Ward & Kennedy supplies businesses nationwide with traditionally die-cut and high-precision digitally cut felt. From furniture pads to protective felt pads for shipping large stainless steel parts and everything in between, you can trust Ward & Kennedy’s nearly 100-year history for fast turnaround times and dedicated service and support.
Felt is a non-woven material made by pressing and matting fibers, such as wool, synthetic fibers, or blends, together using heat, moisture, and pressure. It's widely used across automotive, industrial, furniture, apparel, and musical instrument industries for sealing, cushioning, and sound dampening applications.
Common products made from felt include:
Felt's fiber density and compressibility directly affect how it performs during die cutting, from blade pressure to edge quality and fray resistance.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Density (soft vs. hard felt) | Denser felt requires higher cutting pressure and sharper dies for clean edges |
| Thickness | Thicker felt needs more tonnage and can affect cut precision on detailed shapes |
| Fiber composition (wool vs. synthetic) | Impacts how much the cut edge frays and whether sealing or bonding is needed after cutting |
| Compressability | Felt compresses under the blade, so dies must be calibrated to avoid distorted cuts |
| Fray Resistance | Determines whether cut edges hold their shape or need additional finishing |
| Flexibility | Affects how well cut pieces retain their form for gaskets or molded applications |
slices completely through the material, and both digital cutters and traditional dies can perform it depending on thickness and volume.
Felt is a material that benefits from both digital and die cutting depending on the production stage. Digital cutting works well for prototyping, since it requires no tooling and produces clean, fused edges that resist fraying, making it useful for testing gasket shapes or custom designs before committing to a production run.
For production runs, die cutting becomes more cost-effective. It requires an upfront tooling cost to build the custom die, but that investment pays off through faster cutting speeds and lower per-unit costs at higher volumes, making it the standard approach for manufacturing felt gaskets, pads, and liners at scale.
At our facility in Milwaukee, WI, our team of designers and fabricators can help bring your vision to life. Whether you have existing design files or assistance with their creation, we’re here every step of the way.
Along with fabrics, we die cut materials like:
Ward & Kennedy has been designing, fabricating, and supplying industries all over the world since we were founded in 1928. Whether you’re in our Wisconsin backyard or located across the world in Asia, we can supply your die cut materials.
Along with fabricating parts for businesses across America, we supply them with the necessary tools, supplies, and gear to keep them running at full capacity. We stock abrasives, adhesives, PPE, and more from major brands like 3M, Dynablade, Superior Glove, Wendt and Mirka.
