10 facts about silk that you did not know

1. A medium cocoon can contain up to 1 km of continuous silk thread.











2. It takes 5,500 silkworms to produce 1 kg of silk.









3. The thickness of the silk thread is 10 nanometers or 0.0001 mm









4. China has been producing silk for 5,000 years.









5. The silkworm feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves.









6. For 6 weeks of life, the silkworm caterpillar increases in weight by 10 thousand times.









7. The annual global production of silk is 100 billion km of filament, or the distance of 300 journeys from the Earth to the Sun... and back.









8. Silk has its own unique shine due to the triangular cross-section of the thread reflecting light at different angles.









9. Silk is the strongest natural fiber known to man









10. Chinese silk accounts for 80% of global silk production





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