A fabric can match an approved color perfectly and still create problems after washing or wear. A dark body panel may lose its shade, a light lining may become stained, or color may transfer onto another surface. Colorfastness testing helps clothing brands evaluate these different risks before committing to bulk production.
The useful question is not simply whether a fabric is “colorfast.” It is whether the identified material meets the agreed requirement under a specified test. This guide explains how buyers can select relevant checks, read reports and connect sample approval to production. Colorfastness, also written as colour fastness, is a performance characteristic, not a blanket quality certificate.
What Colorfastness Testing Measures
Two outcomes matter. Color change concerns the tested material itself: has its appearance changed compared with an unexposed reference? Staining concerns another material: has color transferred onto an adjacent fabric or test cloth? A sample can perform differently on these outcomes, so a single unlabeled grade tells the buyer too little.
Keep initial shade approval separate from durability approval. A lab dip or production swatch can help establish the intended color, but approving its appearance does not establish resistance to washing, rubbing or perspiration. Conversely, an acceptable fastness result does not confirm that the delivered shade matches the brand’s approved reference.
For a practical sourcing discussion, record the style, colorway, material and expected use first. A report becomes actionable when the tested submission can be connected to those specifications, rather than to an unidentified piece of fabric described only as “navy cotton.”
Choose Tests That Match the Garment’s Use
Washing, rubbing and perspiration are different exposures. Select methods with the laboratory and buyer rather than treating one result as coverage for all three. The references below identify test families, not interchangeable procedures or instructions for performing a test.
| Exposure | Example method references | Question for the test brief |
|---|---|---|
| Laundering | AATCC TM61; ISO 105-C06 | Which procedure, detergent and bleach conditions represent the requirement? |
| Rubbing or crocking | AATCC TM8; ISO 105-X12 | Are dry and wet rubbing both required, and which surface will be tested? |
| Perspiration | AATCC TM15; ISO 105-E04 | Which perspiration conditions and evaluations does the selected method require? |
AATCC TM61 evaluates laundering colorfastness through accelerated conditions. Its result should not be turned into an unsupported promise about a garment’s lifetime or a fixed number of customer washes. ISO 105-C06 has its own procedures and scope; naming both standards does not establish equivalence between their options.
AATCC TM8 assesses transfer from a colored textile surface by rubbing with dry or wet test cloth. Report those conditions separately. For small print areas or unusual surfaces, ask the laboratory whether the selected method can represent the area adequately. AATCC TM15 addresses acid perspiration; do not assume its scope includes every condition required by a different perspiration method.
Other uses may justify additional checks, such as exposure to light or particular types of water. Agree those requirements explicitly. The laboratory should use the complete selected standard and record its edition, procedure and any deviations; this article is not a substitute for that method.
Understand Grades Without Inventing a Pass Level
AATCC distinguishes evaluation of color change from evaluation of staining through procedures such as EP1 and EP2, explained in its color evaluation training. Ask which assessment procedure the report uses. A staining grade and a color-change grade describe different comparisons, even when they use similar-looking numbers.
For the gray scales discussed in AATCC’s color evaluation reference, grades run from 5 to 1, including intermediate half steps. Grade 5 represents no change or no staining in the relevant comparison; lower grades indicate greater difference. This is not a universal description of every textile test scale, nor does it establish the buyer’s acceptance threshold.
Illustrative report-reading example: suppose a buyer has specified a minimum grade of 4 for dry rubbing and 3 for wet rubbing under the agreed method. Results of dry 4 and wet 2-3 meet the dry requirement but miss the wet requirement. Averaging the two would hide the failed condition. These hypothetical limits are not recommendations, an Eking specification or actual test results.
Put acceptance requirements in writing before testing. Separate the required outcomes, conditions and any individual adjacent-fiber ratings. Photographs can document a submission, but an ordinary phone image is not a calibrated substitute for the specified evaluation.
Write the Test Brief Before Sending Samples
The test brief should let a laboratory identify what to test without making product decisions on the buyer’s behalf. Use the following fields as a purchasing and communication checklist, then have the laboratory confirm the sample quantity and technical details.
- Product identity: style code, colorway, supplier, fabric reference and available lot or batch information.
- Material and finish: declared composition, construction, dye or print process where known, and the finish represented by the submission.
- Sample condition: unwashed, garment-washed, decorated or otherwise prepared; identify any previous treatment.
- Test instruction: complete method reference, edition, selected procedure and required dry, wet or other conditions.
- Evaluation and limits: required color-change and staining outcomes, assessment procedure and acceptance criteria for each applicable result.
- Reporting: sample photographs or identifiers, individual results, deviations and the party responsible for approval.
Keep the approved brief with the clothing tech pack. If a requirement changes, issue a dated revision before the laboratory proceeds. Do not leave an old limit in the tech pack while asking for a different one in a message.
Plan Coverage for Colors, Components and Finishes
Build a submission list around the actual collection. Record each colorway, fabric, print and finish, then agree which submissions provide meaningful coverage. A result for one color or material does not automatically approve another. Where representative testing is proposed, document the rationale and who accepts the coverage limits.
