Meta-aramid damper cloth for loudspeaker spiders
100% meta-aramid (aramid 1313) · Woven cloth, 158 g/m² · Warp and weft 20s/2 · Spider and damper layer for 6.5 in – 18 in woofers and subwoofers
A 158 g/m² woven meta-aramid cloth for the spider — the damper layer that centres the voice coil in a moving-coil driver. Supplied as material for woofers and subwoofers of roughly 6.5 in to 18 in, on material-level data.
- Woven meta-aramid cloth at 158 g/m², warp and weft 20s/2
- Made as the spider / damper layer for woofers and subwoofers, roughly 6.5 in to 18 in
- Inherently flame resistant and non-melting — continuous service around 250 °C
Application scenarios
A woven cloth for the spider of a moving-coil driver
The spider — also called the damper — is the centring layer of a moving-coil driver. It holds the voice coil centred in the magnet gap and returns the cone to its rest position after each stroke, so it is one of the parts that decides how consistently a driver behaves across its travel. This is the meta-aramid (aramid 1313) woven cloth we supply for that layer, for woofers and subwoofers of roughly 6.5 in to 18 in.
The fibre is the reason it is specified. Meta-aramid is inherently flame resistant — the property belongs to the polymer, not to a finish applied to the cloth, so it cannot be washed out or worn off — and it does not melt or drip. It is used continuously at around 250 °C and only begins to decompose above 370 °C, and its limiting oxygen index of 28–32 is well above the 21% oxygen in ordinary air, so it self-extinguishes once the ignition source is removed.
The cloth is built for the job: 100% meta-aramid, woven, 158 g/m², with a two-ply Ne 20s yarn — 20s/2 — in both warp and weft. Meta-aramid is a spun staple fibre, so this is a woven staple cloth rather than a filament construction, and the balanced warp and weft count keeps the two directions of the cloth alike.
What we supply for it is material data: composition, weight, count and the fibre properties of the lot. The spider geometry, the impregnation and the forming of the part are the driver maker’s process, and the acoustic result is measured on the finished driver. We do not claim a protective-clothing standard for this cloth and we do not quote a service temperature above the fibre’s own figure.
Who makes it
Who makes the damper cloth
Our textile manufacturing roots go back to 1972 and the company was established in Shantou, Guangdong in 2002. The aramid in this cloth comes out of a 30,000 m² integrated plant where the fibre is spun and converted under one roof rather than bought in and resold.
This page covers one construction: MP20232, a 158 g/m² meta-aramid woven cloth at 20s/2 in warp and weft, supplied as spider and damper cloth for loudspeaker drivers. We supply the cloth and its material-level data; the driver’s own performance and its approval belong to the driver maker, on the basis of that data.
Technical data
Product information
The meta-aramid damper cloth we produce for loudspeaker spiders. Every figure on the row below is the value recorded for MP20232; where our records hold nothing we write On request rather than an estimate.
| Model | Composition | Weight | Construction / width | Rating or key property | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP20232 | 100% meta-aramid (aramid 1313) | 158 g/m² | Woven; warp and weft 20s/2, 160 cm | Damper cloth for loudspeaker spiders, roughly 6.5 in to 18 in drivers | Product record |
Meta-aramid damper cloth for loudspeaker spiders
| Application | Driver range | What the cloth does there |
|---|---|---|
| Woofers and subwoofers | 6.5 in – 18 in drivers for home audio, studio monitors and cinema systems | Centres the voice coil and sets the rest position the cone returns to |
| PA and professional audio | High-power spiders for line arrays, stage monitors and DJ equipment | Holds its geometry through long high-excursion duty, where the part runs hot |
| Automotive and marine audio | Car and motorcycle audio, marine-grade drivers | Keeps compliance stable where humidity changes between seasons |
| Industrial transducers | Alarm horns, haptic actuators, cleaning transducers | Centring and fatigue duty outside audio, where the part cycles continuously |
Where the cloth is used
The Source column names where the figure comes from: Product record is the specification held for this model in our own product records. The spider geometry, the impregnation and the forming of the part are set by the driver maker, not by this cloth; weight, count and construction are the values we hold and the values the test report for your lot will repeat. Where our records hold no figure we write On request rather than an estimate.
Made to order
Specification options
MP20232 is the recorded construction for this cloth — 158 g/m², woven, 20s/2 in warp and weft. Tell us the driver the spider is going into and the roll form your cutting line runs, and we will confirm the specification and the material data for it.
- Natural white
- Carbon black
Natural white is the standard supply for the bare cloth, because the colour of the base has to be consistent when the driver maker coats it. Carbon black is the second recorded shade, used where the finished spider is specified in black.
Standards and certification
The damper cloth is supplied on material-level data: composition, weight and yarn count. It is an industrial component for loudspeaker drivers rather than protective clothing, so no protective-clothing standard is claimed for it.
- ISO 9001 Quality management system.
- IATF 16949 Automotive quality management system, certified for the manufacture of polyester and aramid cloth at our Shantou plant. It is listed because this is aramid cloth off that line, not because the driver is an automotive part.
- REACH SVHC Declaration available on request for the article supplied.
This cloth is not a protective garment material and we do not present it as one: the items above are the quality system we work under and the substance declaration we can issue, and that is the whole list. Where a programme needs a standard-referenced result on the cloth itself, we arrange testing to the customer's requirement and issue the report for the production lot. Test reports are available from our sales team on request.
Frequently asked questions
What is a loudspeaker spider, and where does this cloth go?
