Breathable
Also known as: Breathability
A fabric's ability to transport water vapour (body sweat) to the outside.
Description
Breathable is a colloquial term for water vapour permeability. Measurable via MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate) in g/m2/24h per JIS L 1099 or ASTM E96, and RET (Water Vapour Resistance) in m2Pa/W per ISO 11092 (Hohenstein Skin Model).
Classification: RET < 6 very breathable (high performance), 6-13 good (daily use), 13-20 limited (rain protection), > 20 uncomfortable (PVC raincoat). A human produces 300-500 g of sweat per hour at moderate load; MVTR must exceed 5,000 g/m2/24h to avoid inner condensation.
Key factors: membrane chemistry, coating add-on, DWR condition of the outer face (wet shell = no vapour flow), wash cycles, ageing. Combinations of breathable membrane + hydrophobic inner + hydrophilic interlayer enable systems like GORE-TEX® Pro (RET < 9).
Properties
| Test standard | ISO 11092 (RET), JIS L 1099 (MVTR) |
|---|---|
| Typical values | RET 3-20, MVTR 3,000-30,000 |
| Application | Outdoor, sport, workwear |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Breathability Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathability
- ISO 11092 ISO — International Organization for Standardization https://www.iso.org/standard/65962.html
