Why do different fabrics feel like they are different temperatures?

I’m not positive but I think certain materials absorb heat more than others. It sounds legit right?

It really has to do with a fabric’s ability to absorb and keep heat. The weave, texture, breath-ability, colour and material all have something to do with this ability.

You are correct about leather, it is not considered a fabric.

As for your socks: when your socks are on, they are somewhat stretched and worn from wearing them (plus they are a different fabric than your fuzzy ones). You put your fuzzies on, they are not stretched/worn yet. Again, they are different fabric (some fabric enables/contains pockets of air that will feel warm instantly because they hold air from sources outside the body as well as inside).

This goes for just touching a fabric as well. Even though you may not be aware of it, your body is giving off heat to that fabric as you touch it. How the fabric reacts to that heat is dependant on the qualities I first mentioned. Remember, the fabric is reacting to the room temperature as well. So there are all these things that come into play.

I’m hoping that makes some sense. I’m sure someone else can explain it better in much more scientific terms. I actually looked into this years ago because of my own curiosity. However, I can’t remember the exact science of it…only the ideas/pictures in my head, lol.

All materials/fabrics vary. Not just cotton and silk, but metal and plastic too. Think about if you put a metal dish in an oven for cooking, or one of those plastic ones a lot of frozen foods come in. It must have to do with how the fabric retains the heat, or how it absorbs the area temperature around it. Maybe also how it is processed or woven? My polyester snuggy is warm, while my polyester clothing isn’t necessarily. But the snuggy is “furry” the surface is different. I am pretty sure it is polyester. And cotton sheets vs cotton flannel have a completely different temperature.

I’ll be following the Q. I think Luckguy would know the answer.

In addition, I think your brain also plays an important role in the perceived temperature of the fabric. Most of us, I think, when we see something fuzzy have an automatic response. We think “warm/snugly/cosy” ..that could be something too.

There are a couple of factors at play.

First there’s the thermal conductivity of the stuff the fiber is made of. Substances move heat at different rates. If you touch a 70 degree piece of polyethylene plastic and a 70 degree piece of steel, the steel will feel much colder because it pulls heat from your hand at a faster rate. The fibers in fabric are made of different substances, and each of those substances will have its own rate of thermal conductivity. But this is a minor factor overall.

The major factor is the weave of the fabric. This will determine two important things: the amount of fiber that is in contact with the skin, and how much air is entrapped by the fabric. Weaves that are dense and have a very smooth surface, like satin, allow intimate contact between skin and the material of the fiber. That means that there’s more heat being conducted from skin to fiber through all of that contact, That’s why satin sheets are so cold on first contact. Weaves with a fuzzier surface, like flannel or fleece, have less contact with the skin because a few fibers on its surface suspend the rest of the fabric away from the skin. Heat ill be drawn away much more slowly through those few fibers.

Then there’s the amount of air entrapped in the weave. Stationary air is lousy at moving heat, so the more little pockets of air that are held within a material, the more insulating it will be. This is why styrofoam feels neither hot nor cold when you touch is, regardless of what it’s actual temperature is. Some weaves, like fleece, will trap lots of air; others, like denim, will have less.

As written above, it has to do with heat conduction. That’s why it takes 45 minutes to bake a potato in a 425F oven and only 20 minutes to cook one in 212F water.

It’s the pile. @thorninmud said it best. Corduroy and velvet have strands that stand up away from the base weave and can trap air, so they “feel” warmer. Silk just lies there, flat, and feels cool.

@thorninmud Great answer! Thermal conductivity determines conductive loss while entrapped air dominates convective heat loss. For visualization I find it helpful to consider extremes first: metal has a very high thermal conductivity & feels “cold” at room temperature by virtue of its ability to rapidly draw heat from your skin. Styrofoam feels “warm” because it only allows a little heat to leave your skin. Large convective heat losses associated with moving air (wind, fan, etc.) feel “cold.” Wrapping “bubble wrap,” containing many plastic cells of entrapped air, around your forearm feels “warm.”

In all cases the our illusory sense of cold or warmth depends on the fact that our bodies are warmer than room temperature (last time I checked…) & let the 2nd law of thermodynamics take over.

I wonder if infrared reflectivity, which affects radiative heat loss, also varies much among different fabrics?

”thorninmud”; http;//You are amazing! The pile or nap has everything to do with it. The secret to creating warmth is what experts call” dead air space” The map creates an airspace that traps body heat. That’s also why layers work stop well to insulate, they trap air between the layers. If you had only one layer of equal thickness it wouldn’t be nearly as warm. I also think natural fibers that are moisture absorbant, our hydrophilic feel warmer to the touch than synthetics which are hydrophobic may have to do with great conductivity

@thorninmud I knew someone would come along and explain the science of what I was trying to say (I’m a put you in my back pocket). Great answer!

I feel like I understand this much better, now. Thank you!

Sorry for all the typos people! I should never fluther by phone! I’m guessing you know what I meant.