Technical textiles · reference
Technical Textiles: Where the Knowledge Lives
The ministries, standards committees, associations, research centres, courses, journals and trade press that technical textiles are built on. For each one: who runs it, whether you can read it free, and what you will find there. Every link was opened and checked before it was listed.
- 73 resources
- 33 free to read
- 8 kinds
Government and official statistics
Ministries, schemes and official studies. India first.
Office of the Textile Commissioner: Technical Textiles hub Free
One page linking the official technical-textile documents: 207 HSN notification, baseline survey, standards compendium, CoE compendium, exporter and importer directories.
Baseline Survey of the Technical Textile Industry in India, Jan 2016 (PDF) Free
An 882-page segment-by-segment survey of India's technical textile industry: products, units, market sizes and constraints for each of the 12 classes.
The Ministry of Textiles' notice of the IIT Delhi baseline study launch, with its summary of the technical-textile schemes then running.
DGFT Notification No. 54/2015-2020 of 15 Jan 2019: 207 technical-textile HSN items (PDF) Free
The signed notification adding Appendix V to ITC (HS) 2017, listing the 207 items India classes as technical textiles.
Compendium on Standards in the Technical Textiles Sector, Feb 2014 (PDF) Free
A 56-page list of Indian and international standards for technical textiles, sorted by segment, with the committees that own them.
Investor Guide: Technotex 2013 (PDF) Free
A 178-page 2013 investor guide on India's technical textiles: demand and supply drivers, segments and the government support then on offer.
Technical Textiles Exporters Directory (PDF) Free
A list of Indian technical-textile exporters by segment and product, with addresses, useful for finding suppliers or competitors.
Invest India: 'Technical Textiles: A Sunrise Sector' Free
A short investment-side overview of the Indian technical textiles market and the policies behind it.
NITI Aayog blog: 'Technical Textiles, A Sunrise Sector in Indian Textile Industry' Free
A NITI Aayog officer's overview of India's technical textiles segment, its world share and growth outlook.
EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles Free
EU textile policy: durability and recyclability requirements, a Digital Product Passport and producer-responsibility rules that exporters to Europe will meet.
US Commercial Service: Technical Textiles Resource Guide 2020 (PDF) Free
Country-by-country technical textile market notes for 10 markets, including India, with best-prospect subsectors and trade events.
Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) Free
US Commerce office for textile trade: trade data, trade-agreement information and industry analysis.
Standards committees
The committees that write the test methods and specifications. The standards themselves are in the site’s standards register.
BIS Textiles Department: sectional committees (TXD) Free
The live list of BIS textile committees, including TXD 30 Geosynthetics, TXD 32 Protective Clothing, TXD 33 Industrial Fabrics and TXD 34-41 for tech-tex segments.
BIS: liaison of textile committees with ISO committees Free
Shows which BIS TXD committee mirrors which ISO committee, for example TXD 30 Geosynthetics with ISO/TC 221.
ISO/TC 38 Textiles Part free
Scope, subcommittees (SC 1, 2, 20, 23 Fibres and yarns, 24) and working groups including WG 9 Nonwovens; standards themselves are sold.
ISO/TC 221 Geosynthetics Part free
The international committee for geotextiles, geomembranes and clay liners: scope, working groups and its 50 published standards.
ISO/TC 94/SC 13 Protective clothing Part free
The committee behind ISO standards for heat, flame, chemical and mechanical protective clothing, with its working groups.
CEN/TC 248 Textiles and textile products Part free
European textile test methods and specifications: scope, working groups, work programme and published EN standards list.
CEN/TC 189 Geosynthetics Part free
The European geosynthetics committee: terminology, test methods and requirements tied to CE marking of construction products.
CEN/TC 162 Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets Part free
European standards for protective clothing, gloves, high-visibility wear and lifejackets, with work programme and published list.
ASTM Committee D13 on Textiles Part free
Scope, subcommittees and the full list of ASTM textile test methods and specifications, which are sold individually.
ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics Part free
The US committee for geosynthetic test methods; lists its subcommittees, standards and work items.
