Is geotextile a non-woven fabric?

Geotextile and nonwoven fabric are two different materials. Although some geotextiles (such as nonwoven geotextiles) use nonwoven processes, there are significant differences in definition, use, performance and production processes of the two. The following is a specific analysis:
1. Differences in definition and classification
‌Geotextile‌
Definition: A permeable synthetic material dedicated to civil engineering, made of synthetic fibers through needle puncture, braiding or thermal bonding, and is divided into spinned geotextiles (weaving process) and non-woven geotextiles (nonwoven process).
Core functions: filtration, drainage, isolation, reinforcement, etc., mainly used in water conservancy, highway, railway and other projects.
‌Non-woven fabric‌
‌Definition‌: A broad nonwoven fabric, which directly consolidates fibers into sheet-like materials by chemical, thermal or mechanical methods, without the need for traditional textile processes.
Application fields: medical (masks, surgical gowns), agriculture (insulation coverage), packaging, etc., with a wider range of uses.
2. Key differences
‌Differences in use‌
Geotextile focuses on engineering fields (such as roadbed reinforcement and embankment anti-seepage);
Non-woven fabrics cover civilian scenarios such as medical and agriculture.
Performance Features
‌Strength‌: Geotextiles (especially braided) have higher tensile strength and need to withstand engineering stress; nonwoven fabrics have lower strength, focusing on breathability and lightness.
‌Water-permeability‌: Geotextiles need to balance water permeability and filtration functions; non-woven fabrics have water permeability depending on their use (such as medical use needs to block liquids).
Production process
Although non-woven geotextiles are non-woven processes, they must meet engineering standards (such as gram weight of 100-800g/㎡); ordinary non-woven fabrics are more flexible (such as meltblown and spunbond).
3. Explanation of easy confusion
‌Nonwoven geotextile‌ is a subdivided type of nonwoven fabric, but not all nonwoven fabrics are geotextile‌. For example, the non-woven fabrics of medical masks are completely different in raw materials and standards from non-woven geotextiles used in engineering.
‌Conclusion‌: Geotextiles and nonwovens have intersections rather than inclusion relationships, and need to be distinguished according to the specific material type and purpose.