Citation: Vasile, S.; Vermeire, S.; Vandepitte, K.; Troch, V.; De Raeve, A. Effect of Weave andWeft Type on Mechanical and Comfort Properties of Hemp–Linen Fabrics. Materials 2024, 17, 1650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ma17071650 Received: 28 February 2024 Revised: 29 March 2024 Accepted: 1 April 2024 Published: 3 April 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). materials Article Effect of Weave and Weft Type on Mechanical and Comfort Properties of Hemp–Linen Fabrics Simona Vasile 1, * , Sofie Vermeire 1 , Katrien Vandepitte 2 , Veronique Troch 2 and Alexandra De Raeve 1 1 Fashion and Textiles Innovation Lab (FTILab+), HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 9051 Ghent, Belgium; sofie.vermeire@hogent.be (S.V.); alexandra.deraeve@hogent.be (A.D.R.) 2 AgroFoodNature, HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 9051 Ghent, Belgium * Correspondence: simona.vasile@hogent.be Abstract: In this study the influence of fabric weave (plain, twill, and panama) and weft type (flax and hemp yarns) on selected mechanical and comfort properties of six fabrics was analyzed. The results showed that tear and abrasion properties were most affected by the weave. The tensile properties of the linen fabrics were not significantly different when weft hemp yarns were used instead of flax. Fabrics with the same weave seemed to be equally resilient to abrasion regardless of the type of weft. By contrast, the hemp weft yarns favorized the physical and comfort properties of the investigated fabrics. For the same weave, the hemp–linen fabrics were slightly lighter and exhibited lower bulk density, significantly larger air permeability, and improved moisture management properties. Although the results of maximum thermal flux (Qmax) suggested a cooler sensation of the linen fabrics with panama and twill, the hemp–linen fabric with a plain weave seemed to be the optimal choice when a cool sensation was desired. Higher thermal conductivity values also suggested slightly better heat transfer properties of the hemp–linen fabrics, and these were significantly influenced by the weave type. The results clearly indicated the advantages of using hemp for improving physical and specific comfort properties of linen fabrics. Keywords: hemp yarns; flax yarns; fabric weave; mechanical properties; comfort properties 1. Introduction Hemp fiber has served humanity for thousands of years to create textile fabrics, ropes, yarns, rugs, and canvases. The 1990s marked the renewal of hemp cultivation, about 60 years after its prohibition. In most European countries, the current upper legal limit for cultivation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) for fiber and seeds production is 0.3% THC on dry basis, which led to a restriction of a number of varieties available for cultivation [1]. Recent knowledge and developments in hemp varieties, cultivation [2], and processing are expected to boost the employment of hemp in the textile sector, as a sustainable fiber complementary to flax, possible to process on traditional flax technology [3]. As a natural and environmentally friendly crop, hemp fiber is an important raw material for the textile sector due to its excellent moisture absorption and release properties, air permeability, warmth retention, cold and warm sense, and high temperature resistance, among others [4]. Hemp and flax belong to the bast cellulosic fibers, along with kenaf, ramie, jute, and nettles [5], and their differentiation is often controversial as they are very similar fibers in many aspects [6]. In general, hemp fibers are coarser [7] and have a less supple handle than flax, but they exhibit similar high tensile properties [5], low elongation, and high moisture absorption [5,6]. Although the cultivation of flax and hemp and the use of their fibers have already been described in ancient times, their importance has declined during the past few centuries as cotton has been favored. Among natural fibers, such as cotton, silk, wool, flax, hemp, Materials 2024, 17, 1650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17071650 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials