Is Ripstop Fabric Tear-Proof? What Buyers Should Test

No, Ripstop fabric is not tear-proof.

The reinforced grid can help limit or slow the spread of a small tear, but it does not prevent every fabric from tearing. Actual performance depends on the yarn, construction, density, fabric weight, finishing process and test method.

CC Textile encountered this problem in a lightweight jacket project using a 50D, 100% polyester Ripstop with a PU coating. The finished fabric weighed approximately 87 GSM. Its tear strength was tested after coating and fell below the customer’s requirement.

The Ripstop structure was visible, but the final fabric still failed.

What Does Ripstop Fabric Actually Do?

Ripstop is a woven construction in which reinforcement yarns are introduced at regular intervals. These yarns create the familiar square or rectangular grid.

When damage begins, the reinforced areas may help restrict the tear or make it more difficult for the tear to continue through the fabric. This is why nylon and polyester Ripstop fabrics are commonly considered for lightweight jackets, windbreakers, outdoor trousers, bags and other applications where low weight and practical durability must be balanced.

The grid, however, is only one part of the construction.

Ripstop performance can be affected by:

• Fibre composition

• Yarn Denier

• Yarn strength and grade

• Warp and weft density

• Size and spacing of the reinforced grid

• Fabric weight

• Weaving quality

• Dyeing and heat treatment

• Coating or lamination

• Direction and method of tear testing

A fabric described only as “50D polyester Ripstop” is therefore not fully specified. Two fabrics carrying that description can produce different tear results.

Why Can Ripstop Fabric Still Tear?

A Ripstop grid is intended to support the fabric after damage starts. It cannot compensate for every weakness in the base material.

A fabric may still fail tear testing when:

• The base yarn is not strong enough for the target use.

• The warp or weft density is too low.

• The reinforced grid is too widely spaced.

• The construction is unbalanced between warp and weft.

• The finished fabric has become too stiff or brittle.

• A coating restricts yarn movement at the tear point.

• The test requirement is higher than the construction was designed to meet.

• The submitted sample and bulk fabric do not follow the same processing route.

The location and direction of the tear also matter. Warp and weft results may differ because the yarn specifications and densities are not always identical.

This is why a buyer should request results in both directions when the product specification requires them.

A 50D Polyester PU-Coated Ripstop That Failed

The CC Textile project involved the following construction:

• Composition: 100% polyester

• Yarn specification: 50D

• Construction: Ripstop

• Finish: PU coating

• Weight: approximately 87 GSM

• Intended use: lightweight jacket

• Testing stage: after PU coating

The tear strength of the final coated fabric was below the customer’s required minimum. Exact values and the customer-appointed test method are not disclosed, so this case should not be compared numerically with projects using another method.

The important point was the testing stage. The result represented the completed PU-coated fabric rather than the uncoated base cloth.

Had only the uncoated fabric been tested, the report would not have revealed how the complete finishing route affected tear performance.

How PU Coating Can Affect Tear Strength

PU coating is commonly used when a fabric needs a controlled surface, hand feel or resistance to water penetration. The actual result depends on the coating formulation, application amount, curing conditions and compatibility with the base fabric.

Coating does not automatically reduce tear strength. However, an unsuitable coating route can make a lightweight fabric stiffer or more brittle.

During a tear, woven yarns may need to move, gather and redistribute the applied force. If the coating holds the yarns too rigidly or the processing conditions weaken the finished structure, the fabric may tear more easily under the selected test conditions.

That was the confirmed issue in this project. The original PU coating process made the lightweight polyester Ripstop too brittle, and the finished tear result fell below the customer’s requirement.

This should not be expanded into a claim that all PU-coated Ripstop fabrics are weak. The outcome depends on the complete combination of base cloth, coating formulation and processing conditions.

How the Coating Process Was Corrected

The solution was not simply to add a heavier Ripstop grid or increase the finished weight.

The PU coating route was reviewed and adjusted in three areas:

• Coating formulation

• Processing parameters

• Processing temperature

After the adjustment, the finished fabric was tested again. The tear strength result was slightly above the customer’s required minimum.

This confirmed that the coating process, rather than the visible Ripstop pattern alone, was a critical part of the fabric specification.

It also showed why performance should be reviewed with some production margin. A result that only reaches the minimum under one trial may leave limited room for normal bulk variation. The acceptable margin should be agreed between the buyer, fabric supplier and testing laboratory.

Tear Strength Is Not the Same as Tensile Strength

Tear strength and tensile strength answer different questions.

Tear strength evaluates the force required to continue or propagate damage after a cut or tear has already started. Depending on the agreed method, testing may use a pendulum, tongue-shaped specimen or trapezoid specimen.

For example, ASTM D1424 covers the force required to propagate a single-rip tear using a falling-pendulum apparatus. Other tear methods use different specimen shapes and equipment.

Tensile strength evaluates how a fabric behaves when it is pulled until it reaches a specified condition or breaks.

Results from different tear methods are not automatically interchangeable. A specification should state:

• Test method

• Test direction

• Unit of measurement

• Minimum warp requirement

• Minimum weft requirement

• Sample conditioning

• Whether the fabric is tested before or after finishing

Writing only “high tear strength” does not give the mill, coating factory or laboratory an objective acceptance point.

Tear Strength, Abrasion and DWR Measure Different Risks

A buyer developing a lightweight outdoor jacket may need more than one test because each test evaluates a different type of failure.

Tear strength

This checks how the fabric resists the propagation of existing damage. A Ripstop grid is directly relevant, but the complete coated construction still determines the result.

Abrasion resistance

This evaluates how the fabric responds to repeated surface rubbing. The customer’s requirement in this project was 16,000 abrasion cycles.