EDANA / INDA: Nonwovens Standard Procedures (NWSP) Paid
Explains the joint EDANA-INDA nonwoven test-method book (NWSP) and how to obtain it.
Geosynthetic Research Institute: list of GRI test methods Part free
The index of GRI test methods and specifications for geomembranes, geotextiles and geogrids that many tenders cite.
Industry associations
Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) Part free
India's industry association for technical textiles: member list, government circulars, scheme notices and copies of government baseline reports.
EDANA: What are nonwovens? Free
A plain explanation of what nonwovens are and how they are made, from the European industry association.
INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry Part free
Nonwoven basics, plus paid courses from elementary nonwovens to filter media and wipes.
Advanced Textiles Association (ATA, formerly IFAI) Part free
US trade body for specialty fabrics and technical textiles; publishes Geosynthetics magazine and runs industry events.
Techtextil: the 12 application areas Free
The trade fair page that defines Agrotech, Buildtech, Clothtech and the other application areas, the source of the 12-class scheme.
Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Part free
Research consortium for geosynthetics: test methods, design guides, certification and member-only reports.
International Geosynthetics Society: Digital Library Part free
IGS lectures, guides and other educational material on geosynthetics; its two journals are member-access.
The Textile Institute Part free
Professional body behind the Journal of the Textile Institute, Textile Progress and a textile book series; membership gives access.
Research institutes and centres of excellence
SITRA Centre of Excellence for Medical Textiles Paid
Testing, incubation and product-development support for medical textiles; SITRA was designated a CoE under TMTT.
BTRA Centre of Excellence for Geotech Paid
Testing for geotextiles, geomembranes, geogrids, gabions and drains, with a geotech information resource centre.
ATIRA Centre of Excellence for Composites Paid
Composite testing, prototyping, training and incubation; ATIRA was designated a CoE for composites in 2011.
SASMIRA Centre of Excellence for Agrotech Part free
Agrotextile product development, testing and demonstration, with agrotextile booklets; IIT Delhi is named as knowledge partner.
WRA Centre of Excellence for Sportech Paid
Sports-textile testing, training and pilot-plant incubation; WRA was sanctioned as Sportech CoE under TMTT.
Industrial-textile incubation, coating and lamination, and NABL-accredited testing for products such as conveyor belts and automotive textiles.
MANTRA technical textiles laboratory Paid
Lists the tests MANTRA's lab runs on technical textiles, such as air permeability, water vapour transmission and run-off.
IIT Delhi Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering Free
Faculty, research areas and programmes; most NPTEL textile courses listed here come from this department.
Hohenstein Paid
Commercial testing and certification of textiles and medical devices, including physical, chemical and PFAS tests.
Centexbel Part free
Belgian textile research centre: testing, CE marking, sustainable technical textiles and composites projects, and a searchable textile lexicon.
AITEX (Textile Research Institute) Paid
Spanish textile research and testing institute with sector pages for geotextiles, PPE, medical, automotive, ballistic and sports surfaces.
ITA, Institut fuer Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University Free
University textile-technology research institute; news and projects include smart textiles, 3D printing on textiles and composites.
DITF (German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research) Free
Research from polymer and fibre to finished structure, grouped by application such as construction, health and mobility.
NC State Wilson College of Textiles Part free
Textile degrees and research, including the Nonwovens Institute and the Textile Protection and Comfort Center.
The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) Part free
Nonwovens pilot lines, labs, training and an explainer on what nonwovens are.
Free courses and open learning
NPTEL: Technical Textiles (IIT Delhi, Prof. Apurba Das) Free
A 12-week video course: textile-reinforced composites, filter fabrics, geotextiles, cold, heat, UV and ballistic protection, sports textiles, compression bandages, automotive.
NPTEL: Nonwoven Technology (IIT Delhi, Dr. Dipayan Das) Free
A web-text course on web formation, bonding and properties of nonwovens, organised lesson by lesson.
