You may have observed a change in the worldwide SUP market over the past two years. Top brands are suddenly coming out with boards that are 20% lighter and stiffer than their older models. They call it “Ultra-Light Technology” or “Pro Weave,” but they don’t often explain how it works.
As a manufacturer who sees the raw material rolls before they become boards, I can tell you that the secret is not in the PVC skin; it’s in the core.
The industry is going through a big change from the old Knitted Drop Stitch to the new Woven Drop Stitch. If you own a brand and are developing your product line for 2025/2026, it’s important to know the difference. It is the difference between selling a common item and a high-quality one that works well.
Let’s go inside and see the tiny variations that make a big difference.
The Legacy Standard: Knitted Drop Stitch (Linear)
Knitted Drop Stitch has been the most important tool in the industry for more than ten years. This is probably what you’ll discover if you cut open a regular inflatable board.
How it works: The polyester threads that connect the top and bottom layers are “knitted” into a base fabric using a procedure called linear looping.
- The Downside: The foundation structure is a little “stretchy” because of how it was made, so we need to put on a thicker layer of liquid PVC to keep it stable and make it airtight.
- The Result: It works fine, but it’s heavy. That extra PVC adds “dead weight” that doesn’t make things stiffer; it just makes them bigger.
The Innovation: Woven Drop Stitch (The Matrix)
The game-changer is Woven Drop Stitch. Instead of knitting, the threads are firmly woven together to make a high-tensile matrix structure.
The Engineering Advantage: The woven base is naturally tighter and doesn’t stretch as much (low elongation), so we don’t have to use as much liquid PVC to keep it airtight.
- Less Material: We utilize less plastic, which makes the board a lot lighter.
- Higher Tensile Strength: A woven structure is better at not stretching when you put pressure on it than a knit.
According to textile engineering principles regarding tensile properties of woven fabrics, a woven structure inherently provides superior load-bearing capacity with less material deformation.This means that a Woven board can keep its flat rocker line better than a Knitted board at the same pressure, which is 20 PSI.
The Business Case: Why Brands Are Switching
You might be wondering, “Do my customers care about different types of drop stitches?” They might not know the words, but they do care about the experience and the logistics.
1. Savings on logistics (the secret profit) A Woven board is around 1.5 to 2 kg lighter than a Knitted board of the same size.
- For the User: It’s easy to go to the beach.
- For You (The Business): Shipping costs per unit are reduced when packaging are lighter, notably for air freight or last-mile delivery (Amazon FBA).
2. Small Storage Woven fabric is more flexible. It rolls up more tightly. This lets you use smaller boxes, which means you can fit more units into a 40HQ container. Volume is money in the world of international freight.
3. The “Premium” Price Tag Woven Drop Stitch costs extra to make. But it does let you put your brand in the High-End Tier. With the $199 supermarket boards, you’re not competing on price; with the $800+ pro brands, you’re competing on performance.
Which Material Should You Choose?
- Stick with Knitted (Standard Fusion): The old Knitted Fusion tech is still great if you’re making a budget-friendly line or a tough rental fleet where weight isn’t a big deal. It is strong, reliable, and cheap.
- Upgrade to Woven: Woven is the way to go if you want to make a “Pro Series,” a “Travel Series,” or just give people the best performance possible.
The Huale Advantage: We have production lines for both kinds of materials. We don’t try to encourage you to choose the most expensive alternative; instead, we assist you find the right material for your target market’s budget.
Want to experience the change in weight for yourself? To get a sample package with both knitted and woven raw material swatches, please get in touch with our engineering team. Seeing is believing.
