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Silk Facts & Worksheets

Silk is a natural fiber among the first materials humans discovered, along with cotton, wool, hemp, and linen, used to create textiles.

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Silk is a natural fiber among the first materials humans discovered, along with cotton, wool, hemp, and linen, used to create textiles. A caterpillar called a silkworm, secretes proteins in fluid form as a single thread to produce silk, a fibroin. Silk is unique from all other natural and artificial fibers due to its inherent qualities.

See the fact file below for more information on Silk, or you can download our 35-page Silk worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

OVERVIEW

  • Silkworms consume the leaves of certain plants while creating cocoons as protective shells to extend their lives.
  • The life cycle of a silkworm includes five stages: egg, larva, silkworm, pupa, and moth. In order to acquire silk, obtain silk, man interferes with this life cycle at the cocoon stage with the ultimate aim of the economic benefits of the weaving of luxury fabric.
  • Silk has a natural affinity for bright colors, a built-in inclination for them, a natural shine, a high absorbency, and is lighter than a comparable steel filament while being stronger and having poor heat conduction that keeps it warm in winter and cool in summer, low static current production, durability, and a fantastic drape.
  • For a wide range of applications, such as the creation of textiles for apparel, furniture, carpets, and upholstery, among other things, silk is produced in a number of ways.  
  • The sewing, knitting, and embroidery industries are only a few examples of essential uses for silk.

EVOLUTION OF SILK

  • Silk production has a long history that traces back to ancient China. 
  • Silk was initially discovered by Chinese Empress Shilling Ti in 2640 BCE and became highly valued for its luxurious qualities. The silk industry began in the Chan-Tong province, and the Chinese carefully guarded their knowledge of silk production for thousands of years. 
  • The export of raw silk and silk products gained importance as trade connections were established between China, Persia, and other nations. These trade routes, known as the Silk Route, facilitated the exchange of silk along with other goods.
  • Korea and Japan were among the early adopters of sericulture outside of China. 
  • Some reports suggest that sericulture was introduced to Korea by Chinese immigrants around 1200 BCE, and from there, it expanded to Japan.
  • Another account claims that the silk industry was brought to Japan in the third century BCE when sericulturists were taken prisoner during an attack on Korea.
  • The silk industry in Japan survived with imperial support until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, after which it underwent significant advancements through technology and scientific research.
  • Silk production also spread to Tibet, India, and Persia. 
  • According to legend, silk cultivation in Tibet began when a Chinese princess married the King of Khotan and brought silkworm eggs and mulberry tree seeds in her headdress. 
  • From Tibet, silk production gradually reached India, and mulberry tree cultivation and silkworm rearing started in regions along the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. The breeding of silkworms and silk production expanded to various parts of India.
  • The Arabs had knowledge of silkworms even before the advent of Islam, and it is believed that they imported mulberry tree seeds and silkworm eggs from India during the early Christian era. By the fourth century BCE, sericulture was well-established in India and Central Asia.
  • Silk and silken items were exported to Persia and later to Rome. 
  • The Persians held a monopoly on some of the most valued silken items in Roman society until two Roman monks brought sericulture practices to Constantinople in 553 BCE. This marked the beginning of raw silk production in Europe.
  • Silk production gradually spread to other parts of Europe, including the Venetian Republic and France. 
  • The Venetians became major silk suppliers to Europe by the 10th and 11th centuries. 
  • In France, silk production was introduced in 1340 by French noblemen who brought mulberry tree seeds and silkworm eggs. 
  • The industry reached its peak of prosperity in the 18th century. However, a devastating silkworm disease called pebrine emerged in the 19th century, causing significant damage to sericulture in Europe and the Middle East. 
  • The industry partially recovered after Louis Pasteur discovered how to manage Pebrine in 1870, but industrialization and socioeconomic changes hindered a full recovery.