A cycle requirement should not be used alone. Buyers should also state the test method, abrasive material, pressure or load, evaluation endpoint and pass criteria. Sixteen thousand cycles under one method may not be equivalent to the same number under another method.

Water repellency

The project used an AATCC 22 initial requirement of 90 or above. AATCC TM22 evaluates a fabric’s resistance to surface wetting by water and is particularly suitable for assessing water-repellent finishes.

An AATCC 22 result does not establish that the fabric is waterproof. If resistance to water penetration is required, the specification should include a suitable hydrostatic pressure test and defined acceptance level.

A fabric can therefore pass its initial water-repellency requirement and still fail tear testing. It can also pass tear and abrasion requirements without meeting a waterproof specification.

Is PU-Coated Ripstop Waterproof?

PU-coated Ripstop may be developed for resistance to water penetration, but the words “PU coated” do not provide a measurable waterproof specification.

Performance depends on factors including:

• Coating type and application amount

• Coating continuity

• Base fabric construction

• Pinholes or coating defects

• Required hydrostatic pressure

• Washing or ageing conditions

• Garment seams and construction

If the buyer requires waterproof fabric for a lightweight jacket, the RFQ should state the hydrostatic head target and test method. AATCC 22 should remain a separate surface water-repellency requirement.

This distinction is covered further in our guide to waterproof fabric specifications.

Is Nylon or Polyester Ripstop Better for Jackets?

There is no universal answer.

Nylon and polyester Ripstop can both be developed for lightweight jackets. The decision depends on the intended garment, required hand feel, weight, strength, colour, finishing route and cost target.

Fibre composition alone does not predict the final tear result. A carefully developed polyester construction may outperform an unsuitable nylon construction, while another nylon fabric may be more appropriate for a different garment.

Buyers should compare actual finished fabric specifications rather than choosing only by fibre name.

Useful comparison points include:

• Denier

• GSM

• Warp and weft density

• Tear strength in both directions

• Abrasion resistance

• Hand feel and noise

• Coating or lamination

• Water-repellency requirement

• Hydrostatic pressure where applicable

• Packability

• Bulk consistency

CC Textile’s woven fabric catalogue includes different performance and Ripstop constructions, but a listed product should still be evaluated against the intended garment requirement.

Why Testing the Final Finished Fabric Matters

Greige fabric, dyed fabric and coated fabric are different testing stages.

A base fabric may have acceptable strength before coating but produce a different result after heat, tension, resin application and curing. Testing only the unfinished fabric can therefore miss the risk that appears in the final production route.

For a PU-coated Ripstop project, buyers should consider:

• Testing the base fabric during development when required

• Testing again after the final coating process

• Using the approved coating formulation for bulk

• Recording key processing parameters

• Taking the approval specimen from representative production

• Repeating the required tests if the coating route changes

Our article on outdoor fabric testing explains why a passing material report does not replace evaluation of the complete garment.

What Buyers Should Put in a Ripstop Fabric Specification

A useful RFQ should contain more than “polyester Ripstop with PU coating.”

Buyers should define:

• Intended garment and use conditions

• Fibre composition

• Yarn Denier

• Weave and Ripstop grid

• Warp and weft density

• Target GSM and tolerance

• Usable width

• Required hand feel

• Coating type and coated side

• Tear test method

• Warp and weft tear requirements

• Testing stage

• Abrasion method, cycles and evaluation endpoint

• AATCC 22 initial and after-wash requirements where applicable

• Hydrostatic pressure method and target if waterproof performance is required

• Colour and colourfastness requirements

• Sample approval procedure

• Bulk testing and shipment-release conditions

If the buyer has only a garment sample or reference fabric, the specification can be developed through physical analysis and trial production. CC Textile supports fabric development from a reference sample, target construction or performance requirement.

The Cost of Discovering the Problem Too Late

A lower quotation may come from a lighter construction, different yarn, reduced coating cost or fewer tests. It may also be a legitimate price difference based on production scale or sourcing.

Price alone does not reveal which explanation applies.

The risk appears when two quotations do not cover the same construction, finishing route and testing responsibility. A small saving at fabric order stage can be outweighed by:

• Failed laboratory testing

• Coating adjustments

• Repeat sampling

• Reprocessing costs

• Delayed garment production

• Missed shipment dates

• Disputes over responsibility

Buyers should compare quotations against the same written specification. Our article explaining why fabric prices vary covers the costs that may be missing from an apparently similar offer.

Ripstop Fabric Approval Checklist

Before approving bulk PU-coated Ripstop, the sourcing team should confirm:

• Does the Ripstop construction match the approved sample?

• Are yarn Denier, density, GSM and usable width within tolerance?

• Was tear strength tested on the final coated fabric?

• Are warp and weft requirements both stated?

• Is the coating formulation suitable for the lightweight base fabric?

• Are coating temperature and processing parameters controlled?

• Is the abrasion requirement linked to a defined test method?

• Is the AATCC 22 requirement separated from waterproof testing?

• Has the garment factory checked sewability and seam construction?

• Is written approval required before shipment?

The main purchasing lesson is straightforward: Ripstop describes a reinforcement structure, not a guaranteed level of tear resistance.

For the 50D polyester project, the grid remained the same, but adjusting the PU formulation, processing parameters and temperature changed the final tear performance. The finished fabric then tested slightly above the customer’s requirement.

Buyers with a Ripstop sample, lightweight jacket concept or performance specification can contact CC Textile for construction and finishing evaluation.

For wider industry discussion about Ripstop construction and fabric testing, visit Textile Alliance. Related fabric development updates are also shared through CC Textile on LinkedIn.

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