Tow

In the composites industry, a tow is an untwisted bundle of continuous filaments, and it refers to man-made fibres, particularly carbon fibres (also called graphite).

Tows are designated by the number of fibers they contain. For example, a 12K tow contains about 12,000 fibres.

In the textile industry, a tow (rhymes with cow, unless referring to cellulose acetate which sounds like toe) is a coarse, broken fibre, removed during processing flax, hemp, or jute.^[1] Flax tows are often used as upholstery stuffing, and tows in general are frequently cut up to produce staple fibre.

Notes

1. ↑ Glossary of Colonial Terms, History Online

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