If you source automotive headliner fabric, you are always balancing three things: weight, moldability and cabin quality. A modern roof lining has to be light, follow a complex 3D contour, stay flat for the life of the vehicle and keep the cabin quiet and free of odor. This guide explains how polyester spunlace nonwoven meets those demands, which technical properties to check, and how to specify the right grade for your project.
The headliner is the largest single interior trim surface in most cars. It sits directly above the occupants, so any sagging, wrinkling, delamination or smell is noticed immediately. At the same time, it is a place where engineers can remove mass without touching safety-critical parts, which is why it features in many lightweight automotive materials programs.
Weight reduction matters for every powertrain. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that a 10% reduction in vehicle weight can improve fuel economy by roughly 6–8% (see Reference 1; the exact figure varies by vehicle). For electric vehicles, lower mass supports driving range. No single headliner fabric changes that on its own, but dozens of small savings add up across the interior.
Our car roof lining fabric is made from 100% polyester spunlace nonwoven. The core data is below.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | 100% polyester spunlace nonwoven |
| Weight | 50–130 g/m² |
| Width | 1000–3250 mm |
| Surface | Plain, smooth and uniform |
| Main role | Primary substrate layer for automotive headliners |
| Key traits | Lightweight, moldable, dimensionally stable, sound-absorbing |
A headliner is a laminate, not a single fabric. A typical build-up has a decorative face layer, a thin foam or adhesive layer for soft touch, a structural substrate that holds the shape, and a backing layer on the roof side. Polyester spunlace is used as a face fabric or as a backing/scrim layer, depending on the design and the OEM specification.
Spunlace, also called hydroentangled nonwoven, bonds fibres with fine, high-pressure water jets instead of chemical binders or needles. This is important for interiors for two reasons: the surface stays smooth, and there is no binder that can release odor or volatile compounds later.
Aojia runs a one-stop process for spunlace nonwoven fabric, so fibre choice, web weight, entanglement and finishing can be tuned together rather than bought from separate suppliers. You can see the wider range on our polyester spunlace nonwoven page.
Polyester (PET) is the default choice for automotive textiles for good engineering reasons:
If a project needs more softness or absorbency, a blend may be a better fit. Our viscose polyester spunlace range covers that, although headliner substrates are almost always specified as 100% polyester for stability.
Headliners are rarely flat. They curve around sunroofs, grab handles, dome lights and pillars. The fabric must stretch and recover during hot pressing without tearing, thinning out or forming wrinkles. Spunlace helps because its fibres are entangled in a random, isotropic network. Stress spreads in all directions, so the fabric follows deep draws more evenly than a highly oriented web.
Three practical tips for molding trials:
Our fabric ranges from 50 to 130 g/m². A simple calculation shows what that choice means per vehicle. Assume about 2.0 m² of fabric per headliner (a rough figure for a passenger car; your design will differ).
These numbers look small, but weight programs are built from small steps. The key is to choose the lowest weight that still passes your stiffness, lamination and appearance tests. As a starting point, lighter grades (around 50–70 g/m²) are often used as backing or scrim layers, while mid to heavier grades (around 80–130 g/m²) suit face-layer or substrate roles that need more coverage. Treat these as starting points; final selection should follow trials on your own tooling.
Ask any supplier for data on the items below. The ISO 9073 series covers many nonwoven test methods, and most OEMs add their own specifications on top.
| Property | Why it matters in a headliner | Common reference method |
|---|---|---|
| Mass per unit area | Controls weight, cost and coverage | ISO 9073-1 |
| Tensile strength and elongation (MD/CD) | Predicts handling, lamination and molding behavior | ISO 9073-18 |
| Thickness uniformity | Affects bond-line consistency and surface evenness | ISO 9073-2 |
| Heat shrinkage | Prevents warping, edge curl and wrinkles after molding | OEM oven-aging specification |
| Sound absorption | Contributes to a quieter cabin | ISO 354 or ISO 10534-2 |
| Flammability | Mandatory for interior materials in many markets | ISO 3795 / FMVSS 302 |
| VOC and fogging | Keeps odor and windshield film low | VDA 278 and OEM odor tests |
| Light fastness | Prevents yellowing and fading under sun load | ISO 105-B02 |
A headliner is exposed to the cabin, which can reach very high temperatures when parked in the sun. If the fabric keeps relaxing after heat setting, the result is sagging or edge lifting years later. Spunlace that has been properly heat-set during production shows low, predictable shrinkage, which is why dimensional stability is one of the main characteristics of our roof lining fabric.
Because spunlace has no binder spots and a uniform thickness, it gives adhesive or flame-laminated foam an even surface to bond to. That reduces telegraphing (visible bumps) and keeps peel strength consistent across wide rolls up to 3250 mm.
Fibrous, porous layers convert sound energy to a tiny amount of heat as air moves between fibres. A thin spunlace layer is only one part of the sound-absorbing system, since the substrate and air gap behind it matter greatly, but it contributes to a quieter cabin and can be tuned through weight and fibre fineness. Request ISO 354 or impedance-tube data on the complete laminate, not only on the fabric.
Interior air quality is a purchasing factor in many regions. Since hydroentanglement does not use chemical binders, there is one less potential source of emissions. Still, always verify VDA 278 or OEM odor results for the final laminated part, because adhesives and foams contribute too.
Beyond the main roof panel, the same polyester spunlace platform is used for sunshades and overhead console covers, interior trim panels and parcel shelves, in both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Using one fabric family across several parts can simplify purchasing and make color and surface appearance more consistent. If you are exploring non-automotive uses, our base cloth series and home improvement series show how spunlace performs as a substrate in other lamination and coating applications.
It is usually a multi-layer laminate. The face and backing layers are often polyester nonwoven or knitted fabric, bonded to a foam layer and a rigid substrate that holds the shape.
Our range is 50–130 g/m². The right weight depends on whether the layer is a face fabric, backing or scrim, and on the stiffness and coverage your design needs.
Yes. Its isotropic fibre network and heat-set structure let it follow complex roof contours, including sunroof openings and pillars, under heat and pressure.
It can be very light because strength comes from fibre entanglement rather than heavy binders or coatings, which supports weight-reduction targets.
From 1000 mm up to 3250 mm, which suits wide laminating lines and reduces edge trim loss.
Zhejiang Aojia Nonwoven Technology Co., Ltd is based in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China, and focuses on a broad range of nonwoven fabrics and related products. Our spunlace portfolio includes polyester, viscose, cotton, bamboo, Tencel and wood-pulp types; browse the full product catalogue or read the company profile. For quality documents, see the patent and certificate section, and follow our latest updates in the news center. You can also explore other fields on the application page.
Tell us your target weight, width, layer role and test requirements, and our team will suggest a suitable polyester spunlace grade for your headliner project.
Phone: +86-139 0573 1202
Email: info@spunlacenon-wovenfabric.com
Address: No. 398, Huanzhen West Road, Xincheng Town, Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, China