NPTEL: Testing of Functional and Technical Textiles (IIT Delhi, Prof. Apurba Das) Free
Video lectures on testing fabric low-stress mechanics, comfort transmission properties, fibre-reinforced composites and other functional textiles.
NPTEL: High Performance and Specialty Fibres (IIT Delhi, Dr. Manjeet Jassal) Free
A web course on aramid, carbon, gel-spun polyethylene, glass, ceramic and heat- and chemical-resistant fibres.
NPTEL: Geosynthetics Engineering: In Theory and Practice (IIT Bombay, Prof. J. N. Mandal) Free
A civil-engineering course on geosynthetic materials and their use in practice, taught by a long-time geosynthetics researcher.
NPTEL: Geosynthetics and Reinforced Soil Structures (IIT Madras, Prof. K. Rajagopal) Free
A civil-engineering course on geosynthetics and the design of reinforced soil structures.
NPTEL: Manufacturing of Composites (IIT Kanpur, Prof. J. Ramkumar) Free
A video course on the processes used to manufacture composite parts.
NPTEL: Introduction to Composites (IIT Kanpur, Prof. Nachiketa Tiwari) Free
A foundation video course introducing composite materials and their behaviour.
e-PG Pathshala: Home Science, Paper 08 'Textile manufacturing and testing' Free
Free postgraduate e-text modules; Paper 08 has nonwovens (M-18, M-19) and technical textiles by class (M-20 to M-27).
MIT OpenCourseWare: MAS.962 Special Topics: New Textiles (2010) Free
Project-based course material on electronic and smart textiles, fabric circuits, yarn and nonwoven assignments.
MITx: Innovations in Textile Engineering: Fibers, Yarns, Nonwovens, & More (2.S990x) Free, sign-up
Online course on fibre and textile engineering, including composite fibrous materials and nonwovens; runs on edX.
Journals
Open-access titles can be read in full. The others publish free abstracts.
Open-access peer-reviewed textile science papers, including fibrous structures and functional textiles.
IGS journals: Geosynthetics International and Geotextiles & Geomembranes Part free
Explains access to the two main geosynthetics journals, which IGS members can read through the library.
Books and handbooks
Listed for citation. Links go to the publisher.
The standard reference on how technical textiles are made: fibres, yarns, fabric formation, finishing and coating.
The companion volume on applications: protection, filtration, transport, geotextiles, medical and smart textiles.
Handbook of Nonwovens, 2nd ed. (S. J. Russell, 2022) Paid
A full reference on nonwoven web formation, bonding, finishing, testing and modelling.
Advances in Technical Nonwovens, 2nd ed. (G. Kellie, ed., 2025) Paid
Covers nonwoven processes and their technical end uses such as filtration, medical and automotive.
Handbook of Medical Textiles (V. Bartels, ed., 2011) Paid
Medical textile types, skin contact, wound care, hygiene and case studies, for product developers.
Textiles for Protection (R. A. Scott, ed., 2005) Paid
A reference on protective textiles against heat, chemicals, ballistic threats and weather.
Textile Advances in the Automotive Industry (R. Shishoo, ed., 2008) Paid
Automotive textiles from seat fabrics to airbags and composites, with markets and testing.
Composite Reinforcements for Optimum Performance, 2nd ed. (P. Boisse, ed., 2020) Paid
Textile reinforcements for composites: woven, braided and 3D structures, their mechanics and forming.
Trade press and databases
Technical Textiles International / technical-textiles.net Part free
Technical textile news free after registration; feature articles and the Technical Textiles International magazine need a paid subscription.
TextilesInside Free
News, a material guide and market pages for 13 technical-textile markets, with a free 'ask the expert' service.
Free news site on technical-textile innovation, sorted by market such as transport, medical, protective and construction.
Geosynthetics magazine Part free
Case studies, product news and design articles on geosynthetics; site free, print subscription offered.
EBSCO Textile Technology Complete Paid
A paid library database indexing textile science and technology literature back to the early 1900s; available through institutions.
Links last checked November 6, 2026. The site has no paid or sponsored listings.