These fabrics are dull, rough, with a cotton-like appearance and more resilience. The size of spun silk thread is defined in a similar manner to standards used for cotton yarn. In the case of spun silk the notation has a different meaning. 8.6 Wild Silk Silkworms hatched from the moth Antheraea mulitt, live on oak leaves instead of mulberry leaves consumed by cultivated species. Oak leaves produce an irregular and coarse filament that is hard to bleach and hard to dye.
Wild silk has a tan colour derived from the tannin in the oak leaves.
It is commonly woven from this naturally coloured thread and is rarely dyed except in solid shades. Wild silk is less lustrous than cultivated silk, since about 11 percent of sericin is removed in the degumming process. Wild silk fabrics are durable, washable and less expensive than pure dyed silk. Typical finished fabrics in this category are rajah, shantung, tussah and pongee.