American Fiber & Finishing

What American Fiber & Finishing does

American Fiber & Finishing, Inc. (AF&F) is a privately-held U.S. manufacturer of light to medium weight woven industrial fabrics and fiber-related products, founded in 1986 through a buyout of the industrial fabrics divisions of The Kendall Company. The company is headquartered in Albemarle, North Carolina, operates a second manufacturing facility in Sequim, Washington, and reports 501-1,000 employees. AF&F operates in a single integrated segment with multiple branded product lines: critical cleaning and wiping products (Rymplecloth®, Aerotex™, Purewipe®, Handipad™), tack cloths (Chemical Cloth™, Greider Tack Cloth™), specialty starched bookbinding fabrics (SuperCloth®, Text B®), and consumer cotton health/beauty products (Sofetts®), supported by an advisory board and in-house engineering bench.

The technology stack centers on proprietary textile manufacturing processes — most notably crimped finish technology for contaminant trapping, proprietary tack formulations applied through specialized curing, AMS 3819D-compliant knit-wiper production under AS9120-certified controls, and a full-scale in-house testing laboratory capable of running USP and AMS tests under GMP. AF&F holds the only AMS 3819D-compliant knit wiper on the U.S. market and is listed on the AMS QPL, with broad Boeing BAC specification coverage (D6-1816, BAC5845, BAC5000, and others) underpinning a 50+ year sole-source relationship at Boeing and #1/#2 positions in U.S. bookbinding starched fabrics and cotton balls.

The business model is B2B industrial product sales: AF&F sells direct to enterprise OEMs (AS9120-certified sales operations) and through a global authorized distributor network, with quote-based pricing (specific prices are not publicly disclosed). Private-label/white-label capability exists for tack cloths and Sofetts consumer products, and a separate closeout e-commerce channel at affcottonballs.com serves SMB/individual buyers. Revenue streams are one-time sale of goods rather than recurring contracts, with end markets spanning aerospace, automotive, bookbinding, filtration, marine, woodworking, healthcare, food processing, and consumer retail.

Name

American Fiber & Finishing

Legal name

American Fiber & Finishing, Inc.

Website

https://affinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

American Fiber & Finishing is a privately-held U.S. manufacturer of woven industrial wiping fabrics, tack cloths, bookbinding reinforcement textiles, and consumer cotton products, serving aerospace (including a 50+ year Boeing relationship), automotive, bookbinding, healthcare, and industrial segments from facilities in North Carolina and Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Textiles

NAICS

Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills (313310), Fabric Coating Mills (31332), Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton (2211), Knitting Mills (2250)

akta.pro primary industry

Away-from-Home (AFH) Tissue & Wipers (Commercial/Institutional) (IMAMAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Washing, Rinsing & After-Treatments (Soaping/Neutralizing/Enzyme Wash) (IMAOACAH)

Keywords

• Industrial wiping products
• Aerospace cleaning wipers
• Tack cloth manufacturing
• Woven industrial fabrics
• Bookbinding textiles

Headquarters

HQ city

Albemarle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Wiping Products: Sale of critical cleaning and wiping products including Rymplecloth, Aerotex, Purewipe, tack cloths, gauze, and non-woven products for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.
2. Bookbinding Materials: Sale of specialty starched woven products including SuperCloth and Text B for strengthening and reinforcing hard-covered book covers and spines.
3. Health and Beauty Products: Sale of cotton balls, cotton swabs, cosmetic facial pads under the Sofetts brand, including private-label options.
4. Private Label/White Label: Tack cloths can be private-labeled for re-sellers. Sofetts products can be packaged for private label under proprietary brand.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

American Fiber & Finishing (AF&F) is a U.S. manufacturer of light to medium weight woven industrial fabrics and fiber-related products. The company produces branded critical cleaning wipers (Rymplecloth®, Aerotex™, Purewipe®), tack cloths (Chemical Cloth™, Greider Tack Cloth™), specialty starched woven fabrics for bookbinding (SuperCloth®, Text B®), and consumer health/beauty cotton products (Sofetts®), with a heavy focus on aerospace-certified wiping materials.

Product overview

American Fiber & Finishing (AF&F) is a manufacturer of industrial fabrics and wiping products with a diversified portfolio of branded product lines. The company offers multiple product categories including Critical Cleaning/Wiping products (Rymplecloth®, Aerotex™, Handipad™), Tack Cloths (Chemical Cloth™, Greider Tack Cloth™), the Purewipe® line of wiping products (including non-woven wipers, knit wipers, cheesecloth, sponges, pads, and cotton swabs), Specialty Starched Woven Products for bookbinding (SuperCloth®, Text B®), and consumer health/beauty products (Sofetts®). AF&F serves regulated industries including aerospace, automotive, bookbinding, filtration, healthcare, and industrial wiping, with a focus on meeting stringent aerospace quality standards such as AMS 3819D. The company also provides advisory services for customized product development solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rymplecloth®: Purified wiping cloth made of 100% cotton woven fabric with unique crimped finish and firmly twisted yarn pattern for superior dirt-trapping; aerospace certified, biodegradable, and highly absorbent.
• Aerotex™
• Purewipe®
• Chemical Cloth™
• Greider Tack Cloth™
• SuperCloth®
• Text B®
• Sofetts®
• Handifold™

