Knitting Oil Market

High-performance Speciality Lubricant for Knitting Industry

The Knitting Oil Market is valued at USD 24.7 Bn in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 34.1 Bn , growing at a CAGR of 4.7% by 2033.Weaving and knitting are the two primary textile processes for manufacturing fabrics. In the modern textile industry, these processes take place on electrically powered automated machines, and the resulting fabrics find their way into a wide range of end-uses, including wearing apparel, home furnishings and industrial applications.

Knitting machines which create fabrics in a semi or fully automated manner, require the right lubrication to ensure sufficient life and performance to the stitch-forming elements. Knitting machine components are subject to high stress, constantly changing and often high loads, vibrations and varying operating conditions. Factors such as humidity and extreme temperature variations, types of yarn used / (yarn types) also play a pivotal role in the occurrence of wear in the stitch forming elements.

Knitting oils are developed to meet the critical requirements of modern sewing and industrial knitting machines. Developed on ultra-refined base oils and performance additives which ensure high lubricity and low frictional coefficients between the frictional partners of sinker and needle.

These oils have excellent property of scourability (are non-staining, easily & completely water washable), no sticky or carbonaceous deposits causing stains (becomes intense with cotton/elastane plated fabrics, where pre-dye heat setting is essential), at high temperature, lower evaporation rates at high temperature, reduces wear & tear of needles and other moving parts, compatible with the plastic part & rubber seals of lubrication & electronic systems, environmentally safer than petroleum oils.

Formulated from Paraffinic Mineral Oils and Contains Additives such as Rust and Oxidation Inhibitors

In terms of base oil type, knitting oil can be categorized into: mineral oil, biodegradable oil, and synthetic oil. Knitting Oils are manufactured from a combination of high quality HVI solvent-extracted dual hydrogenated paraffin base oils which have good lubricity, good oxidation stability and give good protection against rust.  Formulated not only to meet the exacting requirements of today’s knitting machine technology, but also to be fully compatible with the yarns and the finishing routes to which the knitted fabric is subjected.

These lubricants not only protect the stitch forming elements like needles, impulse transmitters, carriage guide, racking units and sinkers but also ensure good scourability of the oil during fabric processing with enhanced machine performance and reliability.

The Industrial Revolution the Wool and Cotton Industries required Oils to lubricate their Mechanized Factories

Halfway through the Nineteenth century, most of the knitwear industry still hadn’t made the transition to factory machines. Later, with the improvement of steam-powered machines, machine knitting moved to factories to accommodate the larger devices. Machine knitting during the industrial revolution created many different fabrics. This led to the development of machine knitted knitwear on a massive scale. They are built in such a manner that it can produce semi-finished as well as finished product. It has made life little easier by automating the work.

Knitting machine is in great demand because of it high-quality product. Modern circular knitting machines, flat beds and weaving machines process daily several hundred kilograms of knitted material at maximum speeds. Hundreds of fine needles and sinkers turn colourful threads into socks, sweaters, skirts, coats, wool bed covers and comforters with finest patterns in a blink of an eye. An accurate knitting and weaving image requires good yarn tension as well as the reliable operation of bearings, gears, sliding elements and needles. Even the smallest machinery discrepancy reflects immediately on the knitted or weaved fabric and increases thus the percentage of substandard fabric as well as the associated manufacturing expenses.

Fashion Is a Driver for the Future

Technology such as Artificial intelligence, 3D Printing, Blockchain, Internet of things (IoT), Rapid Data Analysis, Mobile Commerce, Novel fabrics, Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR) and Sustainability are changing the way we experience fashion - changing the way people shop, through social media apps, retail shops and augmented realities. Brands are adapting to changes in order to get their products in front of their customer.

As one of the biggest industries in the world, generating an estimated $1.5 trillion a year. The demand for textile will rise by manifold, as the global population will touch the 8.55 billion mark by 2030. By the mid-century, this figure would reach 9.75 billion, making to a staggering 11 billion by 2100. Following this, the global apparel market will grow to US $ 2.5 trillion by 2030.

Currently, U.S.A. and European Union enjoy a fairly huge consumption base, but by 2030 situation would be different. The combined size of Chinese and Indian apparel markets will become far bigger. In India, textile industry accounts for more than 20% of industrial production. The shift from becoming world's largest textile manufacturer and supplier to becoming world's biggest consumer of textile has just started in Asia. The changes are direct result of the global demographic changes. The luxury brands have already started tapping into the Asian market, as domestic demand in the Asian sub-continent has been escalating gradually. This is likely to boost investments into textile sector and thus, benefit the overall demand for knitting oil in Asia Pacific in year to come.

Knitting Oil Companies

• BECHEM (Bechemindia)
• Behran Oil Co.
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
• Eastern Petroleum Pvt. Ltd.
• Extro Lubricants
• GOC Petrochemicals (Gold Oil Corporation)
• KLÜBER LUBRICATION (Klueber)
• LUBCON
• Lubrogamma Srl
• LUBSTAR LUBRICANTS Pvt. Ltd.
• Millers Oils
• Molylub
• Nye Lubricants, Inc.
• Total Lubrifiants (TotalEnergies)
• Vickers Oils

 Global Knitting Oil Market Segmeatation is Listed Below:

By Type

• Synthetic
• Semi-Synthetic
• Biodegradable

By Application

• Flat Knitting Machine
• Circular Knitting Machine

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa