How pillows are made

Pillow fiber is combed fluffy and blown into the case by a machine that can fill about 100 pillows an hour.

stations: 6
things upstream: 66
raw sources: 18
steps from the ground: 11

The short version

Cotton or cotton-polyester fabric is cut dozens of layers at a time and sewn into cases with one edge left open. A machine combs bales of polyester fiber until fluffy and blows it into each case through a tube. Workers sew the opening shut, each pillow is weighed, and a machine slips it into a plastic bag.

Cut the cover fabric

Sturdy cotton or cotton-polyester fabric arrives in huge bolts. Stacks of dozens of layers are cut at once with heavy shears or cutting machines.

Goes in
Cotton fabric
Sew the case

An operator sews two rectangles together around the edges, leaving a gap of around 15 centimeters. The tag listing the contents is stitched in, and the case is turned inside out so the seams are hidden.

Goes in
Sewing thread
Comb the fiber fluffy

A whole bale of polyester, about 272 kg, is fed into a machine that opens and combs it so the fibers have loft.

Goes in
Polyester
Blow in the filling

The open edge of the case is slipped over a tube and a blower pushes the fluffy fiber in. Some machines can fill up to 100 pillows an hour.
Sew it shut and weigh

Workers close the opening on an industrial sewing machine, then weigh the pillow to check it holds the amount of fill on its label.

Goes in
Sewing thread
Bag and box

A machine blows air into thin plastic bags to open them and slides one pillow into each. The bagged pillows go into cartons.

Goes in
Plastic bag Cardboard box

End of the linePillow

Worth repeating

A small to medium pillow plant makes between 2,000 and 3,500 pillows a day, and the largest American makers make 10,000 to 15,000.
The cover fabric is calendered, pressed smooth between rollers, so the sewn case can be blown open and separated easily during filling.