Spectra® Fiber

From lifting ropes that lower critical equipment to the sea floor, to cut-resistant gloves and high-performance fishing line, Spectra^® fiber has been providing lightweight, dependable strength in demanding applications for more than 20 years. Spectra fiber is one of the world’s strongest and lightest fibers available today, and we are committed to continuous in-house materials development.

Spectra fiber is a bright white polyethylene fiber that is produced using a patented gel-spinning process. Pound-for-pound, it is 15 times stronger than steel, more durable than polyester and has a specific strength that is 40 percent greater than aramid fiber. Polyethylene is a remarkably durable plastic, and scientists at Honeywell have captured the tremendous natural strength in the molecular backbone of this everyday plastic to create one of the world's strongest and lightest fibers. The gel-spinning process and subsequent drawing steps allow Spectra fiber to have a much higher melting temperature (150°C or 300°F) than standard polyethylene.

With outstanding toughness and extraordinary visco-elastic properties, Spectra fiber can withstand high-load strain-rate velocities. Light enough to float, it also exhibits high resistance to chemicals, water, and ultraviolet light. It has excellent vibration damping, flex fatigue and internal fiber-friction characteristics, and Spectra fiber's low dielectric constant makes it virtually transparent to radar.

Spectra fiber is used in numerous high-performance applications, including police and military ballistic-resistant vests, helmets and armored vehicles, as well as sailcloth, fishing lines, marine cordage, lifting slings, and cut-resistant gloves and apparel. Honeywell also converts Spectra fiber into the Spectra Shield family of specialty composites for armor and other applications.