Textile Glossary

Centinewton

Definition

Value of the resistance force of a fiber against rupture under tensile load.

Use in the textile industry

The centinewton (cN) is used in the textile industry as the unit for expressing the breaking force of individual fibers and yarns. Typical applications include quality testing of natural and man-made fibers as well as the development and control of yarns for technical textiles, apparel, and home textiles. Expressing breaking force in centinewtons enables a standardized and comparable evaluation of fiber strength across different fiber types and production stages.

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Frequently asked question

The centinewton (cN) denotes the absolute breaking force of a fiber or yarn, regardless of its fineness. The centinewton per tex (cN/tex), by contrast, is a specific breaking force related to fineness, which allows a fair comparison of fibers of different linear densities. When comparing different fiber types or yarn counts, the cN/tex value is therefore more meaningful than the absolute cN value.

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