Consider a hypothetical navy hoodie with a white hood lining and white drawcord. The buyer needs to discuss both the navy material’s performance and the potential consequences of contact with the light components. Testing the main fabric alone may leave questions about the finished combination. Ask whether component-level testing, assembled-garment evaluation or an additional agreed compatibility check is appropriate.
Submit material that represents the intended production state. A test on unfinished fabric may not answer a question about a garment after washing, printing or another treatment. Identify any process change since the tested sample, and have the technical team determine whether the evidence still applies.
Read the Report Beyond the Pass or Fail Summary
Check the report against the approved brief before accepting its conclusion. A technically valid test on the wrong submission, an unrequested procedure or incomplete conditions may not answer the production question.
| Report field | Buyer check | Reason to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Sample identity | Match style, color, material and batch to the submission record. | Description is generic or a colorway is missing. |
| Method and procedure | Compare the reference, edition and options with the brief. | Only a method family is named. |
| Preparation and conditions | Confirm the represented finish and each requested exposure. | Wet rubbing or a required pretreatment is absent. |
| Individual results | Read color change and each applicable staining result separately. | A headline grade hides missing or weaker results. |
| Acceptance criteria | Check against the approved requirements for this order. | A generic laboratory limit replaces the buyer’s specification. |
| Deviations and remarks | Understand exclusions, limitations and sample issues. | A deviation affects whether the result supports approval. |
If a report lists staining against several adjacent fibers, retain those separate ratings in the review. Ask for clarification of blank, omitted or not-applicable entries instead of interpreting them as passes. Also establish whether a summary conclusion was supplied by the laboratory or added during an internal review.
Keep the complete report and its identification number with the sample record. A cropped screenshot or chat message can lose the method, tested color or limitation that explains the result.
Connect Development Approval to Bulk Production
A development test supports a decision about the submitted material. To use it in production planning, connect that evidence to the materials and processes that will actually be ordered. Build the following checkpoints into your sample review before bulk production.
- Define requirements. Agree the use, care assumptions, methods, limits and approval owner.
- Test the identified development submission. Keep the report tied to the actual color, material and finish.
- Review corrections. If results miss a requirement, document the proposed change and the evidence needed to reassess it.
- Confirm production coverage. Identify the bulk materials, color lots and components requiring checks under the agreed sampling plan.
- Record release. The authorized buyer or quality owner records acceptance, any restricted scope and outstanding conditions.
There is no useful universal number of samples or batches for every order. Coverage depends on the collection, sourcing variation, processing and buyer requirements. Resolve it before production release rather than assuming one successful development report approves all future material.
For a private-label clothing project, include the fabric supplier and trim information in the handoff. If a supplier, color, finish or relevant process changes, review whether new testing is needed before treating the earlier approval as transferable.
What to Do When a Result Misses the Requirement
First check that the submission, method, condition and requirement were correctly identified. Then ask the fabric, dyeing, printing or finishing team to investigate the specific failure. The purpose is to understand the affected condition, not to obtain a more favorable number by changing the test without approval.
Possible project decisions include revising the material or process, changing a contrasting component, or reconsidering the design. Treat these as proposals requiring technical review and buyer agreement. A corrective treatment can affect other characteristics, so define what must be checked again before release.
Retest an identified corrected submission under the approved requirements. Keep the earlier report and link the new result to the correction record. Any exception should identify the accepting authority and affected scope; an unexplained “approved” message leaves the production team without a reliable decision trail.
Keep Color Approval Separate From Fit and Shrinkage
A satisfactory colorfastness result does not establish dimensional stability. The fabric shrinkage testing guide explains how before-and-after measurements answer that separate question. Likewise, garment measurement tolerances control deviation from an approved target, not color transfer or fading.
Keep these approvals together in the production file but retain separate results and decisions. Before release, the buyer should be able to identify the approved shade, relevant colorfastness evidence, dimensional requirements, tested submission and current specification revision. This makes it easier to see what is complete and what still needs attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good colorfastness grade for clothing?
There is no single pass grade for every garment and exposure. Agree the method, evaluation procedure and minimum result for each applicable condition with the buyer and laboratory before testing.
Does passing a wash test mean wet rubbing will pass?
No. Laundering and wet rubbing address different exposures. When both are required, each needs its own result and acceptance decision under the agreed methods.
Can one colorway’s report cover the whole collection?
Not automatically. Document the colors, materials and finishes represented by each submission. Any representative coverage needs a justified plan and buyer approval, with untested combinations clearly identified.
Can we check colorfastness with a damp cloth at the office?
An informal observation can flag a concern for investigation, but it does not produce a standardized test result. Laboratory methods control preparation, exposure and assessment so results can be interpreted against a specified requirement.
Should printing, trims and garment washing be included?
Identify them in the brief and review their relevance with the technical team. The submitted material and preparation should represent the intended product, and any limits of component-only testing should be documented.
Preparing a clothing production brief? Contact Eking Clothing with your styles, colorways, materials, intended care instructions and proposed testing requirements to discuss the project. Confirm testing arrangements and responsibilities as part of that discussion.
