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Why Is Linen So Expensive? 9 Common Reasons

Linen is one of the most popular materials in the garment industry. But popular doesn’t mean cheap. So why is linen so expensive compared to other fabrics? Each kind of fabric has its own advantages and disadvantages, which also affect its cost. 

However, many people often point to the flaws of linen items to assume that they should not be so expensive. It’s obvious that linen is much more expensive than most other fabrics, typically cotton.  There are many reasons to explain this. Here are the 9 most common answers.

1. Linen flax is hard to harvest

The process of growing and harvesting flax fiber is not as easy as it is for almost all other kinds of fabric. This process requires an investment of both time and money, as well as labor. To maximize the length of linen fiber harvested, flax plants must be planted and tended for 90 days.

2. Linen has good moisture absorption

It can be said that the excellent ability of linen to absorb moisture is one of the top reasons why it is so popular today. Products made from linen are all good at absorbing moisture, such as linen tablecloths, bed sheets, clothes, towels, etc. Therefore, linen will bring the most comfortable feeling to your skin.

It can be said that the excellent ability of linen to absorb moisture is one of the top reasons why it is so popular today. Products made from linen are all good at absorbing moisture, such as linen tablecloths, bed sheets, clothes, towels, etc. Therefore, linen will bring the most comfortable feeling to your skin.

3. Resistance to bacteria and insects

Linen clothing is so expensive because the natural resistance of linen to bacteria, acaroid, and insects is astounding. This is a rather unique feature that many other fabrics do not have. Although many people think it is not necessary, in fact, this feature is very beneficial to the user’s life and health. 

Linen garments all have this feature, however, linen used to make bed sheets is a bit more expensive. Surely, you don’t want your sheets to be filled with bacteria and tiny insects, right? Use linen bedding products to limit that situation. Also thanks to this feature, linen is used a lot in the production of garments for people with allergies.

4. High tenacity

Did you know that linen gets better with each use? It sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Most other materials will degrade over time. However, linen is the opposite case. The first time you use linen, you will feel the linen is still soft, but not too soft like other fabrics. But over time, the more you use it, the softer the linen becomes, which makes it more comfortable.

5. Linen is eco-friendly

Is there any environmental factor that can answer the question of why linen is so expensive? Yes, as you can see, linen is eco-friendly. 

Most other fabrics are made from cotton, and the process of growing and harvesting cotton requires the production unit to use pesticides to keep the cotton in the best condition. But for linen, you won’t need to use any pesticides, as flax itself is the best “insecticide” for itself. This will effectively rescue the environment in a real way.

6. High production cost

It can be said that the most obvious reason to answer the question is because of the high cost of production. Unlike cotton, flax cannot be grown anywhere, it requires being grown in the most perfect conditions. The optimal conditions for flax plant growth are cooler, temperate locations with ample daylight and water resources.

Therefore, flax can only be grown wonderfully in European countries such as Belgium, France, Ireland, etc. In these countries, the cost of living, labor, and business are all very high. Therefore, it will not be too difficult to understand why linen is so expensive.

7. Linen flax is hard to harvest

The process of growing and harvesting flax fiber is not as easy as it is for almost all other kinds of fabric. This process requires an investment of both time and money, as well as labor. To maximize the length of linen fiber harvested, flax plants must be planted and tended for 90 days.

8. Linen clothing production process is slow

Time is money, and the production of linen fabric requires a lot of time. Linen production requires the same patience as growing and harvesting the flax plant. If manufacturers want to guarantee the quality of linen clothes, they need to use slow machines. To achieve the best quality, linen should be hand-woven. And both of these methods take a lot of time. Therefore, in the same production period, the volume of linen produced will be much lower than that of most fabric production, such as cotton production.

9. High-grade reputation

Similar to any other product, the better the reputation, the higher the price will be. On the market today, linen garments are known as one of the top choices for consumers. With many outstanding advantages such as ease of use, high comfort, and environmental friendliness,… linen has a reputation as a high-class fabric. This is also the reason contributing to the high price of linen at present.

Conclusion

The price factor is always an aspect that consumers care about. The above information has helped you answer the question “Why is linen so expensive?”. If you need a material with many outstanding advantages, linen fabric will be a good choice.

David Elkie

David Elkie

David Elkie is the CEO at Banner Mattress. He has been in the writing and editing business for the mattress, bedding accessories and décor industries for over 20 years.