Mulberry Silk vs. Regular Silk: What's the Difference?
Walk into any silk showroom and you will hear two words over and over: mulberry silk and regular silk. To the untrained eye they look the same. To a buyer sourcing scarves or fabric at scale, the gap between them is real — in feel, in price, and in how your finished product performs on a customer's shelf.
What is mulberry silk?
Mulberry silk comes from the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori, which feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves. Because the worms are raised in controlled conditions and undisturbed while spinning, they produce a single, continuous filament that can run over 1,000 meters long per cocoon. This long, uniform fiber is the reason mulberry silk is prized for scarves, blouses and high-end lining.
What is "regular silk"?
"Regular silk" is a loose trade term. In practice it usually means one of three things:
- Tussah (wild) silk — from silkworms that eat oak and other leaves in the wild. The filament is shorter, flatter and more golden.
- Spun silk — short fibers leftover from reeling, spun into yarn. It is softer but less lustrous and weaker.
- Blended or artificial "silk" — often polyester, rayon or "imitation silk" that only looks like silk at first touch.
Side by side
- Fiber length: Mulberry = single long filament. Regular/tussah = short staples.
- Luster: Mulberry has a clean, pearly, uniform sheen. Tussah looks more matte and golden.
- Feel: Mulberry is smooth, cool and drapey. Spun silk feels cottony; polyester feels warm and slippery.
- Strength & durability: Long-filament mulberry is stronger by weight and resists pilling.
- Price: Mulberry is the most expensive. Tussah and spun silk sit mid-range. Polyester "silk" is cheapest.
Which should you choose?
For printed scarves, luxury gift sets and fashion apparel, go with grade 5A or 6A mulberry silk — the surface takes print beautifully and the hand sells the product. For everyday drapery, rustic upholstery or low-price lines, tussah or spun silk can be a cost-effective choice that still carries the "silk" story.
At MIAOSHENG, every scarf we ship is grade A mulberry silk, and we are happy to send a physical swatch pack so you can feel the difference for yourself before ordering bulk.