September 10, 2024
The silk supply chain covers five segments. This article clarifies key quality control indicators and verification methods for purchasers at each segment.
The silk supply chain can be divided into five major segments: first, sericulture — including mulberry orchard management, silkworm egg hatching, silkworm rearing, and cocoon harvesting. This is the starting point of the entire industry chain and the foundation of quality. Second, cocoon drying — fresh cocoons are dried for long-term storage. The temperature and time control of cocoon drying directly affect the quality of silk. Third, silk reeling — cocoons are processed through boiling, reeling, and doubling to produce raw silk. This is the segment with the highest technical content in the silk industry chain. Fourth, weaving — raw silk is woven into fabrics, including pre-weaving preparation (warping, sizing) and weaving machine operation. Fifth, finished products — fabrics are processed into final products such as silk quilts, silk apparel, and accessories. In terms of value distribution, sericulture accounts for about 15-20% of the final product value, cocoon drying about 5%, silk reeling about 20-25%, weaving about 30-40%, and finished product processing about 20-30%.
Sericulture is the foundation of silk quality. First, variety selection — different silkworm varieties produce silk that differs significantly in fiber diameter, length, and strength. High-quality mulberry silkworm varieties (such as Qiufeng Baiyu) produce silk that is fine, long, white, and strong. Second, feed quality — the variety, maturity, and hygiene condition of mulberry leaves directly affect the health of silkworms and the quality of silk. Mulberry leaves containing pesticide residues can cause silkworm poisoning death or produce inferior silk. Third, rearing environment — the control of temperature, humidity, and ventilation is crucial for silkworm growth and development. The suitable temperature for silkworm rearing rooms is 24-28°C, with relative humidity at 70-80%. Fourth, disease control — silkworms are susceptible to multiple diseases (such as grassy disease and softening disease), which not only cause silkworm death but also contaminate the entire rearing room. Therefore, quality control in sericulture needs to start simultaneously from four dimensions: variety, feed, environment, and disease.
Cocoon drying and silk reeling are the two segments with the highest technical content in the silk industry chain. The core of cocoon drying is the precise control of temperature and time. If the temperature is too low, the cocoons are not thoroughly dried and prone to molding; if the temperature is too high, the protein structure of the silk is damaged. Standard cocoon drying processes are typically divided into three stages: preheating (room temperature to 60°C, about 2 hours), main drying (60°C to 100°C, about 4 hours), and cooling (100°C to room temperature, about 2 hours). The core of silk reeling is the three processes of boiling, reeling, and doubling. The purpose of boiling is to soften the sericin to facilitate reeling. The temperature of the boiling water is typically controlled at 60-80°C for about 20-30 minutes. Reeling is the process of extracting silk from cocoons; a single cocoon can typically produce 500-1,500 meters of continuous silk fiber. Doubling is the process of twisting and organizing multiple silk threads into raw silk. Key quality indicators for the reeling segment include: raw silk fineness (expressed in denier D, with finer being more premium), uniformity, strength, and cleanliness.
Weaving is the process of transforming raw silk into fabric, including two stages: pre-weaving preparation and weaving machine operation. First, pre-weaving preparation includes warping — arranging multiple warp threads in parallel and winding them onto a weaving beam; sizing — applying sizing material to warp threads to increase strength and wear resistance; and threading — passing warp threads through heddles and reeds. The quality of these processes directly affects weaving efficiency and fabric quality. Second, weaving machine operation — modern silk weaving mainly uses water-jet looms and rapier looms. Water-jet looms are suitable for weaving lightweight fabrics with fast speed but require high fiber strength; rapier looms are suitable for weaving heavy and jacquard fabrics with slower speed but high flexibility. Key quality indicators for the weaving segment include: fabric density (warp and weft count, expressed in threads per cm), GSM, thickness, and luster uniformity.
Finished product processing is the process of transforming fabrics into final products, including three main processes: dyeing, printing, and finishing. First, dyeing — silk has good dyeing properties and can use acid dyes, reactive dyes, and direct dyes among other types. The key to dyeing is color fastness — including water fastness, sweat fastness, rubbing fastness, and light fastness. The color fastness of high-quality silk products should reach grade 4 or above (on a 5-grade scale, with 5 being the best). Second, printing — silk printing mainly uses screen printing and digital printing. Screen printing is suitable for mass production with low cost but limited pattern accuracy; digital printing is suitable for small batches and complex patterns with high cost but high precision. Third, finishing — including functional treatments such as soft finishing, wrinkle-resistant finishing, and waterproof finishing. Finishing can significantly improve the hand feel and performance of silk fabrics but may also affect the natural properties of the fabric.
For B2B purchasers, there are corresponding quality verification methods for each segment of the silk supply chain. First, cocoon quality — verification indicators include: cocoon size, color, moisture content, and disease spot rate. The moisture content of high-quality cocoons should be below 12%. Second, raw silk quality — verification indicators include: fineness (denier D), strength, uniformity, and cleanliness. Raw silk fineness is typically between 15-30 D, with finer being more premium. Third, fabric quality — verification indicators include: warp and weft density, GSM, thickness, and color fastness. Fourth, finished product quality — verification indicators include: filling content (for silk quilts), stitching craftsmanship, and dimensional stability. For each segment, purchasers can require suppliers to provide test reports issued by independent testing institutions (such as SGS, Intertek, or the China Textile Product Testing Center). Additionally, on-site inspections of the supplier's production facilities and quality management systems are also important means of verifying quality.
In the context of increasing global supply chain transparency requirements, the silk industry faces both pressure and opportunities for traceability and transparency. First, traceability technologies — blockchain and RFID technologies are being applied to the traceability of silk products, enabling consumers to track the complete process from cocoon to finished product. Second, organic certification — organic silk certifications (such as GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard) are becoming entry thresholds for premium markets. Third, ethical production — consumer concern for ethical production and fair trade continues to rise, and the silk industry needs to demonstrate its responsibility in terms of labor conditions and environmental impact. For B2B purchasers, selecting suppliers with traceability capabilities and certifications not only reduces compliance risks but also adds premium space to end products. Additionally, the improvement of supply chain transparency helps build long-term stable purchasing relationships — when purchasers can fully trust the quality and compliance of suppliers, the depth and breadth of cooperation will be significantly enhanced. View the Silk Products Supplier
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