1929
Carothers esters
DuPont’s early polyesters were a sideshow to nylon.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Carothers esters
- Terylene
- Dacron
- Wash-and-wear
- Double-knit crash
- Bottle-to-fibre
- Microfibre fleece
- Ocean microfibre papers
- Cationic dyeable PET
- Chemical recycling pilots
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength58
Heat resistance42
Fire performance24
Insulation50
Workability88
Circularity34
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is Polyester non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: melts and drips unless FR. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Polyester insulate?
Thermal mark 50/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: low solid; fabrics trap air.
What is the density band?
~1.38 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: Whinfield & Dickson 1941 / DuPont Dacron (United Kingdom / US).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 34/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
~250–260 °C
heat 42 · fire 24
Polyester did not arrive as a finished commodity. Whinfield & Dickson 1941 / DuPont Dacron around United Kingdom / US still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Whinfield & Dickson 1941 / DuPont DacronUnited Kingdom / US
Timeline
1929Carothers esters
DuPont’s early polyesters were a sideshow to nylon.
1941Terylene
Whinfield and Dickson at Calico Printers, later ICI.
1951Dacron
DuPont commercial filament and staple.
1950sWash-and-wear
Polyester/cotton blends ate ironing time.
1970sDouble-knit crash
Fashion glut taught the fibre a humility lesson.
1990sBottle-to-fibre
rPET staple from drink bottles.
2000sMicrofibre fleece
Polar fleece as wool’s plastic cousin.
2010sOcean microfibre papers
Washing machines entered the ecology debate.
2010sCationic dyeable PET
Better colour in sportswear.
2020sChemical recycling pilots
Depolymerisation to monomers, still small versus melt.
The eras
1951
Dacron
DuPont commercial filament and staple.
1970s
Double-knit crash
Fashion glut taught the fibre a humility lesson.
2000s
Microfibre fleece
Polar fleece as wool’s plastic cousin.
2010s
Cationic dyeable PET
Better colour in sportswear.
Milestones
Wash-and-wear
1950sPolyester/cotton blends ate ironing time.
Microfibre fleece
2000sPolar fleece as wool’s plastic cousin.
Chemical recycling pilots
2020sDepolymerisation to monomers, still small versus melt.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Polyester as timeless.
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