This 4-ounce Plain Weave Fiberglass Fabric is our most popular selection for use as a surface fabric, with enough body to be easily handled. This fiberglass wets out to a transparent, protective barrier, and can be used to prevent print-through of heavier fabrics underneath. It is often chosen for strip-built canoes and final layering over moldless designs.

Like other plain weaves, it delivers uniform strength in both horizontal and vertical directions, with warp and fill yarns at 0 and 90 degrees, respectively.

Features

• Most popular surface fabric
• Uniform horizontal and vertical strength
• Minimize print of laminate fabrics
• Cures transparent

Tips

• Ideal for a final layering over moldless designs
• Great for building cedar or strip-built canoes and kayaks
• Orient this fabric so that yarns run parallel to expected loads.
• During lay-up, add layers at alternating 45-degree angles to maximize strength.
• Use with epoxy resin, polyester resin, or vinyl ester resin to produce composite parts of excellent strength, low weight, and great cosmetics.

Specifications

Guarantee

Fibre Glast is committed to ensuring that every roll of fabric we handle is First Quality and manufactured to the highest standards, so that you can expect the same properties and handling characteristics every time you order.

Click here for more information on our First Quality Guarantee.

Why Choose 4 oz Fiberglass Fabric?

The #262 sits between the ultra-lightweight 2 oz (#241) and the medium-weight 6 oz (#259) in the Fibre Glast fiberglass lineup. It provides more body and easier handling than the 2 oz while remaining light enough to serve as a dedicated surfacing fabric.

The lighter the ounce-weight of the fabric, the easier it will be to drape over highly contoured surfaces. Lightweights also use less resin so the entire laminate remains lighter.

Applying the first layer of resin and fabric directly to the mold surface can result in surface irregularities, pinholes, and print-through of the fabric weave pattern if a heavier fabric is used. These blemishes can be corrected once the part is removed from the mold, but it will require tedious sanding and filling.

Use of a lightweight fabric, such as two-ounce or four-ounce, as the first layer can minimize these problems if a gel coat or surface coat is not used. The 4 oz is the most popular choice for this surfacing role because it offers enough body to handle easily while still curing transparent.

What Are the Best Applications for 4 oz Fiberglass Fabric?

Lightweight fabrics are good if the protective layer is to be transparent, such as on strip-built canoes. In general, any plain weave fabric can be used for laminating a protective layer over wood, and the 4 oz is an excellent balance of handling ease and transparency.

When building molds with epoxy resin, always begin with a lightweight surfacing fabric such as the #262 4 oz or #259 6 oz to minimize print-through of the heavier patterned materials underneath. The 4 oz is also suitable for moldless composite construction where surface quality matters.

How Should 4 oz Fiberglass Fabric Be Used for Best Results?

Use squeegees, brushes, and rollers to saturate the reinforcement with resin and work air from the laminate and compress the layers of fabric.

Available as cut-to-length yardage (#262, min 10 yd), 1-yard package (#262-F), 3-yard package (#262-B), and 5-yard package (#262-C).