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Dimensional stability, colorfastness, strength, pilling and fabric construction analysis explained.
Test reports decide whether fabric can be cut and whether garments can ship. This section explains what the common tests measure, how the results are graded and what to do when a fabric fails, without reproducing the standards themselves.
Start with the map of ISO, ASTM and AATCC methods to see how test families fit together. Then read color fastness and dimensional stability, the two areas that fail most often. For physical performance, see pilling, bursting strength for knits and tensile strength for wovens.
Requirements such as minimum grades always come from the buyer's test manual. Use the exact method and conditions it specifies.
How color fastness to washing is tested with a multifiber strip, how change in shade and staining are graded with grey scales, the main ISO and AATCC methods, and what to do when a fabric fails.
Rubbing fastness, also called crocking, measures how much color transfers from a fabric to another surface by friction. How the dry and wet tests work, what affects the result and how dyehouses and printers improve it.
Color fastness to perspiration checks whether a fabric's color changes or transfers when soaked in artificial sweat. The test principle, acid and alkaline solutions, grading, and how to improve results on dark shades and sportswear.
Pilling tests rub or tumble fabric to simulate wear and grade the pills formed. The main methods (pilling box, Martindale, random tumble), how grades 1 to 5 work, why fabrics pill and practical ways to improve pilling resistance.
Bursting strength measures the pressure or force needed to burst a fabric stretched in all directions. Why it is used for knits instead of tensile tests, the hydraulic, pneumatic and ball burst methods, and what affects results.
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Bursting strength measures the pressure or force needed to burst a fabric stretched in all directions. Why it is used for knits instead of tensile tests, the hydraulic, pneumatic and ball burst methods, and what affects results.
Color fastness to perspiration checks whether a fabric's color changes or transfers when soaked in artificial sweat. The test principle, acid and alkaline solutions, grading, and how to improve results on dark shades and sportswear.
How color fastness to washing is tested with a multifiber strip, how change in shade and staining are graded with grey scales, the main ISO and AATCC methods, and what to do when a fabric fails.
Colorfastness describes how well a dyed or printed textile keeps its color and avoids staining other materials. Learn the main test types, how grey scale ratings work, how to read a report and what to do when a fabric fails.
Rubbing fastness, also called crocking, measures how much color transfers from a fabric to another surface by friction. How the dry and wet tests work, what affects the result and how dyehouses and printers improve it.
How to analyse a woven fabric sample: count ends and picks per inch, identify the weave, find warp and weft counts from yarn removed from the fabric, measure crimp and GSM, and write the construction in standard form.
How a fabric shrinkage (dimensional stability) test is done: specimen size and benchmarks, conditioning, wash and dry procedures, the shrinkage formula with worked examples, in-house checks versus lab tests, and how to read and act on the report.
An overview of fabric testing for apparel: what each group of tests measures, how the main methods work (including Martindale abrasion, air permeability and UPF), which ISO, ASTM and AATCC standards are used, how to build a test program by product, and how to read a test report.
A reference map of the test methods most often named in garment and fabric test programs: what each family covers, how ISO and AATCC or ASTM methods relate, and why results from different methods cannot be compared directly.
How the Pantone color system is used in textiles: the difference between the graphics and the Fashion, Home + Interiors systems, how to read a TCX code, how lab dips are made and approved against a Pantone standard, light sources, instrumental color measurement, and common mistakes in color approval.
Pilling tests rub or tumble fabric to simulate wear and grade the pills formed. The main methods (pilling box, Martindale, random tumble), how grades 1 to 5 work, why fabrics pill and practical ways to improve pilling resistance.
Seam strength tests measure the force needed to break a seam; seam slippage tests measure how far yarns pull away from a seam under load. Methods, how seams fail, and how thread, stitch density and seam design affect results.
Tensile tests pull woven fabric until it breaks to measure maximum force and elongation. The difference between strip and grab methods, the main ISO and ASTM standards, how to read a result, and what lowers fabric strength.