Fashion Terms — the Apparel Search fashion terminology directory
Color fastness is the resistance of a material to change in any of its color characteristics, and to the transfer of its colorants to adjacent materials. Color is an influential element of the fashion and aesthetics of clothing, and it has great value for both the user and the brand — retaining the original color is a basic quality promise. This page explains color fastness testing: what the tests expose fabric to, how results are rated, and why a garment that fades or bleeds fails its wearer, with links to fabric testing methods and to the testing machinery section.
Color fastness is the resistance of a material to change in any of its color characteristics, to the transfer of its colorants to adjacent materials. Color is an influential element of fashion and aesthetics of clothing, it has great value for both the user and the brand. Retaining the original color is one of the important quality parameter of colored textiles. Color fastness is rated poor if it does not comply with the tests by exposing to laundry, light, rubbing and other agencies such as perspiration.
Color fastness testing is an important process used in the textile industry to ensure that fabrics maintain their color and vibrancy over time. This testing is used to ensure that fabrics such as clothing, bedding, home décor, and upholstery meet the expected standards of colorfastness.
The textile industry uses colorfastness testing to measure the degree of resistance a fabric has to fading, bleeding, and staining when exposed to environmental elements such as UV light, washing, dry cleaning, and perspiration. Colorfastness testing is used to determine if fabrics can withstand the wear and tear of everyday use and still maintain their original color, brightness, and vibrancy.
There are a variety of color fastness tests available, each designed to measure different aspects of fabric performance. Common tests include light fastness, wash fastness, perspiration fastness, rubbing fastness, and dry cleaning fastness.
Light fastness tests measure how well a fabric can withstand exposure to sunlight and artificial UV light. This test can help identify which fabrics will fade in direct sunlight or with prolonged exposure to UV light.
Wash fastness tests measure how well a fabric can withstand washing, including the type of detergent used and the number of washes a fabric can withstand without fading.
Perspiration fastness tests measure how well a fabric can withstand exposure to body perspiration and sweat. This test helps identify fabrics that will fade due to contact with sweat or body oils.
Rubbing fastness tests measure how well a fabric can withstand friction and abrasion, such as rubbing, scuffing, or pilling. This test helps identify fabrics that will pill, fade, or become discolored when rubbed.
Dry cleaning fastness tests measure how well a fabric can withstand dry cleaning solvents such as perchloroethylene, petroleum distillates, and other chemical agents.
Colorfastness testing is an important part of the textile industry, and it helps ensure that fabrics maintain their original color and vibrancy over time. This testing helps identify fabrics that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday use and environmental elements.
Learn more about fabric testing terminology.
Learn about color fast testing equipment in our textile machinery & equipment section.
The single phrase “color fastness” covers a family of separate resistances, and a fabric can pass one and fail another. Wash fastness asks whether the color survives laundering without fading or staining the other items in the load. Light fastness asks whether it survives sunlight on a shop rail or a summer's wear. Rub fastness — crocking, in the companion term in this directory — asks whether dry or wet friction rubs the dye off onto skin, upholstery or a white shirt worn underneath. Perspiration fastness matters for sportswear and summer clothing, and water and sea-water fastness for swimwear. Each has its own standard test because each failure looks different in the customer's hands.
For the buyer of finished clothing, the testing explains the care advice on the label. “Wash separately” and “wash with like colors” are admissions that a dye is not fully fast in water; dark denim's notorious transfer onto light shoes and bags is crocking that the industry accepts and warns about rather than eliminates. Brands set their fastness standards by product: a premium white-shirt maker's collar fabric and a fashion retailer's vivid party dress are both tested, but against the expectations of their price and purpose — which is why the machinery and methods linked from this page, not a single number, define what “colorfast” honestly means.
A material's resistance to changing color and to transferring its colorants to adjacent materials — resistance, that is, to fading in light and washing, and to bleeding or crocking onto other fabrics and skin.
By exposing samples to the real stresses under controlled conditions — laundering, light, perspiration, rubbing — and rating the change against standard grey scales. This page links to the fabric testing methods term and to the color fastness testing machinery pages for the equipment side.
Because color is a large part of what the customer bought. A garment that fades unevenly or stains other clothing in the wash destroys trust in the brand — which is why fastness is tested before production, not after complaints.