Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Processes Record Spider Silk Cocoon Harvest

Company begins converting 1.8 metric tons of recombinant spider silk into finished reeled silk for luxury, performance, and industrial applications.

Apr. 20, 2026 at 11:05am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy tones of green, brown, and ochre, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the complex process of genetically engineering and producing recombinant spider silk.Kraig Biocraft Laboratories' record-breaking spider silk production highlights the company's technological leadership and the growing commercial potential of sustainable, nature-inspired 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, exceeding the company's previous production records.

Why it matters

Kraig's ability to scale up spider silk production is a significant milestone for the biomaterials industry, paving the way for wider commercial adoption of this innovative natural fiber in luxury fashion, performance textiles, and industrial applications. The company's success highlights the growing importance of sustainable, nature-inspired materials.

The details

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has initiated the reeling process to convert 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 will 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, Kraig announced it had exceeded 1.3 metric tons of cocoon production in March, setting a new record.
  • Since that announcement, the company has produced an additional half ton of cocoons, bringing the total available inventory to nearly 1.8 metric tons.
  • The reeling process to convert the cocoons into finished silk is currently underway and expected to be completed by the end of April.

The players

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

A biotechnology company and the leading developer of genetically engineered spider silk-based fiber technologies.

Kim Thompson

Founder and CEO of Kraig Biocraft Laboratories.

Jon Rice

Chief Operating Officer of Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, pictured with a portion of the company's recently harvested spider silk cocoons.

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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 Biocraft Laboratories plans to make the finished reeled silk available to targeted markets, including luxury fashion, performance textiles, and industrial applications. The company's leadership is currently in Asia overseeing the reeling process and advancing the implementation of its aggressive scale-up strategy to continue rapidly increasing production output in the months ahead.

The takeaway

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories' ability to produce the largest single supply of recombinant spider silk ever recorded represents a significant milestone for the biomaterials industry. This achievement highlights the company's technological leadership and the growing commercial potential of sustainable, nature-inspired materials like spider silk.