Cotton vs Hemp Pros and Cons: Is Hemp Stronger Than Cotton?
Strength is not the only issue that is considered when analyzing a fabric. Its source is also the main key when deciding which one is better to use. Some people have a problem with the source of hemp which is why it has not overtaken cotton in popularity.
Is hemp stronger than cotton? Hemp does have many positive properties and one of those properties is that it can be stronger and more durable than cotton. Also, it is a natural fiber that may take up fewer resources to grow the plant where hemp originates than it does cotton plants.
To find out the pros and cons of both cotton and hemp just continue to read our article. It delves into the subject to make sure you have all the information you need to see the differences between the two natural fabrics. Guilt by association is not a good factor to go by.
Cotton vs Hemp 101
Cotton vs Hemp Pros And Cons
Before we go further in this comparison, it is necessary to lay out the pros and cons of both fabrics. Not only does this give you a great overview of both hemp and cotton, but it also allows you to see the differences without making you late for your next appointment.
1. Hemp
| Number | Pros | Cons |
| 1 | Doesn’t pollute the environment | Requires special machinery to harvest |
| 2 | Could help lower deforestation rates | Hard to find seeds with low THC levels |
| 3 | Very versatile and useful | Illegal to grow in some areas |
| 4 | Needs little to no pesticides and other chemicals to grow properly | Often mistaken for a marijauna plant and stolen |
| 5 | Needs only 2300 liters of water to make 2.2 pounds of hemp | Limited retail and wholesale markets |
| 6 | Can produce up to 1500 pounds of hemp per acre | Costs more than cotton |
| 7 | Highly breathable | Can crease a lot when washed |
| 8 | Holds its color | |
| 9 | Very durable |
2. Cotton
| Number | Pros | Cons |
| 1 | It is very breathable | Shrinks, wrinkles and tears easily |
| 2 | It can be very soft | Doesn’t stretch very well |
| 3 | Very hypoallergenic | Plant needs lots of pesticides |
| 4 | Can be strong and gets stronger when wet | Uses about 10,000 liters of water to make 2.2 pounds of cotton |
| 5 | Very versatile and used for medical applications | About 500 pounds of cotton produced per acre |
| 6 | Easy to launder | Can be expensive in higher qualities |
| 7 | Very affordable in most cases | Can fade in the sun |
| 8 | Hypoallergenic and anti fungal | |
| 9 | Can be eco friendly |
Is Hemp Really Better Than Cotton?
This will depend on who you talk to and if you look at the pros and cons, it is a fairly close race as to which is better. Both come with very long historical use as these natural fibers have been found in different archaeological excavations.
The ancient cultivation of plants would have included the hemp plant as well as the cotton so the ancient people of our world knew the benefits of both materials. In terms of water and land use, hemp tops cotton according to those pros and cons lists above.
Economically, it would make sense to grow hemp as it can produce more material while using less water saving farmers and makers of hemp some money over the long run. The special equipment needed to harvest the hemp plant would even the score between the two fabrics.
Also, cotton is more versatile than hemp and comes with a lot of uses that hemp can’t compete in so we will call this comparison a draw.
Is Hemp Stronger Than Cotton?
It is said that hemp is 8 times stronger than cotton. Add that fact in with the above information and you will see that it has more advantages for longevity than cotton has. Cotton does tear easily as well as wear out over time.
One factor not mentioned earlier is that hemp can detoxify the soil it is grown in. The plant naturally removes harmful chemicals and other pollutants while cotton is not as kind to the soil. Also, hemp puts nitrogen and oxygen back into the ground.
All of these factors point to the fact that hemp is good for the soil and for clothing. The clothing should last you longer and help cut your bill down when you have growing kids.
Is Hemp Softer Than Cotton?
Initially, hemp is not as soft as cotton is despite it being a natural fiber that does not need pesticides and herbicides to help it grow. Cotton does come with a lot of softness which makes it a very popular fabric to use in sewing projects.
But, hemp will get softer over time. The more you wear it and the more you wash it, hemp gets softer and softer. That is a good characteristic to have when hemp clothing lasts longer than cotton does. You do not miss out on the texture you need to remain comfortable.
In addition to that, hemp does hold its color better. It also dyes about as well as cotton does and usually, it does not fade as fast as cotton items will fade. That is something that helps save on the clothing bill as well. You do not need to replace the hemp clothing due to color loss.
Hemp vs Cotton Absorbency
Yes, hemp absorbs more moisture than cotton does. Plus, it can wick away that moisture a lot faster as well. Cotton will absorb 24 to 27 times its own weight. Hemp is said to be 4 times more absorbent than cotton
What helps hemp in this category is that it too has some antibacterial properties that help keep you fresher longer. One of hemp’s weaknesses is that if you do not launder the material as soon as it gets a stain, that stain may set and be permanent.
At least with cotton, you can get those stains out and this would include perspiration stains. That could present a problem for you if you like to wear hemp clothing more than on rare occasions.
Hemp vs Cotton Breathability
Cotton is one of the most breathable fabrics you can buy, wear, or sew with. It is hard to beat that fabric when it comes to this aspect of clothing. Hemp makes a good attempt at it and depending on whom you believe, hemp is said to be more breathable than cotton.
But that conclusion does not take into account the different thicknesses that cotton can be woven or knitted into. Lightweight cotton is going to be very breathable and hemp is going to be hard to overcome that challenge.
Thicker cotton fabrics will not breathe as well as hemp will so in that case it has the advantage over cotton. The limited availability of hemp clothing will be a deterrent in your accessing this positive characteristic.
Hemp vs Cotton Yarn
If you prefer hemp materials, most likely you will prefer the hemp yarn over the cotton version. The yarn is not much different than the fabric and should contain all the positive and negative aspects of that fiber.
