Spunlace vs Spunbond: Key Differences and When to Use Each

Spunlace (hydroentanglement) bonds staple fibers using high-pressure water jets. The fibers are first carded and layered into a web, then entangled by water pressure. The result is a soft, absorbent, textile-like fabric.

Key characteristics: excellent softness, high absorbency, good drape, moderate strength. Common applications: wipes (baby, medical, industrial), cosmetic pads, medical drapes.

For a full explanation of the spunlace process, see our complete spunlace guide.

Spunbond is a process where continuous thermoplastic filaments (typically polypropylene or polyester) are extruded, drawn, and laid onto a moving conveyor to form a web. The web is then bonded using heat and pressure (calendering) or needle punching.

Key characteristics: high strength, low cost, lower absorbency, stiffer hand-feel. Common applications: shopping bags, agricultural covers, medical packaging, geotextiles, furniture backing.

Spunbond is often combined with meltblown to form SMS (Spunbond-Meltblown-Spunbond) composite fabric, which is widely used in medical protective apparel and filtration.

The fundamental difference is in how the web is formed and bonded:

Spunlace and spunbond work with fundamentally different raw materials, which directly affects fabric properties:

Here is a head-to-head comparison of the properties that matter most to buyers:

Spunbond is generally cheaper than spunlace for comparable weights. The cost difference comes from two factors:

First, spunbond uses polymer resin (polypropylene) which is typically cheaper per kilogram than viscose staple fiber. Second, the spunbond process is faster and does not require water treatment or drying, reducing operating costs.

However, cost comparison should always be done on a per-application basis. If your application requires absorbency, using spunbond would require adding a separate absorbent layer, which may erase the cost advantage. Similarly, if softness is required, spunbond cannot meet the specification at any price.

As a rough guide, spunbond fabric costs 30-50% less than comparable GSM spunlace fabric. But for wipes and absorbent applications, spunlace is the only viable option.

Choose spunlace when your application requires:

Choose spunbond when your application requires:

In some applications, the two technologies overlap. For example:

In medical protective apparel, both SMS (spunbond-based) and spunlace fabrics are used. SMS provides better barrier protection and strength, while spunlace provides better comfort and breathability. The choice depends on the protection level required.

In industrial wrapping and packaging, spunbond is dominant due to cost and strength. Spunlace is rarely used here unless absorbency or softness is needed.

In wipes, spunlace is the clear winner. Spunbond cannot deliver the absorbency and softness required for wiping applications. Some budget wipes use spunbond laminated with a pulp layer, but the quality difference is noticeable.

Use this simple decision tree to choose between spunlace and spunbond: