FLEXFIRMAeronCoated nylon
Aeron
Our workhorse. Vinyl-coated nylon in plain or ripstop weaves for tarps, covers, shelters, fumigation tenting and inflatables.
- Width
- 39–60 in
- Weight
- 6–20 oz/yd²
- Weave
- Plain · ripstop
- Flame
- FR · non-FR
Coated fabrics · South El Monte, California · Est. 1950
The fabricbehind themission.
Vinyl-coated nylon, polyester, cotton and fiberglass, built to military and aerospace spec. It's in aircraft, shelters, covers and fumigation tents, and we've made it in South El Monte for more than 75 years.
Since 1950 we've turned plain nylon, polyester, cotton and glass into cloth that stands up to water, flame, fuel and cold. You've stood under it , sat on it and flown with it . You just never saw our name on it.
1950Coating fabric in South El Monte since
64″Widest roll on our lines
2.5–22Ounces per square yard, coated
11Stock colors, plus contract shades
Where it goes
It ends up
where failure
isn't an option.
From cargo bays to fumigation tents, the coating is the part that takes the beating.
Aircraft interiors
Insulation-blanket facings and seat fabric that has to pass a flame test before it ever flies.
Insulation blankets
Quilted insulation blankets line military aircraft cabins. Our lightweight facing fabric is made for exactly that job.
Fumigation
Tenting fabric that holds its shape over a whole house and keeps coming back for the next job. We make the cloth and the finished tarps.
Defense
Tarpaulins, equipment covers and shelter cloth built to MIL spec for the programs that move everything else.
Airfields
Windsocks, streamers and warning flags in signal colors that stay bright in the sun.
Shelters
Shelter, tent and aid-station fabric that sheds water, resists mildew and folds down to move again.
Covers
Boat, vehicle and equipment covers that shed water, shrug off UV and keep their fit season after season.
Inflatables
Cold-air inflatables and banners that hold their shape and their color, even at elephant scale.
The fabrics
Three families.
Hundreds of builds.
Every roll starts as a base cloth and a coating we compound in-house. Pick a family, then tune the weight, width, color and flame package to your drawing.
FLEXFIRMAeronelLightweight nylon
Aeronel
Featherweight, flame-resistant facing fabric for aircraft insulation blankets, liners and covers, where every ounce counts.
- Width
- 38–55 in
- Weight
- 2.5–3.5 oz/yd²
- Base
- Light nylon
- Flame
- FAR 25.853 grades
FLEXFIRMDaeronCoated polyester
Daeron
Vinyl-coated polyester for tents, military shelters, tarps and inflatables. Polyester stretches less than nylon, so it holds its shape outdoors.
- Width
- 39–60 in
- Weight
- 8–18 oz/yd²
- Stretch
- Low
- Flame
- FR · non-FR
Coated fiberglassFlame-resistant vinyl on glass cloth, including MIL-C-22787 and metallic aluminum and gold finishes.
Cotton & Army duckFire- and mildew-resistant vinyl on cotton twill and Army duck. MIL-C-10799.
Fumigation tarpsTenting fabric, plus finished fumigation tarps made right here.
Custom buildsBring a drawing, a sample or a problem. We'll build the coating around it.
Spec finder
Start with the spec
on your drawing.
Pick the standard your contract calls out. You'll see what it covers, what it asks of the coating, and how we build to it.
Spec summaries are for orientation only. The current revision in your contract governs. Send us your type, class and drawing and we'll confirm fit, testing and paperwork before we quote.
How it's made
Watch a roll
get made.
Knife coating is old-school precision. A kiss roll wets the whole cloth, a top knife and a bottom knife set the thickness of each face, and the oven fuses the coat at up to 350°F. Heavier builds get more passes.
- 01
Unwind
Base cloth comes off the greige roll under steady tension.
- 02
Kiss roll
A roll turning in the coating pan wets out every fiber of the underside.
- 03
Twin knives
Upper and lower blades scrape each face to its target weight.
- 04
Oven cure
Up to 350°F to fuse and cure the coat. Heavier builds come back for more passes.
- 05
Pull & cool
Pull rolls cool the coat and hold line speed.
- 06
Trim & inspect
Edges trimmed to your width, up to 64 in, and the face inspected.
- 07
Master roll
Wound, labeled and staged to ship from South El Monte.
Capabilities
Everything between
the greige and the roll.
Substrates
- Nylon, 210D to 840D, plain and ripstop
- Polyester
- Cotton twill and Army duck
- Fiberglass
- Domestic base fabrics for Berry programs
Coatings
- PVC plastisol (vinyl), compounded in-house
- Chloroprene, as a waterborne system in development for 2027
- Heat-seal, latex and metallic aluminum or gold finishes
- Face and back weights set separately by twin knives
Performance
- Waterproof builds for hydrostatic specs
- Mildew, UV and abrasion resistance
- Flame packages for FAR 25.853 and NFPA 701
- Fuel- and oil-resistant grades
Format
- Widths from 36 to 64 in
- 2.5 to 22 oz/yd² coated weight
- Master rolls trimmed to your width
- Short runs through production volume
Color card
Eleven stock colors.
Any shade on contract.
Pick a stock shade or give us a contract color. We run FED-STD-595 shades like 34088 olive drab, 34424 green, 36231 gray and 37038 black, and we match physical samples. See the color guide.
Coming 2027
Chloroprene.
No solvent.
Chloroprene (neoprene) is the rubber MIL-C-20696 Class 1 and Class 3 call for. It's what you want when the cloth has to fold at −40°F and still stop a flame. We're bringing it back as a waterborne system, with no solvent, and it's being engineered to the same cold, flame and hydrostatic requirements.
Have a program that needs chloroprene-coated cloth in 2027? Get on the list now and we'll build around your spec.
Join the chloroprene program About the program
Since 1950
Seventy-five years
in South El Monte.
Flexfirm has coated fabric in South El Monte since 1950, today at 2300 N. Chico Avenue. We're a privately held American small business. Our customers run from one-person fabrication shops to Fortune Global 500 companies, and many of them have bought from us for decades.
We develop our own coatings, compound them in-house and run them on our own lines. That's how we hit unusual specs, short runs and odd widths that bigger mills won't touch.
Berry AmendmentCompliant sourcing available
Buy American ActMade in California, USA
NAICS 313320Fabric coating mills
Request for quote
Tell us what
it has to do.
Send the spec, the yardage and the date. A real person at the plant reads every request and answers it. Rather talk it through first? .
- Call(626) 448-7627
- Emailfabric@flexfirmproducts.com
- Visit2300 N. Chico Ave.
South El Monte, CA 91733 - Hours
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Pacific