The spider — also called the damper — is the centring layer of a moving-coil driver. It holds the voice coil centred in the magnet gap and pulls the cone back to its rest position after each stroke, so it is one of the parts that decides how consistently a driver behaves across its travel. This is the meta-aramid woven cloth we supply for that layer, in woofers and subwoofers of roughly 6.5 in to 18 in.
What is the damper cloth made of, and how is it built?
It is 100% meta-aramid (aramid 1313), woven, at 158 g/m², with a two-ply Ne 20s yarn — 20s/2 — in both warp and weft. Meta-aramid is a spun staple fibre, so the cloth is a woven staple fabric rather than a filament construction, and the count recorded for this model is the count the cloth is made from.
What is the service temperature of the damper cloth?
Meta-aramid is used continuously at around 250 °C and only begins to decompose above 370 °C, and it does not melt or drip. Those are the material figures we hold, and they are the ones we publish; we do not quote a higher service temperature for this cloth. Where the temperature is critical to a driver design, ask us for the material data sheet for the lot so it can be checked against your own test.
Why meta-aramid rather than a general-purpose textile for a damper?
Because the damper works hot and has to keep its geometry while it does. Meta-aramid is inherently flame resistant, it does not melt, and it holds its mechanical properties through long hot service, so the cloth keeps its shape rather than softening as it heats. A spider whose stiffness drifts with temperature changes the compliance of the driver, which is the one thing a damper must not do. Meta-aramid also needs no flame-retardant finish, so there is no treatment to be consumed by heat over the life of the driver.
Is the damper cloth certified to a protective-clothing standard?
No. Damper cloth is an industrial component for loudspeaker drivers, not protective clothing, so no protective-clothing standard is claimed for it and no PPE performance is stated on this page. What we supply is material-level data: composition, weight, yarn count and the fibre properties of the lot. If a programme needs a standard-referenced result on the cloth itself — a flame-spread or a heat test, for example — we arrange the testing to the customer's requirement and issue the report for that lot.
Which drivers is the cloth used for, and in what form is it supplied?
It is supplied for the spiders of woofers and subwoofers of roughly 6.5 in to 18 in, at 158 g/m². Roll width and roll length are set with the order against the process the cloth is cut and formed on. The spider geometry, the impregnation and the forming of the part are the driver maker’s process; the cloth is supplied as material for it.
Can you match the compliance of the damper we use now?
Yes — that is what the three levers on this cloth are for. Weight, weave and finish together set how stiff the formed spider is, so send us the specification of the damper you are running today, or a sample of it, and we will come back with the construction we would run against it. What we supply is the cloth to that construction: the forming, the impregnation and the measurement of compliance on the finished part stay with the driver maker.
Is the cloth supplied bare, or already coated with resin?
Both. Bare cloth is supplied for a driver maker who runs its own impregnation, and pre-coated cloth is supplied for a line that stamps and forms a finished spider directly. We match the cloth to the resin system you use rather than specifying one: phenolic, epoxy and polyimide systems are all bonded with this fibre, and tell us which you run, and we will confirm the base cloth and the finish that suit it.
What width should I order for high-volume stamping?
160 cm is the standard width, and it is set for die-cutting yield: a wider roll means fewer part rows are lost to the edge of the roll, which is what decides cost per spider on a high-volume line. If your press or your part geometry calls for a narrower web, the cloth is slit to the width you need — tell us the press width and the part layout.
How does meta-aramid compare with cotton or polyester cloth in a damper?
The difference is what the fibre does when it gets hot. Cotton and polyester are both organic fibres with a much lower thermal limit, and polyester melts rather than charring, so a damper built on it loses tension and then loses shape as the voice-coil heat builds. Meta-aramid is inherently flame resistant, does not melt or drip, and is used continuously at around 250 °C — it only begins to decompose above 370 °C — so the formed part keeps its geometry while it runs hot, and humidity does not change its dimensions either. Those are the fibre figures we hold and publish; we do not quote a comparative multiplier against another textile without a test behind it.
How do I verify the cloth before ordering?
Ask for the test report for the production lot. Composition, weight and yarn count are recorded per lot, and the figures on this page are the values recorded for model MP20232. Where an independent result is needed for your own approval file, third-party test reports can be provided on request.
How many strokes can the spider take before it sags?
The fatigue life of a spider is a property of the formed and impregnated part rather than of the cloth on its own, so we do not publish a stroke count: it depends on the geometry the driver maker forms, the resin system used, the excursion the driver runs and the temperature it runs at. What we publish for the cloth is the material data the driver maker needs — composition, weight, yarn count and construction, per lot. The forming, the impregnation and the measurement of the finished part stay with the driver maker. If your programme needs a fatigue result on the part, tell us the excursion and the temperature envelope and we will give you the lot data and the report to run it against.
How does the cloth weight change the spider?
Weight is one of the three levers on this cloth, with weave and finish, and it sets how stiff the formed spider ends up. MP20232 is recorded at 158 g/m², and the cloth is also run at 120, 180 and 200 g/m² where a programme needs a different compliance (Cms), so a heavier cloth is the route to a stiffer spider and a lighter one to a softer centring. What decides the design is compliance measured on the finished part, and that measurement belongs to the driver maker on the driver. Tell us the direction you need to move — stiffer or softer — and the roll form your line runs, and we will confirm the construction against it.
Let’s talk about your fabric requirements
Tell us the application, the required weight and the standard you need to meet. Our technical team will come back with a matching fabric, the spec sheet and a quotation.