When choosing an apron, the material is still very important. The quality of the material also determines the durability, safety, ease of cleaning, etc. of an apron.

At present, the materials of aprons are as follows: PVC, non-woven fabrics, cotton, linen, nylon, polyester, RPET, Oxford cloth, canvas, rubber, cowhide, satin, jacket fabrics, etc.

In addition, some of the materials on the outside and inside are different. Some of the outside will have a waterproof coating, and the inside is also mostly made of waterproof materials, which can effectively prevent the fabric from seeping water and wetting clothes.

1. PVC
PVC is the abbreviation of polyvinyl chloride. PVC was once the world’s largest general-purpose plastic and was widely used.

2. Non-woven fabrics
Non-woven fabrics are a kind of non-woven fabrics made of polyester fiber and polyester fiber (abbreviated as: PET) and made through a needle punching process. They can be made into different thicknesses, feel, hardness, etc. Most of them are disposable and can be customized.

3. Cotton
Pure cotton woven fabric is made of cotton as raw material, through a loom, the warp and weft yarns are interwoven vertically and horizontally.

4. Linen
Linen is a kind of linen fiber textile fabric, which is made of fibers obtained from various hemp plants.

5. Nylon
Nylon is polyamide fiber (nylon), which is the first synthetic fiber in the world.

6. Polyester
Polyester is polyester fiber. Some use polyester as the main material, blended with cotton, linen and canvas.

7. RPET
RPET fabric is also called Coke bottle environmentally friendly fabric. The yarn of ordinary polyester fabric is extracted from petroleum, while RPET fabric is a new type of green environmentally friendly fabric woven by recycling plastic bottles, separation, slicing, spinning, and gathering. Each ton of finished PET yarn can save 6 tons of oil. One plastic bottle (600cc) = carbon reduction 25.2g = oil saving 0.52cc = water saving 88.6cc.
Advantages: low-carbon, environmentally friendly, renewable, low price, good mechanical properties, impact strength is 3 to 5 times that of other films, oil-resistant, fat-resistant, dilute acid-resistant, dilute alkali-resistant, resistant to most solvents, good heat aging resistance.
Disadvantages: afraid of strong twisting during cleaning, afraid of strong light exposure.

8. Oxford cloth
Oxford cloth originated in the UK and was named after the University of Oxford in the UK. It is mostly made of polyester polyester-cotton blended yarn and cotton yarn interwoven, and woven with a dimensional flat or square plain weave in a plain weave variation. Its production raw materials (polyester fiber, nylon) determine the excellent wear resistance of the fabric.

There are many specifications of Oxford cloth: 1680D, 1200D, 900D, 600D, 420D, 300D, 210D, 150D, etc. The functional classification is as follows: fire retardant cloth, waterproof Oxford cloth, PVC Oxford cloth, PU Oxford cloth, camouflage Oxford cloth, fluorescent Oxford cloth, printed Oxford cloth, composite Oxford cloth, etc.
Advantages: strong waterproof, fire-resistant, washable and quick-drying, resistant to twists, anti-static, and good tear resistance.
Disadvantages: Poor quality Oxford cloth has a bad feel, is light-transmitting, has poor wear resistance, and is easy to break.

9. Canvas
Canvas is a relatively thick cloth made of cotton or linen as raw materials. It is generally plain or twill, and can be divided into coarse canvas and fine canvas.
Advantages: strong, wear-resistant and durable, good waterproof, special canvas is also fireproof and radiation-proof, good stability, and is not easy to fade after coloring or printing.
Disadvantages: The price is relatively expensive, and shrinkage may occur after washing. Poor maintenance will cause the fabric to age and deteriorate.

10. Rubber
Also called work apron, anti-chemical apron, and heat-insulating apron. It uses pure natural rubber and cotton cloth as the base material and is often used as protective equipment in acid and alkali operations.

11. Cowhide
Generally suitable for welding, cutting, handling and other operations.
Advantages: heat insulation, wear resistance, waterproof, corrosion resistance, anti-scalding and radiation resistance.
Disadvantages: heavy and hard, ugly style, not breathable, and difficult to maintain.

12. Satin
Real silk, printed silk and other types of silk fabrics are generally called satin. Real silk is generally not used to make aprons, and the price is expensive. Other aprons made of artificial silk, synthetic silk, and interwoven silk are also uncommon.

Artificial silk is a satin made of rayon.
Advantages: good wear resistance, no static electricity, no pilling, and low price.
Disadvantages: easy to fade and shrink.

13. Jacket fabrics
There are two main types of jacket fabrics: one is a microporous fabric with ePTFE lamination, and the other is a hydrophilic fabric with PU or TPU coating (or lamination).

Advantages: waterproof, wear-resistant, dirt-resistant, acid-alkali corrosion-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, iron-free, and good durability.
Disadvantages: poor breathability.

Material summary
From the perspective of safety and durability, cowhide ≈ rubber > jacket fabric > canvas ≈ Oxford cloth > RPET > nylon > polyester > linen ≈ cotton > non-woven fabric > PVC > satin

From the perspective of practicality, polyester, cotton, linen, and nylon are more commonly used, and there are also blended ones such as polyester and cotton. Oxford cloth and canvas are also the choices of many people.

The specific material and style of aprons mainly depend on personal needs!