Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Elastic Narrow Fabrics
Elastic narrow fabrics are an important input to the undergarment industry. They are also used in other
garments i.e. shorts, jackets and skirts, moulded luggage, baby diapers, sports goods, medical goods,
etc.
Product characteristics
Elastic narrow fabrics are made from an elastomeric yarn and yarns made from cotton, polyester and
nylon. More than 3000 different varieties of elastic fabrics are manufactured however, based on
manufacturing technology they can be classified as woven and knitted. The fabric is expected to have
the following properties:-
• Stretchability
• Shrink resistance
• Durability to regular wash
• Soft feel
Knitted elastic tapes are generally available in widths 8 mm, 12 mm, 20 mm and 25 mm. Woven
elastic tapes range in widths 25 mm, 32 mm and 38 mm. These elastic tapes are primarily used for
undergarments. The narrow fabric is made with or without logo along the length depending on
customer’s requirement.
Market dynamics and key growth drivers
Elastic narrow fabrics are majorly consumed in inner wears. The inner wear market accounts for
around 15 - 20% of the total apparel sales volume in India. This market is expected to maintain a
steady volume growth of 6% which functions as a key driver for growth in elastics industry.
Market size of elastics and future forecast
Undergarments account for 80 - 85% of the consumption of elastic fabrics. As per the National
Household Survey 2006 by Textile Committee the undergarment domestic consumption in 2005 -
2006 was around 650 million pieces growing at a CAGR of 6% over the last 2 years. Thus, the
undergarment market in 2007-08 is estimated at 750 million pieces in 2007-08 of which
approximately 0.6 million pieces are imported. In addition, 50 million pieces of undergarments were
exported in the same year. On an average each undergarment consumes 0.83 meters of elastic. The
average price of elastic narrow fabric is Rs. 4.4 per meter.
In addition elastic tapes are also used in garments, moulded luggage, wrist bands, baby diapers, etc.
The usage of elastics in these applications is 15 – 20% of the total usage.