Why is silk more expensive than polyester?

Silk costs more because it is a farmed natural filament that must be reeled, graded, woven and finished, while polyester is extruded from polymer and produced at a fraction of the labour and time. The price gap reflects the production route, not a judgement about which is the right choice for a given product.

Raw material - mulberry silk is graded A to 6A by filament length and uniformity. 6A has the longest, most even filaments, the smoothest and strongest hand, and the highest lustre and price. 5A is very close, with marginally shorter filaments and a slightly lower price. Lower grades 2A-3A are coarser.

Processing - reeling, degumming, dyeing and finishing are labour-intensive and slow. Polyester is melt-spun continuously, so a metre of fabric is produced far faster and with less handling.

Weight and weave - heavier constructions use more fibre. Light printed silk at 8-12 momme sits at roughly $1.5-$5 per piece, while 19-22 momme satin and twill sit at roughly $8-$20.

Silk-feel polyester is a legitimate lower-cost option and we always label it as polyester, never as silk. The choice depends on your price point and your customer's expectation.

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