TYPES OF SILK

  • Around the globe, natural silk is manufactured and known in four different commercial varieties. Since mulberry silk is the most significant and accounts for up to 90% of global production, “silk” often refers to the silk produced by mulberry silkworms. 
  • Non-mulberry silks include three economically viable varieties: Eri silk, Tasar silk, and Muga silk. Other non-mulberry silk varieties are Anaphe silk, Fagara silk, Coan silk, Mussel silk, and Spider silk, which are mainly wild and harvested in Africa and Asia.
  • Mulberry silk – This type of plant produces the majority of the commercial silk produced worldwide, which is sometimes referred to as mulberry silk. Bombyx mori L, a silkworm that only consumes the leaves of the mulberry plant, produces the silk known as mulberry silk. 
  • These silkworms are raised inside a fully tamed environment.

Non-mulberry silk 

  • Tasar silk- Tasar silk is produced by wild tasar silkworms belonging to the genus Antheraea. 
  • The Chinese tasar silkworm (Antheraea pernyi), the Indian tasar silkworm (Antheraea mylitta), and the Japanese tasar silkworm (Antheraea yamamai) are the main producers of non-mulberry silk. 
  • These silkworms feed on specific plant leaves, such as oak leaves for Chinese and Japanese tasar worms and Terminalia leaves for Indian tasar worms, and their cocoons can be reeled into raw silk.
  • Eri silk – Eri silk is produced by either the Samia ricini or Philosamia ricini species of silkworms. 
  • These domesticated silkworms are fed on castor oil plant leaves, resulting in the production of Eri silk, which can be white or brick-red in color. 
  • Unlike other types of silk, Eri silk cocoons are not harvested intact. Instead, the moths are allowed to emerge, and the perforated cocoons are spun into Eri silk yarn. 
  • Traditional costumes in the Indian state of Assam often incorporate the limited amount of muga silk produced, adding to the cultural significance of these fabrics.
  • Anaphe silk – The silkworms of the genus Anaphe, native to southern and central Africa, create communal cocoons covered in a thin layer of silk. The silk is harvested by tribal people from the forest and spun into raw silk that is silky and moderately glossy.
  • Anaphe silk is known for its resilience and stretchiness and is used to make fabrics like velvet and plush.
  • On the other hand, the large silk moth Attacus atlas L. and related species produce fagarai silk. Their light-brown cocoons, with variable-length peduncles, are around 6 cm long.
  • Fagara silk – Attacus atlas L., a huge silk moth, produces fagarai silk, plus a few additional closely related species living in China, Sudan, and the Indo-Australian bioregion. They produce almost 6 cm-long, light-brown cocoons with variable-length (2–10 cm) peduncles.
  • Coan silk – The larvae of the Pachypasa atus D. species found in the Mediterranean region feed on various trees and produce white cocoons of specific dimensions. 
  • This silk was historically used to make crimson-dyed clothing for Roman officials, but its commercial production ceased due to low yield and the availability of superior silk varieties.
  • Mussel silk – Mussel silk, also known as “fish wool,” is produced from the byssus secreted by a bivalve called Pinna squamosa found in the Adriatic Sea. The robust brown thread is combed and spun into a silk fabric. Taranto in Italy is the principal production hub for mussel silk.
  • Spider silk – Spider silk, known for its strength, elasticity, and softness, is another type of non-insect silk. 
  • Species like Nephila madagascariensis, Miranda aurentia, and Epeira from Madagascar are used commercially for spider silk production. 
  • The silk is obtained by collecting the fibers from spiders held in a frame, typically constraining them them by their abdominal portion.
  • Although spider silk is not extensively utilized in the textile industry due to high production costs, its durability, and ability to withstand humidity and temperature fluctuations make it valuable for applications like crosshairs in optical equipment.