Products and services

• Rymplecloth® Purified 100% cotton woven wiping cloth with a unique crimped finish and firmly twisted yarn pattern that traps and captures dirt and debris. Aerospace certified, biodegradable, silicone-free, highly absorbent, low lint.
• Aerotex™ Premium 100% cotton wiping cloth with unique crimped construction, bleached white using chlorine-free peroxide. Certified to aerospace standards, designed for smooth and curved surfaces including aircraft, auto body and windows. Product of choice at Boeing for over 50 years.
• Purewipe® Line of wiping products for specialized industries including aerospace, automotive, and light industrial applications. Includes cheesecloth, sponges, pads, non-wovens, knit wipers, pre-saturated rolls, and cotton swabs. Static- and silicone-free, low lint, USP purity grade.
• Chemical Cloth™ Tack Cloth Premium tack cloth originally designed for aerospace industry requirements. Made from high-quality cotton gauze or polyester warp knit fabrics with specially engineered tack substances. Aerospace certified under D6-1816 and multiple BAC standards.
• Greider Tack Cloth™ (G99) 100% bleached cotton tack cloth with formulated water-based resin, silicone and residue free. Aerospace certified under D6-1816 and BAC5845 standards.
• SuperCloth® Starched open weave gauze cloth for strengthening and reinforcing hard-covered books, particularly spines of oversized or heavy volumes. Nation's leading manufacturer of starched fabrics for the bookbinding industry.
• Text B® Bookbinding Fabric 100% woven cotton spine reinforcing fabric specifically engineered for bookbinding with reinforced tapes. Tensile rating meets NASTA/BMI Specifications for K-12 school books.
• Sofetts® Premium health and beauty cotton products including Cotton Balls, Cotton Swabs, Cosmetic Facial Pads, Medical Balls. 100% premium purified Medical Grade Cotton and USP compliant. Available for private label.
• Handipad™ 100% scoured, absorbent, crimped cotton pad for industrial and cleaning applications.
• Production Rolls Gauze/cheesecloth production rolls available in greige or bleached, multiple widths, constructions, yardages, and starched levels for industrial bookbinding and specialty applications.
• AMS 3819D-Compliant Tri-Fold Wiper The only knit wiper meeting AMS 3819D aerospace standard for cleaning aircraft primary and secondary structural surfaces. 100% cotton, listed on AMS QPL, manufactured in a controlled environment free from silicone, oils, and grease.

Quantifiable outcome

• Only knit wiper compliant with AMS 3819D standard for aerospace wiping
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Glatfelter: Glatfelter is a global manufacturer of specialty papers and nonwovens used in wipes, filtration, and technical applications. It directly competes with AF&F in engineered wiping substrates and specialty finished fabrics.
• ITW Texwipe: ITW Texwipe is a leading manufacturer of cleanroom and critical-environment wipers used in aerospace, semiconductor, and life sciences. It is the closest direct competitor to AF&F in regulated aerospace wiping, with overlapping certifications and customer base.
• Contec: Contec manufactures cleanroom wipes, mops, and contamination-control products for aerospace, pharmaceutical, and electronics customers. It competes head-to-head with AF&F's Purewipe and Aerotex lines in regulated industrial wiping.
• Ahlstrom-Munksjö: Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a specialty fiber-based materials manufacturer producing filtration, wiping, and industrial nonwoven fabrics. It competes in adjacent technical wiping and finishing categories that overlap with AF&F's industrial and filtration segments.
• Berkshire Corporation: Berkshire Corporation specializes in critical-cleaning wipes and contamination-control products for life sciences, microelectronics, and aerospace. It is a direct peer in spec-driven, high-purity wiping solutions comparable to AF&F's aerospace grades.

Broad incumbents

• Kimberly-Clark Professional: Kimberly-Clark Professional is the dominant player in away-from-home tissue, wipers, and cleaning products globally. It overlaps directly with AF&F's industrial wiping and aerospace/cleanroom categories, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio scope, making it the primary broad incumbent in the same end markets.
• Georgia-Pacific (Koch): Georgia-Pacific produces away-from-home paper and wiping products under brands like Brawny and enMotion. It is a broad incumbent in the commercial tissue and wiper space adjacent to AF&F's industrial offerings.
• Chicopee (Johnson & Johnson): Chicopee, part of J&J's Professional segment, makes nonwoven and woven wiping products for foodservice, industrial, and healthcare markets. It competes with AF&F's general industrial and consumer wiping lines, though at much broader scale.

Emerging players

• Lydall: Lydall manufactures specialty nonwoven and filtration media for industrial, automotive, and aerospace applications. It is comparable to AF&F in technical nonwoven wiping and filtration substrate production.
• PFNonwovens (PFN): PFNonwovens is a global producer of nonwoven fabrics used in hygiene, wiping, and industrial applications. It supplies substrate nonwovens comparable to those AF&F uses in its Purewipe non-woven product line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/affinc

Compliance19 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Fiber & Finishing