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right|thumb|298x298px|Bundle drawn, stainless steel fiber
Metallic fibers are manufactured fibers composed of metal, metallic alloys, plastic-coated metal, metal-coated plastic, or a core completely covered by metal.
Having their origin in textile and clothing applications, gold and silver fibers have been used since ancient times as yarns for fabric decoration. More recently, aluminium yarns, aluminized plastic yarns, and aluminized nylon yarns have replaced gold and silver.
Today's metal fiber industry mainly offers fibers in stainless steel, nickel, titanium, copper and aluminium for various applications. Metallic filaments can be coated with transparent films to minimize tarnishing.
Many methods exist to manufacture metallic fibers, and each comes with its own benefits and limitations. The most common methods include shaving from a larger stock, casting directly from molten metal, and growing around a seed. Multiple fibers can also be woven or intertwined to form larger strands.
History
Gold and silver have been used since ancient times as decoration in the clothing and textiles of kings, leaders, nobility and other high status people. Many of these elegant textiles can be found in museums around the world. Historically, the metallic thread was constructed by wrapping a metal strip around a fiber core (cotton or silk), often in such a way as to reveal the color of the fiber core to enhance visual quality of the decoration. Ancient textiles and clothing woven from wholly or partly gold threads is sometimes referred to as cloth of gold. They have been woven on Byzantine looms from the 7th to the 9th century, and after that in Sicily, Cyprus, Lucca, and Venice. Weaving also flourished in the 12th century during the legacy of Genghis Khan when art and trade flourished under Mongol rule in China and some Middle Eastern areas. The Dobeckmum Company produced the first modern metallic fiber in 1946.
Metal fiber may also be shaved from wire (steel wool), shaved from foil, or bundle drawn to form larger diameter wire. China also produces metallic yarns; the city of Dongyang contains more than 100 factories, though some of these are home-based production sites rather than conventional factories. Two of the more popular factories are Salu Metallic Yarn and Aoqi Textile. Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, is also a significant manufacturing base for metallic yarn. Suncoco is a worldwide distributor of metallic yarn.
In 2020, Fibrecoat, a German startup from Aachen, started producing aluminium-coated basalt fibres in Germany.
Trademarks
thumb|Metallic yarnBekaert manufactures metal fibers and many derived products such as continuous fiber, sintered media, nonwoven structures, polymer pellets, braids, woven fabrics, cables, yarns and short fibers. Well established brand names are Bekipor, Beki-shield and Bekinox.
The Lurex Company has manufactured metallic fibers in Europe for over fifty years. They produce a wide variety of metallic fiber products including fibers used in apparel fabric, embroidery, braids, knitting, military regalia, trimmings, ropes, cords, and lace surface decoration. The majority of Lurex fibers have a polyamide film covering the metal strand but polyester and viscose are also used. The fibers are also treated with a lubricant called P.W., a mineral-based oil, which helps provide ease of use.