Kraig Labs Ships First Commercial Spider Silk Yarn Order to Global Performance Sports Brand
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Recombinant spider silk enters customer development programme as Kraig advances commercialisation of engineered fibre
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories (OTCQB: KBLB) has shipped its first commercial order of recombinant spider silk yarn to a globally recognised performance sports brand. The custom-engineered yarn was produced to the customer’s specifications and is intended for development into a performance textile.
The shipment is part of a confidential pilot programme and is small by design. The order marks the movement of Kraig’s material from laboratory and scaled-production demonstrations into a customer development programme focused on the performance sports segment.
Spider silk yarn developed for performance applications
Kim Thompson, CEO and founder of Kraig Labs, described the delivery as “a huge milestone for Kraig Labs,” and said the project is focused on a precision application where spider silk’s combination of strength, flexibility, toughness and low weight can potentially provide differentiated performance.
Thompson added, “High-performance sport is where materials prove themselves,” referring to the customer programme as an opportunity to demonstrate whether recombinant spider silk can translate its laboratory characteristics into a commercially relevant textile application.
Global fibre production reaches 139 million metric tons
The shipment comes against the backdrop of a large global fibre market. Textile Exchange reported that worldwide fibre production reached a record 139 million metric tons in 2025, with polyester accounting for 59% of global production and 88% of polyester output coming from virgin fossil-based sources.
New performance fibres therefore face requirements around both technical performance and consistent production at commercial scale. Kraig has reported progress in this area, including the production of more than 1.3 metric tons of spider silk cocoons in a single month earlier this year.
Potential applications extend beyond sportswear
Performance apparel is one potential market for spider-silk-based materials, whose characteristics include strength, toughness, flexibility and low weight.
Other areas that have attracted research interest include:
- High-performance protective equipment
- Aerospace and aviation components
- Automotive materials
- Advanced composites
- Technical textiles
- Ropes and cables
- Filtration
- Medical devices
- Wound-care materials
Researchers have also investigated spider silk proteins and fibres for medical applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound-healing materials. Advanced-material research has examined their potential use in lightweight composites and other high-performance structures.
Defence and automotive applications under consideration
Defence and protective applications represent another potential area because low-weight materials combining strength and toughness can be relevant where weight reduction and mechanical performance are both required.
Potential applications include protective textiles, ballistic-related materials, technical fabrics and specialised load-bearing components. Automotive and aerospace applications similarly place emphasis on lightweight materials capable of operating under demanding mechanical conditions.
These remain development opportunities rather than established commercial markets for Kraig.
Project Atlas targets customised spider silk
Kraig’s commercial shipment follows progress in its broader technology platform. The company recently announced completion of its functional and living Atlas Gene Library, part of Project Atlas.
The project is designed to create new combinations of genetic elements with the aim of producing recombinant spider silk with customised performance characteristics. According to the company, the programme is intended to expand strength, toughness and other properties, potentially allowing future fibres to be engineered for specific industrial, defence or commercial requirements.
A customisable fibre could allow different applications to prioritise characteristics such as tensile strength, elasticity, impact resistance, durability or lightweight construction.
Company reports previous performance testing
Kraig has previously reported testing indicating that its commercially produced recombinant spider silk retained the strength and toughness demonstrated in earlier small-batch testing.
National Geographic has also recently highlighted the company’s technology, including demonstrations in which Kraig’s silk was used to suspend a 170-pound tractor tire from a 0.35-ounce loop.
Thompson said, “This is the kind of project that changes the conversation. When a brand at this level puts our material to the test, the results speak for themselves. We intend for this to be the first of many.”
Customer validation remains a next stage
The shipment places Kraig’s technology across three development stages: production scale, customer validation and product integration.
The first performance-brand shipment does not establish broad commercial adoption, recurring revenue or commercial success in other potential industries. Those applications would require further development, customer validation and, in some cases, regulatory and technical qualification.
Kraig’s strategy also extends beyond producing a single standardised fibre. Through Project Atlas, the company is pursuing the development of specialised spider-silk materials tailored to particular performance requirements.
For Kraig Labs, the commercial shipment represents an early move from recombinant spider silk as a research and production technology toward customer development and potential applications across performance textiles and other advanced-material sectors.