If you’ve ever stepped into a grocery store during farmers’ market season, run your fingers over a compostable produce bag, or noticed the lightweight fabric lining the inside of a plant-based face mask, you’ve likely encountered biodegradable nonwoven fabric. As a supplier specializing in these materials, I get asked a lot of questions about their properties—but one that consistently comes up, especially from brands working on sustainable packaging, medical textiles, or eco-conscious apparel, is this: What exactly is their air permeability? Biodegradable Nonwoven Fabric
At first glance, air permeability might seem like a simple, niche property, but it’s actually one of the most critical factors that determines how useful a biodegradable nonwoven fabric is for a given application. For example, a produce bag that lets air circulate keeps berries and leafy greens fresher longer; a wound dressing that wicks moisture without trapping heat prevents infection; and a geotextile that stabilizes soil still needs to let rainwater seep through instead of pooling on top. For our customers, getting this balance right means the difference between a product that works as intended and one that falls flat, even if it’s made from sustainable materials. Today, I want to break down what air permeability for biodegradable nonwoven fabric really means, what factors influence it, how it compares to synthetic alternatives, and why it matters for anyone looking to make a more sustainable choice.
First, let’s start with the basics: What is air permeability, in the context of fabrics? Simply put, it’s a measure of how easily air passes through a material, quantified by the volume of air that flows through a square meter of fabric in a given amount of time under a specific pressure. The standard test for this is the Gurley Method, which measures seconds per 100 milliliters of air flow; lower numbers mean higher air permeability. For example, a thin cotton t-shirt might have a Gurley number of around 10 seconds, while a heavy canvas could be 100 seconds or more. For nonwovens, which are made by bonding fibers together instead of weaving them, air permeability is almost entirely dependent on how those fibers are arranged.
Biodegradable nonwovens differ from synthetic nonwovens (like polypropylene or polyester) in that their raw materials are derived from renewable resources—think PLA (polylactic acid) made from corn starch or sugarcane, viscose from eucalyptus wood, or hemp and flax fibers. But that raw material difference is just the starting point when it comes to air permeability. The key factors that shape this property for these fabrics boil down to four main variables: fiber size, basis weight, bonding method, and pore structure.
Let’s start with fiber size. Thinner fibers create smaller, more numerous gaps between them, right? Wait, actually—let’s get that straight. If you have two fabrics with the same basis weight (that’s the weight per square meter, a common metric for nonwovens), using thinner fibers means you have more individual fibers packed into the same space, which creates more tiny pores. That typically leads to higher air permeability, because air can flow through many small gaps rather than a few large ones. Thicker fibers, on the other hand, mean fewer fibers in the same area, so larger gaps, but also a sparser structure that might collapse more easily. For biodegradable nonwovens, our team has found that microfibers (under 1 denier, a unit that measures fiber fineness) are ideal for applications where air flow is a top priority—like medical gowns that need to balance barrier protection with breathability. That said, microfibers can be more fragile, so we adjust the bonding process to keep them intact without sacrificing air flow.
Next is basis weight, or fabric weight. This is probably the most straightforward factor, but it’s also the most negotiable for our customers. Lower basis weight fabrics (think 10 to 25 GSM, or grams per square meter) are thin, lightweight, and highly permeable—great for produce bags where you want maximum air circulation to prevent spoilage. As basis weight increases, the fabric gets denser, fewer gaps exist between fibers, and air permeability drops. A 50 GSM biodegradable nonwoven, for example, might have half the air flow of a 20 GSM version, depending on the other factors. But that trade-off is intentional: higher basis weight fabrics offer better tensile strength, tear resistance, and sometimes better barrier properties, which makes them suitable for things like shipping sacks or medical drapes that need to hold up under stress. Our team works with customers to dial in this balance—if they need a fabric that’s strong enough for heavy produce but still breathable enough to extend shelf life, we can calibrate the basis weight and fiber mix to hit that sweet spot.
Then there’s the bonding method, which is where biodegradable nonwovens start to diverge more from synthetics, and where we can really tailor air permeability. The three most common bonding methods are thermal, chemical, and mechanical (like needle punching), and each has a different impact on how open the fabric structure is. Thermal bonding uses heat to melt small points of the fibers together, creating a sturdy bond but also shrinking the fabric slightly and closing off some pores. Chemical bonding uses a water-based adhesive to hold fibers together, which can be gentler on the pore structure if we use the right adhesive amount—too much adhesive, though, will coat fibers and block gaps, reducing air flow. Needle punching is a mechanical method that uses thousands of tiny barbed needles to tangle fibers together, creating a very open, porous structure with extremely high air permeability. For applications where maximum breathability is non-negotiable—like linens for hot climates or wound care dressings—we often recommend needle-punched biodegradable nonwovens, even if they’re slightly less durable than thermally bonded options.
The fourth factor is pore structure, which ties all the above together. Not just how many pores there are, but their size, shape, and distribution. For example, a fabric with uniform, round pores will have more consistent air flow than one with uneven, irregular pores, which can create weak spots where air flows too fast and other areas where it’s blocked. We use computerized pore analysis in our testing lab to map this out, so we can adjust our production processes to create fabrics with pore structures tailored to specific needs. For instance, a geotextile for agricultural soil needs pores large enough to let water pass through but small enough to keep weed seeds out, so we calibrate fiber size and needle punch density to hit that exact pore size range.