Key Components of Silk Production

  • Sericulture is a combination of agriculture, animal husbandry, cottage industry, and pure textile operations.  
  • The quality of the ultimate product is strongly related to any minute differences occurring in any of these several phases, which necessitates careful planning, skill requirements, and effective delivery methods in both the public and private sectors.  In the silk business, there are several operations referred to as components.
  • Food plant cultivation – Mulberry, the primary feeding plant for mulberry silkworms, is cultivated using established methods developed by research institutes. 
  • It is a perennial crop that can bear fruit for several decades.
  • Mulberry thrives in various soil types but requires adequate sunlight, organic inputs, and water availability. 
  • It is commonly grown as a bush, although tree cultivation is practiced in certain regions, and the plants are typically trimmed twice a year. 
  • Non-mulberry silkworms rely on natural feeding plants, but controlled plantings are carried out to increase yield, especially in areas unsuitable for food crops.
  • Rearing – Mulberry silkworm rearing is a complex process that involves various factors like temperature, humidity, leaf quality, and disease management. 
  • Silkworms are raised indoors and fed leaves or twigs on separate platforms or trays.
  • After a gestation period of around 25 to 28 days, the grown worms are transferred to montages for spinning cocoons, which takes three days. The cocoons are ready for sale after five days. 
  • On the other hand, Tasar and Muga silkworms are transplanted to organic trees at a young age, where they feed on leaves and build cocoons. 
  • The gestation period for these silkworms is around 30 days, and the cocoons are harvested by hand.
  • Seed production –  The sericulture industry depends on healthy seeds. The major cause of low output is poor seed health. 
  • At the same time, seed may be one of the primary vehicles for disease transmission. 
  • Seed-borne diseases such as protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and viruses pose significant challenges to the sericulture sector.  
  • As a result, quality seed material that is free of illnesses and has high viability is critical for establishing the crop in the first place.
  • Furthermore, the availability of high-quality silkworm seeds in sufficient quantities is a prerequisite for reaching the desired silk output while boosting productivity characteristics. To generate excellent seeds, scientific egg production procedures must be used from seed crop growing through egg incubation.
  • The silkworm seeds are cultivated using a four-tier seed multiplication network to preserve innate genetic characteristics such as hybrid vigor and disease resistance.  
  • While R&D institutes supply the breeding stock (first level), the basic seeds in the following three tiers are generated in distinct basic seed farms.  
  • Commercial seeds are grown at seed multiplication centers from F1 seed provided by basic seed farms.
  • Seed Production Centres are structures specially built for seed cultivation.  
  • There are also different production procedures, such as cocoon selection, cocoon preservation, oviposition, egg laying, and moth examination. Separate plantations are maintained for seed cocoon rearing in the case of the nucleus and basic seed production units.  
  • Reeling – Reeling is a specialized process that joins silk filaments from multiple cocoons to create a compact, untwisted, and degummed silk thread. 
  • The raw material consists of fine continuous silk filaments of considerable length. 
  • Reelers need to pay constant attention and care, as the cocoon filaments can break during the process, requiring the attachment of fresh filaments. Automatic Reeling Machines (ARM) have simplified the collection of cocoons, offering an automated approach.
  • The art of reeling silk originated in China over 3,000 years ago and is still practiced as a cottage industry in many impoverished areas. 
  • Various types of machinery, including ARM, charkha, cottage basins, and multi-end reeling machines, are used for reeling tasks. 
  • China predominantly utilizes ARM, while traditional reeling machines remain prevalent in countries like India and Thailand.
  • Reeling is not limited to mulberry silk but extends to the production of other types, such as Muga and Tasar silks.
  • Additionally, Eri silk yarn is created by spinning sliced cocoons, offering a distinct variation in the reeling process.
  • Marketing – To maintain openness and fair pricing in commerce, most countries trade cocoons and raw silk through government-owned cocoon markets and silk exchanges.
  • Throwing – Silk tossing is the industrial process of cleaning, twisting, and winding silk spun into skeins.  
  • The yarn is now doubled by being twisted together with threads.  Colloquially, silk tossing refers to the entire process of reeling, throwing, and doubling. To produce silk strong enough to be used as organzine for the warp in a loom, or tram for weft, it has to be thrown.
  • Wet Processing – Wet processing is used to interlace silk strands, filaments, or threads to produce a cohesive structure. It consists of many processes, including pre-treatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing, all of which are carried out in an aqueous solution. 
  • These methods need a lot of water, with an estimated average of more than 100 liters consumed for every kilogram of silk goods created each day.
  • Water may have a variety of qualities and characteristics. 
  • Not all water may be utilized in the process; it must have particular qualities, quality, colors, and features in order to be employed. As a result, water is a primary concern in wet processing silk.
  • Weaving – Weaving is the technique of weaving warp threads and weft yarns into fabric. It entails preliminary steps such as warping and pirning. Handlooms and power looms are extensively employed in silk weaving, with the latter more popular in China. 
  • Handlooms, known for their distinctive designs and weaving patterns, account for 60% of silk weaving in India. Thailand is also a big fan of handloom weaving, with Thai weavers known all over the globe for their unique designs. Over time, the construction of machinery and looms has advanced, including automated weaving machines, larger textile equipment, shuttleless looms, and Jacquard looms.
  • Dyeing – Dyeing is the application of color to silk fibers, yarns, and textiles. Dyeing is usually done in a specific solution, including dyes and other chemicals.  
  • Dye molecules form an unbroken chemical connection with fiber molecules during dyeing. Temperature and time control are two critical aspects of dyeing. 
  • There are two types of dye: natural dyes and commercial ones. Although acid dyes have historically been used in silk, the trend is shifting toward vegetable colors. 
  • The European Union’s Restriction on some azo dyes has prompted exporters to pay more attention to the selection and usage of colors in exported items.
  • Finishing – Except for pattern weaves, all textiles must be finished. The finisher is responsible for the shimmering suppleness and feel of satin. Finishing gives a cloth its intended look and feel. There are several physical and chemical finishing methods. Finishing treatments include wrinkle-proofing, waterproofing, and fireproofing.
  • Spun silk and silk noil – Silk waste contains any raw silk that is unwindable and thus unsuitable for the tossing process.  
  • The waste materials are partially boiled off to eliminate some of the gum before being carded and combed to create staple fibers that are parallel to one another.  
  • The resultant fiber strips, known as silvers, are then spun into yarn, with the longer filaments becoming spun-silk, or schappe, and the shorter ones becoming silk noil.
  • Dupion silk – The double cocoons are reeled using a specific procedure, yielding thicker, uneven silk yarn that, when woven, gives the cloth an irregular look.  This fabric yarn is highly valued by fashion designers.
  • Raw silk testing  – Before marketing, raw silk is examined and graded according to stated and approved criteria.  
  • Generally, testing happens at testing facilities run by the government and commercial companies.  
  • The cocoon testing developed by the former International Silk Association is now used worldwide.
  • The raw silk categorization is based on the grade determined by the denier (thickness of silk in value terms) and other tests. These grades are in the following order: 4A, 3A, 2A, A, and B.