But organic cotton may give hemp a good run for its money and in some comparisons beats out hemp yarn and fabric. Cotton yarn will be more versatile than hemp yarn and have more uses than that material.
Which one you like best and will use the most will depend more on your personal preference than anything else. You can get fine cotton yarns that will be as good if not better than hemp yarn.
If you go organic then that will be the case. Hemp has its place in the fabric world but cotton is still king in some people’s eyes.
Cotton vs Hemp Rope
Historically, hemp has been the winner in this comparison as it was preferred over cotton rope when sailing their ancient ships. History says that those navies that used hemp sails and ropes dominated the seas for centuries.
Columbus was said to use hemp rope, etc. when he sailed to what is now called America and the West Indies. Surprisingly, even the founding fathers, some of them, grew hemp and used it to pay their taxes. That was a practice up until 1937.
Hemp is and was stronger than cotton and that strength made sure hemp was used in a variety of ways when a strong rope was needed. The only reason some hemp made it west was because the war between the Chinese and the Arab people allowed the latter group to steal the hemp paper making secrets of the former.
The English lost access to Russian hemp so it offered bounties to American farmers to grow that crop so from history onward hemp rope is seen as the better rope to use.
Cotton vs Hemp Sheets
Cotton is a very breathable fabric to lay over your bed and lets you avoid the night sweats. It is hypoallergenic as well as comfortable, soft, and has average durability. Of course, those points depend on how the cotton was woven into sheets and what quality of cotton was used.
Hemp is also hypoallergenic, soft over time, breathable, and is supposed to be 8 times stronger than cotton. That last fact has hemp sheets lasting you longer and has 4 times the durability of cotton.
You are not going to lose out from using either type of bed sheet. The main factor in your purchase will be the cost as hemp is not known for being less expensive than cotton.
Hemp vs Cotton Price
Price matters and one of the reasons why hemp is more expensive than cotton is that it is harder to find hemp clothing and other materials. The hemp making industry is still developing and doe snot have as large a market as cotton enjoys.
Also, that lack of reach makes processing costs higher which in turn makes hemp costs higher. Cotton is enjoyed by a lot of people around the world which means it is less costly to produce, grow, and distribute.
Hemp will last longer than cotton so after you get over the sticker shock, you may save money over the long run if you purchase hemp over cotton items. That decision is up to you and how you want to spend your money.
Hemp Clothes vs Cotton
This is going to be a personal preference comparison as you know the positive and negative aspects of both fabrics already. While hemp is more expensive than cotton, it lasts longer cutting your future clothing bill down.
Then cotton is softer and more versatile but hemp gets softer as you wear it more often and wash it. Both fabrics accept dyes well but cotton will fade faster than hemp so you may have more work to do later on or spend more money replacing faded cotton clothing.
Overall it is up to you what you want to wear, what fabric you will have on your beds, and soon. Both come with sterling positive qualities that make both advantageous to buy and use. The cost will most likely be the determining factor here.
Hemp vs Cotton Environmental Impact
Hemp is said to have a better environmental impact than cotton does. It uses less water, about 2,300 liters compared to 10,000 liters of water to make 2.2 pounds of fabric.
Then per acre, hemp produces about 1500 pounds of material while cotton only produces about 500 pounds. Cotton also needs pesticides and herbicides to protect it from its natural enemies. Hemp does not need much of any of those toxic chemicals.
Then hemp will put nitrogen and oxygen back into the ground while cotton does not seem to do that, plus, hemp helps get rid of toxic chemicals from the soil which is also something cotton plants do not do.
The facts seem to be about the environmental impact of both products. Hemp seems to be better than cotton when it comes to being environmentally friendly.
Does Hemp Use Less Water Than Cotton?
Yes, hemp uses less water than cotton and per kilogram or 2.2 pounds, it uses about 6,700 liters less. But those figures are approximate as we have seen figures for cotton water use as high as 10,000 liters per kilo and other people say it goes as high as 20,000 liters.
Then for hemp, those same people claimed that hemp growers used only 300 to 500 liters of water to grow the same amount of hemp as cotton. 20,000 liters equals 5,000 US gallons approx.
Then cotton only uses about 2.5% of the available farmland around the world. Hemp uses a lot less and is said to produce more product than cotton. On top of that hemp usually requires between 0 and 5% of the world’s pesticide and herbicide supply.
Cotton uses about 16% but then cotton has more natural enemies than hemp does so this difference is understandable. Also, cotton can be grown organically which means it uses 0% of those products.
How Much Water Does Hemp Require Than Cotton?
This will depend on who you talk to and believe. The previous section provided the figures for this difference and that amount of water that hemp requires ranges between 300 and 2,300 liters of water (divide by four to get US gallons).
In other words, hemp does not require a lot of water to grow. It also does not need as much land to produce more fiber than cotton does and produces. Any way you look at it, hemp plants just need different items to grow than cotton does.
The amount of water use is not as big a factor as people make it out to be. It is just the way the plants were made that make this difference more visible.
Hemp Cotton Blend Fabric
In this situation, you will be getting a very good and top quality product. Blends are made to strengthen certain fabrics and both materials can benefit from being combined.
The only question in this move is the legality as hemp is still illegal to own and grow in many areas of the country. This is a major factor in hemp use. Because it is guilty by association people do not get access to this natural plant or its product very easily.
If you can get this blend then you will be owning a good fabric.
Some Final Words
One of the problems in doing this comparison was that the pro-hemp people have a better presence on the internet than the pro cotton people. Also, those pro-hemp people do not provide honest information about their favored fabric as they parrot and copy each other's information.
There is no doubt that hemp is a good fabric but it may not be as good as hemp supporters make it out to be. Cotton is no slouch either.
