The fabric burn test is one of the many methods of fabric identification that is vouched by all the textile experts out there. For the sake of fashion, drape and visual impact you have to know exactly what you are making the garment with, which is where these fabric testing methods come to be of usePerform the burn test outside on a day that's not windy, or in a well-ventilated area inside, away from flammable items, children, and pets.
Cut small pieces of each fabric you want to test, such as 2-inch squares.
Place a piece of the fabric in your fireproof container and ignite one corner.
Pay attention to the odor of the smoke.
Cotton smells like burning paper and has an afterglow at the end of the burn.
An odor similar to burning hair or feathers indicates wool or silk fibers, but silk doesn't always burn as easily as wool.
A darkish plume of smoke that smells like chemicals or burning plastic probably means the fabric is a cotton/polyester blend.
Examine the ashes after they've cooled.
Cotton ashes are soft and fine. They turn to dust when touched.
Black, brittle remnants that crush between your fingers are probably the remnants of wool.
Hard lumps are the remains of melted synthetic fibers.
Take one more step. Unravel a clump of threads from another small swatch of the fabric. Hold the clump with tweezers (over your flameproof container) and slowly move a small flame towards the clump.
Cotton fibers ignite as the flame draws near.
Synthetic fibers curl away from the heat and tend to melt.
To see exactly how each type of fabric reacts, perform experimental burn tests on fabrics you know are made from cotton, cotton/polyester blends, wool, and other fibers.