting from the raw materials.

Step 1: Sourcing Fibers

Textile production begins with sourcing raw fibers, which are either grown or collected from natural or synthetic sources. Natural fibers are derived from:

• Plants
• Animals
• Minerals

Manufacturers process these fibers into long, continuous strands called yarn.

Common natural fibers include cotton, linen, wool, and silk. In modern manufacturing, synthetic fibers are also widely used. Examples include:

• Polyester
• Rayon
• Nylon

Step 2: Spinning or Yarn Production

The initial stage in yarn production is preparing the raw materials. This involves sorting, cleaning, and blending them to ensure the final textile is consistent in quality.

For instance, wool or cotton must be cleaned to remove impurities, while bamboo requires its outer layer to be removed before it can be processed into thread suitable for knitting or sewing.

Once prepared, the materials are spun into yarn using machines. These machines use steel bobbins wound with fiber—referred to as roving—which can originate from natural sources like cotton or wool.

Step 3: Fabric Manufacturing Process

Fabric manufacturing, often referred to as weaving, is the next stage after yarn production. In this step, yarn is transferred to a different machine to be woven into fabric.

Specialized machines are used to align the yarn into lengths, which are then placed onto a loom. The loom is equipped with harnesses that hold specific threads or colors in place.

The yarn, called the warp, is carefully threaded through heddles on both sides of the loom. Once set up, the loom begins weaving the fabric. After the fabric is produced, it is taken off the loom and can be stitched into finished textile products.

In the garment industry, fabrics are generally categorized into four main types:

• Woven fabrics
• Knit fabrics
• Nonwoven fabrics
• Braided fabrics

Step 4: Fabric Wet Processing

Fabric wet processing involves preparing textiles through a series of steps that include dyeing, printing, and finishing. Dyeing refers to the application of colorants to fabric, while finishing enhances the fabric’s appearance or performance.

The typical sequence of wet processing steps includes:

• Fabric inspection
• Stitching
• Desizing
• Scouring
• Bleaching
• Dyeing
• Printing
• Finishing

Step 5: Textile Finishing

After dyeing, fabrics undergo finishing processes to improve their appearance, performance, or feel. Finishing may include treatments for soil release, anti-pilling, or flame retardancy, applied chemically with the help of textile auxiliaries.

Workers apply these treatments manually or with machines before packaging and shipping.

Step 6: Textile Printing

In addition to finishing, textiles may also be printed to apply patterns or designs. Common applications include clothing items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, hats, and children’s wear.

Types of textile printing include:

• Digital textile printing – Uses computers or plotters to print directly onto fabric
• Flexography – Suitable for printing on plastic films
• Gravure printing – Uses engraved cylinders to print on paper
• Dye sublimation – Transfers heat-activated dye from paper to fabric via inkjet printing

Types of Textile Production

Textile production refers to the process of combining fibers to create more complex structures or items. At present, there are at least six main types of textile production methods. These include:

1. Weaving

This method involves interlacing long threads in horizontal and vertical directions. It uses a machine called a loom, which enables the creation of hundreds of different fabric patterns.

Common examples of woven products include everything from bed sheets to bulletproof vests and many other items in between.

2. Knitting

Knitting traditionally involves using needles or crochet hooks to create fabric by hand. In modern manufacturing, large-scale knitting machines are widely used. Many manufacturers group crocheting under this category as well. Various garments can be made using knitted techniques with different kinds of materials.

3. Braiding

Braiding is a process where two or more strands of fabric are twisted and looped into knots following a set pattern.When done properly, braided textiles tend to have high strength, making this method ideal for producing items like ropes.

Knotting is closely related to braiding and falls within the same category. However, the forms produced through knotting are often less uniform in shape.

4. Felting

Felting is a textile production technique that differs significantly from the other methods mentioned. It does not involve interlacing fibers.Instead, fibers are compressed and twisted under high pressure, causing them to tangle and bind together.

To reduce the risk of tearing or damage, the fibers are often treated with a lubricant, such as detergent, during the process.

5. Bonding

Bonding is primarily used with synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon. In this method, fibers are joined using heat, pressure, or adhesives rather than being woven or knitted.

6. Spread Tow

Spread tow is a technique somewhat related to weaving. In this process, thin, lightweight fiber bundles are flattened into tapes, which are then woven together with similar tapes to create fabric.

Best Practices for Textile Manufacturing

Between handling different fibers, maintaining machines, and managing custom orders, textile manufacturing can get complicated. But with a few grounded best practices in place, your production floor can stay organized, efficient, and responsive.