Silk Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Silk across 35 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Silk. Silk is unique from all other natural and artificial fibers due to its inherent qualities.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Silk Facts
  2. Silky Puzzle 
  3. The Life Cycle
  4. Prove Your Answer
  5. Unjumble
  6. Four Natural Silks
  7. The Traditional Way
  8. Silk Producers
  9. Poster Making 
  10. Let’s Watch And Learn
  11. Silk Dyeing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is silk?

Silk is a natural protein fiber produced by certain insects, most notably the silkworm (Bombyx mori). The silkworm spins its cocoon using silk threads, and these threads are harvested and processed to create silk fabric.

How is silk made?

Silk production starts with the cultivation of silkworms on mulberry leaves. The worms feed on the leaves and spin their cocoons using silk threads. Once the cocoon is complete, it is boiled or heated to kill the pupa inside and loosen the silk threads. The threads are then carefully unwound, cleaned, and spun into yarns. These yarns are woven into silk fabric.

What are the characteristics of silk fabric?

Silk fabric is renowned for its luxurious feel and natural luster. It has excellent draping qualities and is lightweight, making it comfortable to wear in both warm and cool weather. Silk is also known for its high tensile strength, making it durable. Additionally, silk has a natural ability to absorb moisture, which allows it to regulate body temperature effectively.

What are the different types of silk?

There are several types of silk, each with unique properties and characteristics. The most common types include:

  • Mulberry silk: Made from the silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves, this is the most widely produced and sought-after type of silk.
  • Tussar silk (wild silk): Produced by wild silkworms, it has a coarser texture and a more natural appearance.
  • Eri silk (peace silk): This silk is obtained from the Eri silkworm, and the pupae are not killed during the process, making it a cruelty-free option.

What are the various uses of silk?

Silk is primarily used in the textile industry to create clothing such as dresses, shirts, and scarves due to its luxurious feel and lustrous appearance. It is also used to make various high-end products like bedding, pillowcases, and drapery. Beyond textiles, silk is utilized in the production of parachutes, guitar strings, and certain medical sutures due to its strength and biocompatibility.

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