Fiberglass fabrics are essential materials in various industries, offering strength, durability, and versatility. In this guide, we’ll explore four popular types of fiberglass fabrics: fiberglass cloth, chopped strand mat (CSM), biaxial woven fiberglass and woven roving. We’ll cover what they are, their uses, and their benefits.

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Fiberglass Cloth

Fiberglass cloth is a woven fabric made from fine glass fibers. It is known for its strength and flexibility, making it a popular choice for reinforcing and repairing surfaces. It comes in a variety weights and widths. It also comes in different weaves such as plain weave, satin weave and twill weave.

Uses:

Marine Applications: Ideal for boat repairs and building, providing a strong, lightweight layer.

Automotive Industry: Used to repair or reinforce car parts and panels.

Construction: Strengthens wood, fiberglass or other materials. 

Benefits:

*High Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Provides reinforcement without adding significant weight.

*Flexibility: Adapts to various shapes and contours.

*Durability: Resists impact, abrasion, and corrosion.

Chopped Strand Mat (CSM)

Chopped Strand Mat is a non-woven mat of randomly oriented glass fibers held together by a styrene binder. It is known for its ease of use and suitability for creating complex shapes. It builds up thickness quickly and is great to use in conjunction with fiberglass cloth or woven roving. It is also known as fiberglass mat.

Uses:

Composite Manufacturing: Commonly used in boat hulls, automotive parts, mold making and structural panels.

Repairs: Ideal for patching and repairing damaged fiberglass. 

Benefits:

*Ease of Use: Simple to apply and conforms to irregular shapes. It also prevents print through which is the fiberglass cloth weave showing through the resin or gel coat. It is often used as the first layer in a mold or the final layer of a laminate when aesthetics are an issue.

*Good Wet Out: If enough resin is added, it wets out the mat thoroughly, creating strong bonds. Chopped strand mat is compatible with polyester and vinyl ester resins. It is not compatible with epoxy resin because of the styrene binder.

*Cost-Effective: Generally more affordable than woven fabrics.

*Pairs well with woven roving. It fills in the gaps in the roving weave, creating a strong laminate.

Biaxial Knit Woven Fiberglass

Biaxial woven fiberglass is a type of fiberglass fabric where the fibers are woven in two directions (typically 0° and 90°). This orientation enhances its strength and rigidity. The most popular biaxial is known as .

Uses:

*High-Strength Applications: Used in high-performance composites, such as in the marine industry, automotive, and sporting equipment. It is very popular in the construction of boats and decks.

*Structural Reinforcement: Provides excellent strength and durability for structural components.

Benefits: 

*Superior Strength: Offers high tensile and compressive strength due to its bi-directional fiber orientation.

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*Rigid and Durable: Provides excellent resistance to stress and strain.

*Versatile: Suitable for a wide range of applications from high-performance sports equipment to structural components.

Woven Roving

Woven roving is a heavy weight fiberglass fabric that adds strength and builds thickness quickly. It is made up of bi-directional bundles that are oriented at 0º/90º. It is best paired with chopped strand mat to help with laminating additional layers together. The mat fills in the large gaps found in the weave of the roving.

Uses: 

*Large Applications: Used in large, flat applications such as boat decks and pools where strength is needed.

*Building Thickness Quickly: Great for applications that require a thick laminate. 

Benefits:

*Powerful: Offers high tensile and impact strength.

*Cost effective: A budget friendly way to build up thickness quickly on flat surfaces.

*Compatibility: When used in conjunction with chopped strand mat, it is compatible with polyester and vinyl ester resins. The chopped strand mat makes it incompatible with epoxy resin systems. The benefit of layering it with chopped strand mat is that it creates a stronger bond. The mat will also help avoid any print through from the woven roving weave.

Conclusion

Each type of fiberglass fabric—fiberglass cloth, chopped strand mat, biaxial woven fiberglass and woven roving—has unique characteristics that make it suitable for different applications. By understanding their uses and benefits, you can select the right material for your project and achieve the desired performance. Whether you’re reinforcing a boat, repairing a car, or creating high-strength composites, fiberglass fabrics offer a reliable solution for your needs.

Still not sure which fiberglass to choose for your project? Give us a call at 877-877- or at . Our customer service reps are here to help!

Do you have a project in mind but have no idea where to start?  Let us help you.  One of the first things you will want to do is decide what kind of fiberglass you want to use.  Do you need to build up thickness fast?  Are you concerned about strength? Do you have tight corners you are working with?  Let us break things down a bit to help you decide if fiberglass cloth is right for your project or if you are needing chopped strand mat. Keep in mind that you can actually use both together to achieve your desired outcome. Below is an overview.

Fiberglass Cloth

(Plain weave fiberglass cloth)

Fiberglass Clothis a woven fabric. Plain, 4 harness satin and 8 harness satin are the weave styles we carry. The 4, 6 and 10 ounce plain weave fabrics are the most commonly used. In this simple plain weave pattern, warp and fill yarns are interlaced over and under each other in alternating fashion. The plain weave is the easiest to handle since it does not unravel as much as the other weaves when cut.

In the four-harness satin weave pattern there is a three by one interfacing where a filling yarn floats over three warp yarns and under one.

The eight harness satin is similar to the four harness satin except that one filling yarn floats over seven warp yarns and under one. The satin weaves are slightly stronger and more pliable than the plain weave and are easier to conform to curved surfaces. They are more difficult to handle than the plain weave, though. Use fiberglass cloth when you are looking to create a strong, light weight product.

Chopped Strand Mat

Chopped Strand Mat (also known as fiberglass mat) has short strands of fibers held together with a resin binder. The fibers are randomly oriented. Mat is only compatible with polyester and vinyl ester resin. When resin is added to the mat, the binder dissolves and the fibers can be moved around. It is easier to conform mat to tight curves and corners than it is with weaved fabric. The reason chopped strand mat is not compatible with epoxy resin is because the binder holding the fibers together needs styrene to properly dissolve.  Polyester and vinyl ester resins have styrene in them. (There are some places that sell chopped strand mat that is compatible with epoxy but it is hard to come by and much more expensive). Chopped strand mat is the least expensive fiberglass and is often used in mold construction or projects where thickness is needed. Mat is often used as the first layer (before the gelcoat) in a laminate to prevent print through. Print through is when the fabric weave texture shows through the resin. Chopped Strand mat does not have much strength. If you need strength you should choose a woven cloth or you could mix the two. Mat can be used between layers of woven fabric to help build thickness quickly and aid in all layers bonding well together.

For info on more fiberglass reinforcements and resin, check out our Ultimate Fiberglass and Resin Guidebook for Beginners.

For more detailed information on each fiberglass cloth we carry, you can CLICK HERE.

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