“Does your silicone emulsion separate after standing, stick to rollers during finishing, or cause yellowing on white fabrics?” These issues are common in textile dyeing and finishing plants. Industry surveys show that improper use of silicone oils can push rework rates to 20%, with single incidents causing losses of tens of thousands of dollars. Experts emphasize that 90% of these problems are not caused by poor silicone quality, but by incorrect matching of the HLB value with surfactants, leading to unstable emulsions.

Real cases include cotton mills experiencing severe roller sticking within hours of production using amino silicone oil, and knitting factories facing order returns due to yellowing of light-colored fabrics.

HLB Value Is the Real Key

Silicone oils are highly hydrophobic and must be emulsified with surfactants. The HLB value is the decisive parameter. Each silicone type has its optimal HLB range—for example, amino silicone oils typically require HLB 11–15.
When mismatched, emulsions become unstable, causing phase separation, demulsification at high temperatures, roller sticking, and even fabric yellowing due to oxidation during drying.

Correct Matching Cuts Failures and Costs

One dyeing plant in Jiangsu reduced finishing-related failures to below 2% by applying proper HLB matching. Their approach was simple:

• Polar fabrics (e.g., nylon): amino silicone oil with HLB 12–15 emulsifiers

• Light polyester fabrics: polyether silicone oil with HLB 10–12, balancing softness and anti-sticking performance

Experts recommend first identifying the silicone oil type and HLB range, then adjusting for process conditions. For O/W emulsions, Tween-80 and Span-80 blends can fine-tune the HLB value. Maintaining soft water quality and a pH of 5–6 further improves stability.

Match Precisely, Not Expensively

There is no need to blindly choose expensive silicone oils—the key is precise matching. After optimization, one factory reduced silicone consumption by 15%, extended cleaning cycles fourfold, and cut total costs by 20%. The industry trend is clear: customized HLB matching is becoming the standard for efficient textile finishing.