The Difference Between Nylon 6.6 and Nylon 6

Nylon is a family of polymers, and all nylons share certain characteristics. However,there are some significant differences among types of nylon. Not all nylons are the same.

View Details

Specifically, there are significant differences between Nylon 6.6 and Nylon 6, which are two commonly-chosen options for industrial sewing and thread applications. Here&#;s a closer look at their characteristics and why you might select one over the other.

Chemistry, Characteristics, and Choosing

Chemically speaking, Nylon 6 is one monomer with 6 carbon atoms. Nylon 6.6 is made from 2 monomers with 6 carbon atoms each, which results in the designation of 6.6.

Both can withstand high heat and are generally tough materials with good wear resistance. However, when you take a closer look, their individual characteristics become more clear.

Nylon 6

Nylon 6 has the core characteristics of any member of the nylon family, including its hardness, stiffness, and toughness. It has good mechanical dampening and insulation qualities.

It slides with minimal abrasion, resists fatigue, and is very wear-resistant over time. As an added benefit, it has good machinability and can be worked into its final form fairly easily. It also has a lustrous finish.

Nylon 6.6

Nylon 6.6 is similar to Nylon 6 but not the same. It has a higher melting temperature. At 160 degrees Celsius, Nylon 6.6&#;s heat age strength at break is 13.6 kg versus Nylon 6&#;s 12.0 kg.

When you increase the temperature to 180&#;, the difference becomes starker. Nylon 6.6&#;s heat age strength is 11.5 kg, while Nylon 6&#;s drops down to 2.6 kg. In some applications, this could make a huge difference.

sft are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Some industrial fiber processes, like tire cord, use heat to incorporate the fiber into the end product. Nylon 6.6 withstands these processes and continues to provide reliable strength well afterward. Nylon 6, by contrast, degrades or forces a change in the processes, reducing productivity.

Nylon 6.6 offers low creep, good stretch recovery, and higher abrasion resistance than Nylon 6 and most other materials you&#;ll find in the marketplace. In fact, its abrasion and heat resistance are the defining properties that make it a superior choice for industrial applications.

The fibers in Nylon 6.6 are 33% more abrasion resistant than Nylon 6 fibers, withstanding over 60,000 cycles over Nylon 6&#;s 40,000 cycles.  In hard-wearing industrial fiber applications, this means much more reliable long-term performance.

Primary Uses of Nylon 6.6

Nylon 6.6 has several primary uses, including micro denier vs. heavy denier vs. high-tech. In its micro denier form, it is mostly used in apparel. It offers great toughness and wear resistance for high-performance sports gear and industrial workwear.

In its heavy denier form, it is used in tires and industrial products. In its high-tech form, you&#;ll find it in automotive airbags, parachutes, carpet, and other uses where extreme performance, durability, and reliability are of the utmost importance.

Primary Uses of Nylon 6

The major use of Nylon 6 is in industrial yarn. It is found in cords, heavy-duty fabric, toothbrush fibers, and many other products that rely on tough industrial nylon for a blend of strength and flexibility.

Nylon 6 is also found in fabrics with a certain type of desirable fashion sheen like hosiery, chiffon, and organza. This is due to the lustrous surface finish that is unique to Nylon 6.

A Comparison Table

To help you examine the differences between Nylon 6.6 and Nylon 6, we created this helpful table. On the left, you&#;ll see Nylon 6 and on the right, you&#;ll see Nylon 6.6 for comparison.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of nylon 66 yarn. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Nylon Nylon was the first truly synthetic fiber to be commercialized. Nylon was developed in the s by scientists at Du Pont, headed by an American chemist Wallace Hume Caruthers. It is a polyamide fiber, derived from a diamine and a dicarboxylic acid, because a variety of diamines and dicarboxylic acids can be produced, there are a very large number of polyamide materials available to produce nylon fibers. The two most common versions are nylon 66 (polyhexamethylene adiamide) and nylon 6 (Polycaprolactam, a cyclic nylon intermediate). Nylon 66 has been preferred in North American markets, whereas nylon 6 is much more popular in Europe and elsewhere. The amide group (-CO-NH-) provides hydrogen bonding between polyamide chains, giving nylon high strength at elevated temperatures, toughness at low temperatures, combined with its other properties, such as stiffness, wear and abrasion resistance, low friction coefficient and good chemical resistance. These properties have made nylons the strongest of all man-made fibers in common use. Because nylons offer good mechanical and thermal properties, they are also a very important engineering thermoplastic. Physical and Chemical Properties Nylon Fabrics

Strength: Nylon has good tenacity and the strength is not lost with age. Nylon has a high strength to weight ratio. It is one of the lightest and strongest textile fibres. It is one of the fibres which are added at the points of wear such as knees of jeans and toes and heels of socks. Nylon has excellent abrasion resistance.

Elasticity: Nylon has good elasticity which makes it much suitable for the apparel purposes. Because of this excellent elasticity property, the nylon materials return to their original length and shreds the wrinkles or creases. However, if stretched too much, it will not completely recover its shape. The high elongation and excellent elastic recovery of nylon contributes to the outstanding performance in hosiery. Nylon hosiery recovers to its original shape at knees and ankles instead of bagging.

Resilience: Nylon fabrics have excellent resilience. Nylon fabrics retain their smooth appearance and wrinkles from day-to-day daily activities can be removed easily.

