Security Fabrics

The term security fabrics is not a precisely defined technical term but is used to describe fabrics that serve special protective functions. These can include burglary resistance, bullet resistance, shatter protection, or similar. In other words: fabrics that do not (only) filter or decorate but protect people or objects.

Examples:

Burglary-resistant window screens: In tropical countries, stainless steel fabrics are used that serve as mosquito screens and are simultaneously so robust that they are certified as burglary protection screens (replacing traditional bars). These fabrics have small mesh sizes (keeping flies out) and are made of very strong stainless steel, often black-coated for transparency.
Explosion pressure relief fabrics: In certain facilities, wire fabrics are installed at openings that are normally open but act as spark arresters or flame barriers during an internal explosion, preventing secondary explosions outside. Here, the fabric acts as a rupture protection — it must withstand sudden pressure and cool/break down flames.
Shatter containment fabrics: In industry or during grinding operations, housings are lined with wire mesh so that if grinding wheels or rotating parts break, flying fragments are caught by the mesh and cannot exit the enclosure.
Fall protection nets: Textile nets are used in construction, but in permanent installations (e.g., theater stages, high-rise atriums), stainless steel cable nets or fabrics serve as catch nets. These can also be classified as security fabrics.

Security fabrics must meet standards such as penetration resistance class P3 (similar to safety glass) or ballistic material standards like VPAM. Often combinations are used, for example, fabrics laminated into glass (burglary-resistant laminated safety glass with embedded metal fabric for penetration and shatter protection).

Relevant for GKD: EMI shielding is sometimes considered a “security aspect” (protection of electronics), but classic security fabrics focus more on mechanical protection.

A security fabric is often tightly meshed (to prevent anything from being pushed through) and made of high-strength materials (stainless steel, sometimes hardened). For flexibility, cable weaves are used. If rigidity is acceptable, dense welded meshes may be employed — a transition to bars or sheet metal grids.

In architectural specifications, the term appears, for example, in balustrade claddings:

“Stainless steel security fabric, >50 kN/m tensile strength, mesh ≤50 mm, recognized as fall protection.”

Summary:

Security fabrics are technical fabrics primarily designed for protection and safety. This includes burglary-resistant, impact-resistant, or fall-preventing solutions. GKD’s portfolio in this area includes products for protective suits (metal fabrics as shark bite protection for divers or stab protection in gloves for the meat industry), which also fall under security fabrics.