What is a Pillow made of?
What is a Pillow made of?
A fill of polyester fibre, foam or waterfowl down inside a tightly woven downproof cover.
Fill power measures loft rather than quantity: it is the volume in cubic inches that an ounce of down expands to fill, so 800-fill down gives the same warmth as 600-fill at less weight, and a light pillow can be the more expensive one. Down and feather are not the same thing — feathers have quills, which is what makes cheap "feather" pillows poke and flatten. The practical failure mode of any pillow is compression set: fibre fills mat down and foam loses its rebound, and the fold test is a fair check — a pillow that stays folded when you release it has finished. Down allergy is usually a reaction to dust mites in an old pillow rather than to the down itself.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| polyester fill | hollow or spiral-crimped polyester staple fibre | Hollow fibres trap air for loft at almost no cost, and they wash and dry without clumping, unlike natural fills. |
| down fill | the fine under-plumage of ducks and geese, graded by fill power | Down clusters trap more air per gram than anything synthetic, which is why the same warmth weighs a fraction as much. |
| foam fill | viscoelastic memory foam, solid or shredded | A solid block holds a fixed neck position; shredded foam can be adjusted and breathes better, at the cost of consistency. |
| cover | densely woven cotton cambric, often calendered | Down works its way through any loose weave, so downproof ticking uses a high thread count and pressed finish rather than a coating. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Shampoo Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
Common questions
- What is a Pillow made of?
- A fill of polyester fibre, foam or waterfowl down inside a tightly woven downproof cover.
- What is the polyester fill of a Pillow made of?
- Hollow or spiral-crimped polyester staple fibre. Hollow fibres trap air for loft at almost no cost, and they wash and dry without clumping, unlike natural fills.
- What is the down fill of a Pillow made of?
- The fine under-plumage of ducks and geese, graded by fill power. Down clusters trap more air per gram than anything synthetic, which is why the same warmth weighs a fraction as much.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place