Drapability: Fabrics of nylon filament yarn have excellent draping qualities. The drape of the fabrics made from nylon can be varied depending on the yarn size. The light weight sheer fabrics of nylon night gowns have high-draping quality. The medium-weight dress fabrics can drape very nicely.

Heat Conductivity: The heat conductivity of the nylon fabrics vary depending upon the fabric construction, the type of nylon (staple/filament) used in the construction etc. For instance, the filament nylon used in the open construction would be cooler when compared to the same filament used in a closed construction.

Absorbency: Nylon fabrics have low absorbency. The low absorbency of the fabrics tends to be advantageous and also disadvantageous. The main advantage of the nylons low absorbency is that the water remains on the surface of the fabrics and runs off the smooth fabric and hence dries quickly. This property makes the nylon fabrics suitable for raincoats and shower curtains. Nylon&#;s low absorbency has a disadvantage in that the fabric feels clammy and uncomfortable in warm, humid weather.

Cleanliness and Washability: Nylon fabrics are easy care garments. Nylon fabrics are smooth, non-absorbent and dry quickly. Dirt doesn&#;t cling to this smooth fibre, which can be washed easily or can be even cleaned by using a damp cloth.
Effect of Bleaches: The nylon fabrics are white and generally do not require bleaching. The nylon fabrics which pick up colour or develop greying should be bleached with oxidising bleaches such as hydrogen peroxide.

Shrinkage: Nylon fabrics retain their shape and appearance after washing. It has good stability and does not shrink.

Effect of Heat: Nylon should always be ironed at low temperatures. Using hot iron will result in glazing and then melting of the fabric.

Effect of Light: Nylon fabrics have low resistance to sun light. They are not suitable for curtains or draperies as it is weakened by the exposure to sun light.

Resistance to Insects: Nylon is resistance to the moths and fungi.

Reaction to Alkalis: Nylon has excellent resistance to alkali's but the frequent and prolonged exposures to alkalis will weaken the nylon fabrics.

Reaction to Acids: Nylon is less resilient to the action of acids and is damaged by strong acids.

Affinity for Dyes: Nylon can be easily dyed with a wider range of dyes. The dyed fabrics retain their colour and have good resistance to fading.

Resistance to Perspiration: Nylon fabrics are resistant to perspiration.


Nylon 66 Yarn Features:
Nylon 66 filament yarn is good for clothing use on weaving and circular knitting and fancy yarn process. Fabric made of Nylon 66 has following superior features: ü    More toughness due to higher yarn modulus. ü Softer and better drapery. ü No crinkle due to good elasticity recovery. ü Less possible to be crispy due to cold weather resistance. ü Stable measurement due to higher strength. ü Higher abrasion resistance. ü Less yellowish and brighter color due to more heat resistance. ü Good sweat absorption and ventilation, easy wash and quick dry.

Application:
underwear, lingerie, pantyhose, fashion apparel, fitness wears, sportswear, beach shorts, casual jackets Nylon 6 Yarn Nylon 6 yarn is available in 5 different types ·High Oriented Nylon Yarn (HOY)   Nylon 6 filament yarn HOY is brighter and softer. It's good for clothing and industrial use on weaving, circular knitting, warp knitting and process of fancy yarn. ·Fully Drawn Nylon Yan (FDY) Nylon 6 filament yarn FDY is good for clothing and industrial use on weaving, circular knitting, and warp knitting. ·Partially Oriented Nylon Yarn (POY) Nylon 6 filament yarn POY is for the purpose to texturize DTY. ·Draw Textured Nylon Yarn (DTY) Nylon Textured Yarn is also known as Nylon 6 filament yarn DTY. It is good for clothing use on circular knitting and warp knitting and process of covering yarn, dyeing yarn, and fancy yarn. ·Air textured Nylon Yarn (ATY) Owing to hairy feeling like natural cotton, ATY is also called cotton-like yarn. Nylon Filament ATY is light weight, wear resistant, easily cleaned and quick dry. It is suitable for sports wears, casual wears and jackets. The main difference between nylon 6 and nylon 6.6 is that nylon 6 has a much lower melting point than nylon 66. This is a serious disadvantage, as garments made from it must be ironed with considerable care. General Nylon Fiber Care Tips

• Most items made from nylon can be machine washed and tumble dried at low temperatures. Use warm water and add a fabric softener to the final rinse cycle.
• Remove articles from dryer as soon as tumbling cycle is completed.
• If ironing is required, use warm iron. 

Nylon 6 Yarn produced by Benlon India has superior resistance to light degradation. Also nylon 6 yarn has advantage over nylon 6.6 in respect of dyeability, elastic recovery, and thermal stability and thus, is used for textile and carpet manufacture. Benlon India Ltd. is supplying Conventional Dyed Nylon Yarn mainly to the manufacturers of Hosiery Goods. It is an expensive yarn and bought by manufacturers manufacturing very high quality products. We also supply tailor made yarn to the manufactures. This yarn is used in socks, name tapes and sportswear. Denier Range Lustre Cross Section Type Conventional Dyed 102/24/1 S.D. Round Crimped 102/24/2 S.D. Round Crimped 70/24/1 S.D. Round Crimped 102/24/2 S.D. Round Crimped 140/72/1 S.D. Round Crimped 44/14/1 S.D. Round Crimped If you are interested in our Nylon 6 Crimp Dyed Yarn and products and would like to be part of our growth story, please contact us on