Similarly, the price of viscose rayon staple fibre (1f-denier, finch) has declined from 6o cents per pound in 1928 to 25 cents in 1939, while acetate staple (5-denier) declined from 8o cents per pound in 1936 to 46 cents in 1939.
The largest proportion of the filament yarn produced in the United States is consumed by the weaving industry, which has far surpassed the knitting industry as a market for rayon yarn (see Table V for the distribution of rayon yarn sales by the various consuming trades). In the early days of the rayon industry, rayon was woven in cotton mills or in silk mills. Today there are weav ers who use rayon only, and might thus be called rayon weavers, but there is also wide use of rayon in weaving mills whose prin cipal product may be cotton or silk but which are using rayon mixed with these fibres (e.g., silk warp and rayon filling), or which have a part of their looms working on rayon fabrics.
The classification "Broad woven goods" in Table V includes all rayon sold to broad weavers, whether they be "silk weavers," "cot ton weavers," "woollen and worsted weavers," or rayon weavers. For the year 1938, this classification also includes the new use of rayon in tire cord fabrics. The narrow woven goods noted in Table V includes ribbons, tapes, woven elastic goods, hatbands, labels, and other woven goods less than 18 inches wide.
The consumption of rayon in the hosiery industry, as shown in Table V, up to the present time has been principally in women's seamless hosiery and men's seamless half hose, but recently rayon has been used to an increasing extent in full-fashioned hose. "Other knit goods," as shown in Table V, includes rayon knit underwear, knit elastic goods, knit neckties, knit dresses, polo shirts, sweaters, and other knit outerwear. Other outlets for rayon yarn, such as nets, laces, braids, fringes, wire covering, and thread, make up the miscellaneous classification.
In addition to the consumption of filament yarn, there is the newer product, rayon staple fibre, which has given a tremendous impetus to rayon consumption. The consumption of rayon staple fibre in the United States (domestic production plus imports of staple fibre and spun yarn) has shown a rapid increase, the con sumption rising from 868,000lb. in 1930 to 6,061,000lb. in 1935 and 53,086,000lb. in 1938. It is estimated that about 90% of the staple fibre consumed in 1938 was spun and woven in the cot ton industry. The balance was used in the woollen and worsted industry and in several knit-goods products. Staple fibre may
be used alone, but it is also frequently combined with other fibres or with rayon filament yarn.
The division of the United States consumption of rayon into the general classifications of industrial, household, and apparel uses, and the comparison with the use of other fibres in those fields is estimated in Table VI for the year 1938. The consump tion of rayon as shown in this table includes, in addition to filament yarn and staple fibre, the estimated use of rayon waste of all types in the production of textile products.
The great importance of the apparel trades (men's and boys' and women's and children's wear) in the consumption of rayon, silk, and wool is noteworthy. While cotton is also important in the apparel trades, its outstanding use as an industrial fibre is clearly shown by Table VI.
In the field of women's and children's apparel, the largest poundage consumption of rayon is in women's dresses, including ready-made garments and piece goods sold at retail. Women's underwear, both woven and knitted, is another large outlet for rayon, as is women's seamless hosiery. Linings are another im portant outlet for rayon, which is also used extensively in sports wear of all kinds, including bathing suits, sweaters, and beachwear.
In men's and boys' wear, the largest consumption of rayon is in linings for suits, coats, ties, hats, gloves, etc. Men's hosiery, especially the seamless type, accounts for another large portion of the rayon consumed in this field. A considerable amount of rayon, especially staple fibre and waste, goes into wool mixtures for men's suits and coats, while rayon is being used in increas ing amounts in men's sportswear, particularly in beachwear, slacks, and sport shirts.
In the household uses of rayon, the most important items are curtains, draperies, and upholsteries, although sizeable quanti ties of rayon are used in bedspreads, comfortables and quilts.
The most important market for rayon in the industrial field is in upholstery and other fabrics for the automobile industry. Rayon cords for automobile tires are also growing in importance. Other products in this classification are linings of various types (casket linings, trunk and box linings, shoe linings, etc.) and many miscellaneous uses of rayon, such as umbrellas, ribbons, fringes and gimps, braids, labels, bindings, etc.