Nonwoven Fabric Types Compared: Spunlace vs Spunbond vs Meltblown

Nonwoven fabrics are classified by how their fibers are bonded, and three processes dominate: spunbond (strong, economical structure), meltblown (ultra-fine fibers for filtration), and spunlace (soft, cloth-like feel for skin contact). A fourth term you’ll meet constantly — SMS — is not a process but a sandwich of spunbond and meltblown layers. This guide explains how each type is made, what it’s good at, and how to match a type to your product. For the fundamentals of what makes a fabric “nonwoven” in the first place, start with our guide to what nonwoven fabric is.

Spunbond is made by extruding continuous thermoplastic filaments (typically 15–35 μm in diameter), laying them into a web, and bonding them — usually with heated rollers. Continuous filaments give spunbond its signature property: strength.

• Strengths: high tensile strength, abrasion resistance, low cost at scale.
• Limits: relatively coarse hand-feel; limited filtration on its own.
• Typical uses: the outer layers of medical masks and gowns, agriculture covers, shopping bags, furniture and bedding substrates.

Meltblown extrudes molten polymer through fine nozzles into high-velocity hot air, shattering it into microfibers as fine as 0.5–5 μm that self-bond as they cool. Those ultra-fine fibers create a dense web with enormous surface area — the basis of filtration.

• Strengths: outstanding particle and bacterial filtration, good barrier properties, soft and fluffy.
• Limits: low mechanical strength, poor abrasion resistance — meltblown almost never works alone.
• Typical uses: the electrostatic filter layer in medical masks and respirators, liquid filtration media, oil absorbents.

This is why a medical face mask is a three-layer design: spunbond outside for strength and splash resistance, meltblown in the middle doing the filtering, and a soft bonded layer against the skin.

Spunlace — also called hydroentangled fabric — uses high-pressure water jets instead of heat or glue to tangle fibers together. Because no binder melts the fibers stiff, spunlace keeps a textile-like drape and softness that other nonwovens can’t match, and it blends natural and synthetic fibers freely (cotton, viscose, polyester).

• Strengths: soft, absorbent, low-linting, cloth-like feel; excellent for skin contact.
• Limits: lower strength than spunbond; cost above commodity spunbond.
• Typical uses: wet wipes, disposable face towels, sheet mask substrates, medical and cosmetic wipes.

SMS stands for spunbond–meltblown–spunbond: two strength layers wrapping a filtration layer. The composite gets spunbond’s durability and meltblown’s barrier in one fabric — which is why SMS dominates surgical drapes, gowns, and sterile packaging. Variants (SMMS, SSMMS) tune the ratio of strength to barrier by adding layers.

Other bonding routes you may encounter: thermal bonded (soft, used against skin, e.g., mask inner layers), needle-punched (thick, felt-like, for geotextiles and padding), and airlaid (bulky and absorbent, for hygiene cores). They matter in specific niches, but spunbond, meltblown, spunlace, and SMS cover most sourcing conversations.

Work backwards from the job the fabric must do:

1. Touching skin repeatedly? → Spunlace (softness, absorbency, low lint).

2. Filtering air or liquid? → Meltblown — but plan a supporting layer for strength.

3. Need strength and a barrier? → SMS composite.

4. Structure, coverage, economy at scale? → Spunbond.

5. Harsh solvents or cleanroom duty? → Purpose-built low-lint constructions; see our cleanroom wipers guide for that specialized branch.

Basis weight (GSM), fiber blend, and finishing treatments tune each type further — the same process at a different weight behaves like a different material. When a product needs properties that no single type delivers, custom development is the answer: Graminton’s nonwoven material research center develops application-specific constructions from fiber selection up.

Which is stronger, spunbond or meltblown?

Spunbond, by a wide margin — its continuous filaments resist tearing and abrasion, while meltblown’s microfibers prioritize filtration over strength. That’s why they’re usually combined rather than compared.

Is SMS a type of nonwoven fabric?

Strictly, SMS is a composite of two nonwoven types: spunbond skins around a meltblown core. It’s specified like a fabric type in practice because it behaves as one — strong, fluid-resistant, and breathable.

Why is spunlace preferred for skin-contact products?

The water-jet bonding leaves no melted bonding points or chemical binder, so the fabric stays soft, drapes like cloth, and can blend cotton or viscose for absorbency — ideal for face towels, wipes, and sheet masks.

Can different nonwoven types be combined in one product?

Constantly — that’s the norm, not the exception. A medical mask uses three different bonding types in three layers; an SMS drape laminates two. Composite design is where most nonwoven innovation happens.