The production of fibers from a polymer melt is an important process in many industrial sectors where fibers and nonwovens are utilized as hygiene and medical products, as geotextiles or as filter materials. The properties of such highly oriented products, like nonwovens or films, strongly depend on their crystallinity. As fibers are exposed to high cooling rates and draw ratios during their production, crystallinity normally is not a bulk property but a function changing with the diameter of the fiber or film and therefore bulk properties often are not informative for end consumer characteristics like a soft feel or the migration of additives to the surface. Currently the crystallinity of polymers is determined via differential scaling calorimetry (DSC) or via X-ray diffraction (XRD). Even though DSC is an easy and fast way to determine crystallinity, it suffers several disadvantages. In DSC studies sample preparation of fiber material is difficult, results are not calibration free and heat is introduced in the measuring process which might change instable crystal structures in the polymer. XRD is able to overcome these problems but is time intensive and complicated in terms of sample preparation and evaluation of the measurements. Furthermore, it is not possible to determine surface crystallinity with both methods. This study shows a novel approach to utilize Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection mode (FTIR-ATR) as a highly sensitive, non-destructive and fast way to measure surface crystallinity of fibers in a penetration depth of 0,5 – 2,5 µm. Samples without crystallinity gradient produced with different cooling rates from 1 – 3500 K/min were measured via XRD and FTIR-ATR to calibrate the method. Subsequently fibers were produced at different processing conditions on a pilot spunbond line to verify the method and show its applicability to measure surface crystallinity of fibers and nonwovens.