Here’s what experienced manufacturers stick to:

• Inspect and prepare raw materials: Source high-quality fibers and check for impurities or damage. Clean and store them properly to maintain quality before processing.
• Maintain consistency in spinning: Set the right twist and tension for yarn, and control humidity to reduce breakage. Regularly clean and lubricate spinning machines.
• Calibrate weaving and knitting equipment: Adjust looms for knitting machines based on fabric type. Monitor for thread alignment and resolve breakage quickly.
• Standardize pre-treatment and dyeing: Follow a consistent sequence—desizing, scouring, bleaching—before dyeing. Use fixed chemical recipes to achieve even coloration.
• Control finishing conditions: Apply chemical finishes uniformly and at correct concentrations. Maintain proper drying temperature and timing for best fabric results.
• Manage waste and water usage: Treat wastewater responsibly and reuse dye or water when possible. Consider adopting lower-impact dyeing methods to reduce consumption.
• Prioritize worker safety: Provide personal protective equipment and ensure good lighting, ventilation, and ergonomics throughout the production floor.
• Follow a strict maintenance schedule: Use scheduled checklists for cleaning, lubrication, and part replacements. Keep detailed logs of maintenance activities.
• Invest in training and skill development: Train workers on machine operations and quality checks. Offer cross-skilling opportunities to improve flexibility on the floor.

While best practices help stabilize your operations, exploring the benefits of manufacturing software can further improve them, especially in a fast-moving industry like textiles.

Improve Your Textile Manufacturing With HashMicro

Best practices lay the foundation, but keeping production smooth when orders pile up, materials run low, or teams juggle multiple jobs? That takes more than just good intentions.

HashMicro’s Manufacturing Software helps textile producers stay in control, from raw material planning to finished goods delivery. You can monitor progress in real time, automate repetitive tasks, and reduce manual tracking, whether you’re managing large weaving runs or custom embroidery batches.

No more scattered spreadsheets or missed handoffs, just one system to align your floor, inventory, and orders.

Here are some of HashMicro’s features, including but not limited to:

• Bill of Materials (BOM) Management: Create multi-level BOMs for different product variants, useful for managing woven, knitted, or custom-finished textiles.
• Production Planning & Scheduling: Automatically plan production based on available resources, deadlines, and order types (make-to-stock or make-to-order).
• Work Order Management: Track each production batch or job order with real-time updates, from warping to finishing.
• Inventory Tracking & Stock Alerts: Monitor fabric rolls, threads, dyes, and chemicals in real time. Get automatic alerts for low stock or expiring raw materials.
• Material Requirement Planning (MRP): Calculate raw material needs accurately based on production plans, so you’re never understocked or overstocked.
• Barcode & Batch Tracking: Assign barcodes to fabric rolls or material lots to trace every stage, from sourcing to finished goods.
• Quality Control Management: Set quality checkpoints at each stage (e.g., weaving, dyeing, finishing) and log inspection results digitally.

Conclusion

Textile manufacturing transforms raw fibers into finished goods through a series of structured, detail-oriented processes. From spinning and weaving to dyeing and finishing, each step requires precision and well-coordinated execution.

If you’re managing a textile facility, HashMicro’s Manufacturing Software can help you work smarter, not harder. It streamlines daily operations, reduces manual errors, and keeps your production floor moving without constant firefighting.

Iwasan na ang gulo ng spreadsheet at i-welcome ang real-time visibility, mas mabilis na planning, at mas madaling job tracking. With HashMicro, staying productive, even during peak orders, feels a whole lot more manageable.

If you’re interested, why don’t you get started by booking the free demo first?

FAQ on Textile Manufacturing

• What environmental impact does textile wet processing have?

  Wet processing consumes large volumes of water and generates dye-laden wastewater. Many mills discharge up to 150 kg of water per kg of fabric and release untreated effluents unless they install treatment systems.

• What is enzyme washing, and why is it used?

  Enzyme washing uses cellulase enzymes to soften and fade denim, providing a more sustainable alternative to traditional stone or acid washing. This bio-based process uses less water and chemicals overall.

• What are biotextiles and where are they used?

  Biotextiles are fibers made from biological or sustainable sources—like bacterial cellulose, mycelium, or vegetable biomass. They have applications in medical uses (like sutures and prosthetics) and eco-friendly consumer textiles.

• How many chemicals are typically used in textile manufacturing?

  Textile production can involve 8,000+ different chemicals, some of which pose health risks to workers—such as respiratory problems, dermatitis, and increased cancer risk when proper protection isn’t provided.