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Fabric testing methods are designed as standard testing procedures with a purpose: to help the textile industry and apparel industry monitor quality. The testing methods allow clothing manufacturers, fabric mills and laboratories to check that a fabric performs as specified — its strength, colorfastness, dimensional stability and hand — before it is cut into garments.
For a structured tour of the whole system — the main test families, the AATCC and ASTM methods behind them, and how to read a laboratory report — see our Textile Testing & Quality Standards Guide.
Fabric Testing Methods - Fabric Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry
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Fabric testing methods are designed as standard testing procedures with a purpose to help the textile industry and apparel industry monitor quality. The fabric testing methods allow clothing manufacturers to follow uniformed test procedures to evaluate fabric, textiles, and apparel in a consistent manner. Utilizing pre-determined testing methods for conducting tests, is the only way to maintain a consistent and level playing field in regard to the testing of textiles. In order to properly measure quality, specific standards must be set and specific testing methods (testing procedures), must be followed. Following an exact and detailed method allows for testing to be consistent in multiple locations.
Fabric can be tested in a factories own internal lab or with an independent testing laboratory. Typically, a retailer will require that testing be conducted at a third party laboratory so that factories are not tempted to manipulate the testing results. In addition to avoiding test altering, using a qualified third party lab will help insure that the "proper" fabric testing method are used.
If an inexperience person or lab conducts the testing, it is possible that they would not use the proper fabric testing method. This would result in an inaccurate testing report. It is important to use a qualified textile lab.
Fabric testing is conducted so that apparel manufacturers, clothing retailers, and fashion wholesalers can evaluate the quality of the garments that they sell. This issue is important to members of the fashion industry as well as consumers of fashion. The apparel industry wants to make sure that the garments that they manufacturer and sell meet international quality standards. Textile testing standards are set and the fabric testing methods are in place to monitor that the standards developed are maintained. Testing can be performed both to improve product quality and achieve compliance to international, regional, or retailer specific standards.
Learn more about Colorfastness, crocking & bleeding in regard to fabric.
Learn about Tensile Strength
It is important for the fashion industry to learn about fabric testing methods in order to stay compliant in regard to quality. In addition to knowing about testing methods, it is important to also understand the specific testing result requirements set forth by retailers. If a clothing company does not know the retailers testing standard requirements, that company may run into problems such as receiving a charge back or returned merchandise.
Fabric Testing Labs are vital for the fashion industry and textile industry. Learn more about fabric testing labs, fabric testing methods and fabric testing standards...
◊ Learn about fabric testing methods.
◊ Find fabric testing labs.
Apparel Industry fabric test methods help laboratories review various types of fabric conditions including crocking, color fast properties, fabric shrinkage, fabric torque, fabric chemical testing, fabric composition etc. Statistical analysis from testing can help industry standard development and standard compliance. Clearly fabric testing is extremely important to the fashion industry.
You may also want to check out our apparel quality testing section.
Learn about the following:
ML73009 - Fabric Testing Methods
You may also want to learn about performance fabrics.
Fabric Testing Methods
If you were actually looking for fitness clothing, you are in the wrong place. Try the women's fitness clothing section.
A standard fabric test program covers several families of properties. Physical tests measure weight, thickness, tensile and tear strength, seam slippage and abrasion resistance. Color tests measure colorfastness to washing, rubbing, perspiration and light. Dimensional tests measure shrinkage and skew after laundering, because a garment that changes size in the first wash generates returns. Depending on the end use there may also be flammability testing, which is legally regulated for categories such as children's sleepwear, and performance tests for water resistance, breathability or stretch and recovery.
Testing only works because the methods are standardized: organizations such as ASTM International and AATCC publish the procedures, so a result obtained in one laboratory can be compared with a result from another. Brands write the required methods and minimum results into their fabric specifications, mills test against them before shipping, and independent laboratories verify production lots. When a test fails, the fabric is rejected, reworked or renegotiated — which is why testing sits at the center of quality control in the apparel supply chain.
Standard testing procedures used by the textile and apparel industry to monitor quality. They measure how a fabric performs — strength, colorfastness, shrinkage, pilling and similar properties — against an agreed specification.
Testing catches problems before they become garments: a fabric that shrinks, bleeds color or tears below standard is far cheaper to reject at the mill or laboratory stage than after a production run has been sewn and shipped.
Testing verifies that fabric meets the quality specification; utilization, covered in the next entry in this directory, measures how efficiently that fabric is used when markers are laid and garments are cut.