With the many options available it can be confusing selecting the correct bristle for your application. Hopefully some of the information below will shed some light on this and allow you to choose the correct bristle stiffness with confidence.
An important point to note is that both the length and diameter of the bristle influences stiffness. A shorter length trim of the same diameter will make the bristle stiffer than a longer trim size of the same diameter.
The description of applications below refers to floor cleaning tools primarily but could also serve as a guide for the correct selection of tools for any application.
Extra Soft: normally a 0.2mm diameter bristle, works best for very fine dust & dirt, flour, milk powder and the like.
Soft: normally a 0.3mm bristle, generally used in dry environments for sweeping fine particles.
Medium: normally a 0.5mm bristle, typically a general purpose option that suits most sweeping applications. Can also shift larger particles and can be used in wet environments if required.
Stiff: normally a 0.5mm or 1.0mm bristle (depending on the length of trim), typically used wet for more of a scrubbing application in deck scrubs and tank brushes. Also used in heavy duty brooms for shifting large particles and waste removal
Extra Stiff: normally a 0.5mm or 1.0mm bristle (depending on the length of trim), typically used same as above (stiff) but for really stuck on soils that require more agitation to move.
Combination: some items have a mix of stiff and extra soft filaments. The purpose of this is the extra soft filaments are the best for sweeping fine particles, but as they are such a small diameter they can get fractured more easily if they get regularly knocked against solid surfaces. To minimise this we protect these softer bristles with stiff bristles just around the front face of the brush which makes it last longer.
If you would like help with any of these aspects, please reach out to our team by filling in the form below and we will be back in touch with you ASAP.