Alternative product review · Civil geotextiles
A geotextile grade name is not a performance specification. Polymer, manufacturing process, mass, opening-size test basis, permeability, strength, strain, puncture, protection efficiency and installation survivability have to match the intended function.
Continuous-filament PET nonwovens, PP road wovens and high-strength PET reinforcement wovens are kept as separate families so filtration, separation, protection and reinforcement are not blurred together.
Named products and search terms
These names are included because they occur in current manufacturer ranges or project specifications—not because they are automatically interchangeable with one another or with a Kontain product.
Bidim is a prominent Australian nonwoven geotextile name; Bidim Green is a distinct recycled-content product pathway and should remain explicit in a substitution review.
Polymer and recycled-content basis, manufacturing process, filtration properties, mechanical survivability, protection performance and application exposure.
The MIRAFI and Polyfelt names cover reinforcement, separation, filtration and drainage-related products rather than one interchangeable geotextile range.
Exact product series, polymer, woven/nonwoven structure, governing function, filtration test basis, strength/strain and project durability.
MacTex nonwovens and MacTEX W2 reinforcement composites perform different functions and should not be grouped by brand alone.
Product form, polymer, filtration or reinforcement function, composite construction, installation survivability and long-term design basis.
HUESKER woven reinforcement and stabilisation geotextiles may appear in basal-reinforcement and soft-ground specifications rather than conventional nonwoven filtration schedules.
Woven structure, polymer, strength and strain, separation/filtration requirements, long-term reductions and soil interaction.
Project comparison basis
The quickest responsible review is a gap analysis: hold the project requirements constant, normalise the published evidence, then make unresolved items visible.
Filtration, separation, drainage, protection and reinforcement require different evidence. List each required function in order of importance.
Opening-size results may use different test methods and reporting bases. O90, O95 and nominal values are not automatically interchangeable.
Use soil grading, permeability, clogging risk, flow direction and gradient to assess retention and water movement together.
Installation stresses, aggregate angularity, drop height, subgrade, compaction, puncture and strain can govern the selected grade.
Determine whether published values are minimum average roll values, typical values, characteristic values or thresholds before comparing columns.
Common comparison traps
A clear exception is more useful than a confident but unsupported equality sign.
Direct answers
KNP is the relevant starting family for many nonwoven filtration, separation and protection applications, but the grade must be selected from the project functions, soil, hydraulic criteria, mechanical survivability and the exact named product—not from mass alone.
Sometimes, where the required function and property basis align. MIRAFI covers several product series, so the exact product code, polymer, structure, filtration and reinforcement requirements must be identified first.
At minimum: product structure and polymer, published-value basis, tensile and strain, puncture or CBR, opening-size method, permeability or permittivity, survivability, durability and the project-specific acceptance criteria.
Practical next step
Kontain can prepare a concise technical gap review, identify a suitable supply pathway where one exists, and make the exclusions visible before the commercial decision is locked in.
This is a technical orientation guide, not a certificate of equivalence, project design or approval. Third-party product and company names identify specification terminology only. All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. No affiliation, endorsement or supply right is implied. Current manufacturer data, project requirements and the appointed designer’s acceptance take precedence.