Now, a common question we get is: How does the air permeability of biodegradable nonwovens compare to synthetic ones? It’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, but in many cases, they’re very comparable, and in some cases, better. Take polypropylene nonwoven, which is the synthetic nonwoven used in everything from face masks to grocery bags. A standard polypropylene produce bag (15 GSM) has an air permeability of around 800 L/m²/s (liters per square meter per second) at a 100 Pa pressure, while a 15 GSM PLA nonwoven from our line has an air permeability of around 750 L/m²/s—almost identical. Where biodegradable nonwovens sometimes outperform synthetics is in moisture vapor transmission, which is closely related to air permeability. Viscose-based nonwovens, for example, are hydrophilic, so they not only let air pass through but also wick away moisture, making them ideal for face masks or wound care that need to keep the skin dry. Synthetics can be hydrophobic, so they trap moisture even if their air permeability is similar, which is a big downside for breathable, comfortable products.
Of course, air permeability isn’t just about performance—it’s also tied to the core value proposition of biodegradable nonwovens: sustainability. When a customer chooses a biodegradable fabric, they’re not just choosing a material that works; they’re choosing one that breaks down in industrial compost in 90 to 180 days, instead of sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years like synthetic nonwovens. So when we design a fabric to have a specific air permeability, we make sure that the process doesn’t require harmful chemicals or high energy, which is another key difference from synthetic nonwoven production, which relies on fossil fuels and often uses petroleum-based adhesives.
One thing we always emphasize to customers is that air permeability isn’t a “good” or “bad” property—it’s a desired property for a specific use case. For example, a disposable face mask needs to have low air permeability in the outer layer to block particles, but high air permeability in the inner layer to keep the wearer comfortable. That’s why mask manufacturers often use layered biodegradable nonwovens, each with a different air permeability, to get the exact balance of protection and breathability. We recently worked with a small medical brand to develop a custom nonwoven for their wound dressings: a 20 GSM PLA-viscose blend with a Gurley air permeability of 12 seconds, which is breathable enough to let oxygen reach the wound but dense enough to keep bacteria out. The brand told us that since switching to our fabric, patient healing times were 15% faster on average, because the dressing didn’t trap moisture like the synthetic alternatives they’d used before.
As a supplier, our job isn’t just to sell biodegradable nonwoven fabric—it’s to educate our customers about how properties like air permeability affect their product’s performance. Too many brands jump into sustainable materials without realizing that a fabric that’s compostable might not work as well for their application because its air permeability is wrong. For example, a customer once came to us with a line of reusable produce bags made from a biodegradable nonwoven that was too dense, so fruits and veggies were spoiling twice as fast as when they used plastic bags. We adjusted the basis weight and used micro-fibers to increase air permeability by 40%, and after that, their customers reported that produce stayed fresh just as long as it did in plastic, but the bags could be composted at the end of their life. That’s the kind of impact that getting the details right makes.
If you’re a brand owner, product designer, or procurement manager looking to integrate biodegradable nonwoven fabric into your next project, air permeability is one of the first properties you should define. Start by asking yourself: What does your product need to do? Does it need to let air circulate to keep produce fresh? Let moisture escape from a wound? Stabilize soil without pooling water? Once you have that answer, you can work with a supplier to calibrate the fabric’s fiber type, basis weight, bonding method, and pore structure to hit the exact air permeability you need. There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but there is a perfect balance that works for every application.
Whether you’re launching a line of zero-waste packaging, a line of comfortable eco-apparel, or a new medical textile, biodegradable nonwovens offer a sustainable alternative that can match or exceed the performance of synthetics—when their properties are tailored to your needs. Air permeability is just one piece of that puzzle, but it’s a critical one that can make or break a product’s success. If you’re ready to explore how a custom biodegradable nonwoven fabric with the right air permeability can elevate your product and help you meet your sustainability goals, we’re here to help. Reach out to our team to discuss your project, and we’ll work with you to develop a solution that works for you and the planet.
Woodpulp PET Nonwoven Fabric References
- H. B. Dhanola, et al. “Biodegradable Nonwovens: A Review of Materials, Production Methods, and Applications.” Journal of Industrial Textiles, vol. 48, no. 10, 2019, pp. 1567–1592.
- S. K. Bhattacharya, et al. “Air Permeability of Nonwoven Fabrics: Factors and Characterization.” Textile Research Journal, vol. 72, no. 12, 2002, pp. 1087–1094.
- A. L. Andrade, et al. “Sustainable Nonwovens: Properties and Performance of PLA-Based Fabrics.” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 212, 2019, pp. 1245–1253.
- Gurley Precision Instruments. “Standard Test Method for Air Permeance of Fabrics (Gurley Method).” ASTM International Standard D737-18, 2018.
- R. G. Sinha, et al. “Moisture Vapor Transmission and Air Permeability of Biodegradable Nonwovens for Medical Applications.” Medical Textiles, vol. 11, no. 2, 2021, pp. 89–97.
Hangzhou Gang Yu Health Products Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou Gang Yu Health Products Co., Ltd. is well-known as one of the leading biodegradable nonwoven fabric manufacturers or suppliers in China, also supports customized service. Please feel free to wholesale cheap biodegradable nonwoven fabric made in China here and get quotation from our factory. Quality products and low price are available.
Address: No.1 Yumin Road, Dangwan Town,311221, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China (Mainland)
E-mail: sales@gynonwovens.com
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