Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Processes Record 1.8 Metric Tons of Spider Silk Cocoons

Company begins converting massive cocoon inventory into finished reeled silk for luxury, performance, and industrial applications.

Apr. 20, 2026 at 11:41am

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A bold, abstract painting in muted earth tones depicts intricate geometric patterns and organic spirals, representing the complex scientific processes behind Kraig Biocraft's innovative spider silk technology.Kraig Biocraft's pioneering work in scaling recombinant spider silk production could unlock new frontiers in high-performance biomaterials.Ann Arbor Today

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, a leader in spider silk technology, has announced that it has begun processing nearly 1.8 metric tons of recombinant spider silk cocoons into finished reeled silk. This represents the largest single supply of recombinant spider silk ever produced. The company expects to hold the largest inventory of spider silk in its history once this processing is complete.

Why it matters

Kraig Biocraft's ability to scale up production of its engineered spider silk represents a major milestone for the company and the broader biomaterials industry. The large volume of silk produced could enable new applications in luxury fashion, performance textiles, and industrial materials, showcasing the potential of this innovative technology.

The details

Kraig Labs has now initiated the reeling process, converting its 1.8 metric ton cocoon inventory into finished reeled silk. This work is currently underway at one of the company's production partners and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Upon completion, Kraig Labs expects to hold the largest inventory of recombinant spider silk in its history, which the company believes represents the largest single supply of this material ever produced.

  • In early April, the company announced it had exceeded 1.3 metric tons of cocoon production in March, setting a new record.
  • Since that announcement, Kraig Labs has produced an additional half ton of cocoons, bringing the total available inventory to nearly 1.8 metric tons.

The players

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

A biotechnology company and world leader in spider silk technology, specializing in the development of genetically engineered spider silk-based fiber technologies.

Kim Thompson

Founder and CEO of Kraig Biocraft Laboratories.

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What they’re saying

“The execution we are seeing across our operations is tracking exactly as we expected. That is a direct result of the considerable groundwork our team has completed over the last three years to put our production infrastructure in place and fine tune our processes in the field. What we are seeing now is preparation translating into consistent, scalable output.”

— Kim Thompson, Founder and CEO

What’s next

Kraig Labs plans to make the finished reeled silk available to targeted markets, including luxury fashion, performance textiles, and industrial applications.

The takeaway

Kraig Biocraft's ability to dramatically scale up production of its engineered spider silk represents a major breakthrough for the company and the broader biomaterials industry, paving the way for new high-performance textile and industrial applications.