What is CVC fabric?

CVC fabric refers to ‘Chief Value Cotton’ fabrics that are made from combining cotton with polyester.  Cotton is a naturally derived fabric, and when it is combined with synthetic fibers like polyester, the fabric is called CVC.  Usually, the cotton content is more than 50 percent of the total combination with polyester.  A CVC fabric may be made of 55 percent or 80 percent cotton with the remaining percentage indicating the amount of polyester used.

Although cotton is generally preferred in terms of comfort, textile making companies frequently combine polyester with cotton for a variety of reasons.  One such reason is to make clothes more durable.  Cotton by itself is considered very soft, and it easily deforms and shrinks.  Cotton shirts that are 100 percent cotton, for example, may be very cool to the skin and provide great comfort, but over several uses and washes, the shirts are easily deformed, and they are also more prone to shrinking. By combining polyester to the cotton fabric, garments will become more durable with less chance of deforming and shrinkage.  This is also the reason many work clothes and school uniforms, for example, are best made using CVC fabric.  Everyday usage and washing puts too much stress on the fabrics, and with the presence of polyester, uniforms and clothes will become more durable and will rip less easily.  With the demands of everyday activities, people will welcome clothes that can be worn for a long time.

Other textile manufacturers also prefer CVC fabrics because they are less expensive to produce.  Cotton is a naturally derived fabric and is more expensive to produce when compared with polyester that is synthetic or man-made.  By combining cotton with polyester, fabric sheets are created with less expense for the textile manufacturer.  And since CVC fabric is less expensive due to its polyester content, many people also refer to CVC fabrics as ‘the poor man’s cotton.’