The morphological and hydraulic properties of electrospun fiber webs were investigated and compared with those of spunbond nonwoven fabrics. In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), hydrophobic polymer, and nylon 6, with some hydrophilic groups (amide groups), were used as the polymer materials to prepare spunbonds and electrospun fiber webs. The water permeabilities of PET and nylon 6 spunbonds followed the Darcy's law, but those of PET and nylon 6 electrospun fiber webs showed properties that deviated from the Darcy's law. On the other hand, the wicking phenomenon was observed in both nylon 6 spunbond and electrospun fiber webs, but no such phenomenon was observed in PET spunbond and electrospun fiber webs. The water vapor transport rates of PET and nylon 6 electrospun fiber webs were higher than those of PET and nylon 6 spunbonds. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.