Color fastness test

Color fastness refers to the resistance of a textile's color to various effects during processing and use. The fastness grade is assessed based on the discoloration of the sample and the staining of an undyed adjacent fabric. Testing for textile color fastness is a routine inspection item in the inherent quality testing of textiles.

Color fastness:

      Color fastness refers to the resistance of a product to washing and rubbing.

      The quality of color fastness directly impacts human health and safety. Products with poor color fastness may cause the pigments on the fabric to fall off and fade when exposed to rainwater or sweat during wear. This can lead to the absorption of dye molecules and heavy metal ions through the skin, potentially harming human skin health. Additionally, it can affect other clothing worn on the body, causing staining, or lead to other garments being stained when washed together.

      The so-called color fastness (referred to as colorfastness) refers to the degree of fading of dyed fabrics under the influence of external factors (such as squeezing, rubbing, washing, rain exposure, sunlight exposure, seawater immersion, saliva immersion, water stains, sweat stains, etc.) during use or processing. It is an important indicator of fabrics. Due to the significant differences in conditions and requirements faced by fabrics during processing and use, most current testing methods involve simulated or comprehensive tests based on the environmental conditions and factors involved. Therefore, the testing methods for colorfastness cover a wide range of aspects. However, a comprehensive review of various standards such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Japan (JIS), and the United Kingdom (BS) reveals that the most commonly used tests are for washfastness, lightfastness, rubfastness, sweatfastness, ironingfastness, and weatherfastness. In practical work, the testing items are mainly determined based on the final use of the product and product standards. For example, the standard for wool textile products stipulates that colorfastness to sunlight must be tested, while knitted underwear naturally requires testing for sweatfastness. Outdoor textiles (such as sun umbrellas, light box fabrics, and tent materials) naturally need to be tested for colorfastness to weather.

★Corresponding standards★

 1. Color fastness to washing

      ISO 105 C06: 1994/Cor.2:2002(E): Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C06: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering

      BS EN ISO 105-C06: 1997: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C06: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering

2. Color fastness to dry cleaning

     ISO105 D01:1993/BS EN ISO105 D01:1995: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Cleaning

3. Color fastness to water

     ISO 105 E01: 1994/Cor.1:2002(E): Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Water

4. Color fastness to seawater

     ISO 105 E02: 1994/Cor.1:2002(E): Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Seawater

5. Color fastness to sweat stains

     ISO 105 E04: 1994/Cor.1:2002(E) : Test method for colour fastness of textiles to perspiration

6. Color fastness to dry heat

     ISO 105 P01: 1993: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Heat (Excluding Heat Pressing)

     BS EN ISO 105-P01: 1995: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Heat (Excluding Hot Pressing)

7. Color fastness to rubbing

     BS1006 X12:1990: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Rubbing

     EN ISO105 X12:2002: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Rubbing

8. Color fastness to heat pressure

     BS EN ISO 105 X11: 1996: Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Heat Pressing

9. Color fastness to light

     GB/T8427-1998 Textiles - Color Fastness to Artificial Light

Standard No.   Standard Name

AATCC 101 Testing of Color Fastness to Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching

AATCC 104 Colorfastness to Water Spots

AATCC 106 Color Fastness to Seawater

AATCC 107 Colorfastness to Water

AATCC 117 Colorfastness to Heat: Dry Heat (Excluding Ironing)

AATCC 125 Colorfastness to Light-Perspiration

AATCC 132 Colorfastness to Dry Cleaning

AATCC 133 Color Fastness to Heat: Ironing Method

AATCC 15 Color fastness to perspiration

AATCC 16.3 Colorfastness to Light (Xenon Arc)

AATCC 162 Color Fastness to Water: Chlorinated Water

AATCC 172 Colorfastness to Non-Chlorine Bleaching in Home Laundering

AATCC 6 Colorfastness to Acid and Alkali

AATCC 61 Color Fastness to Washing

AATCC 8 Color Fastness to Rubbing

EN ISO 105-B02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Artificial Light: Xenon Arc

EN ISO 105-B07 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part B07: Color Fastness to Light-Perspiration

EN ISO 105-C06 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Washing - Part C06: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Washing

EN ISO 105-C07 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C07: Color Fastness of Pigment Printed Textiles to Wet Brushing

EN ISO 105-C08 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C08: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering Using Non-Phosphate Detergents with Low-Temperature Bleach Activator

EN ISO 105-C10 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C10: Color Fastness to Washing

EN ISO 105-D01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part D01: Color Fastness to Dry Cleaning

EN ISO 105E01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E01: Color Fastness to Water Immersion

EN ISO 105-E02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E02: Color Fastness to Seawater

EN ISO 105-E04 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E04: Color Fastness to Perspiration

EN ISO 105-P01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Heat (Excluding Ironing)

EN ISO 105X11 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Heat Pressing

EN ISO 105-X12 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Rubbing

GB/T 12490 Textiles - Testing method for colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering

GB/T 14576 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Light-Perspiration

GB/T 18886 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Saliva

GB/T 23343 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering - Oxidative Bleaching Response Using Phosphate-Free Detergent with Low-Temperature Bleach Activator

GB/T 250 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Gray Scale for Assessing Color Change

GB/T 251 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Gray Scale for Assessing Staining

GB/T 3920 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Rubbing

GB/T 3921 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Soaping

GB/T 3922 Textiles - Testing method for colour fastness to perspiration

GB/T 420 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness of Pigment Printed and Dyed Textiles to Brushing and Washing

GB/T 5711 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Cleaning

GB/T 5713 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Water

GB/T 5714 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Seawater

GB/T 5715 Color fastness to acid spotting

GB/T 5716 Color fastness to alkali spotting

GB/T 5717 Color fastness to water spotting

GB/T 5718 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Heat

GB/T 6152 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Heat Pressing

GB/T 7070 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Peroxide Bleaching

GB/T 8427 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Artificial Light: Xenon Arc

GB/T 8433 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Chlorinated Water (Swimming Pool Water)

GB/T7069 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Bleaching with Hypochlorite

ISO 105E01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Water

ISO 105 E05 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - E05: Color Fastness to Acid Spots

ISO 105 E06 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - E06: Color Fastness to Alkali Spots

ISO 105-A02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Gray Scale for Assessing Color Change

ISO 105-A03 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Gray Scale for Assessing Staining

ISO 105B02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Artificial Light: Xenon Arc

ISO 105-B07 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part B07: Color Fastness to Light-Perspiration

ISO 105-C06 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Washing - Part C06: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering

ISO 105-C07 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C07: Color Fastness of Pigment Printed Textiles to Wet Brushing

ISO 105-C08 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C08: Color Fastness to Domestic and Commercial Laundering Using Non-Phosphate Detergents with Low-Temperature Bleach Activator

ISO 105-C09 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part C09: Oxidative Bleaching Reaction Using Phosphate-Free Detergent with Low-Temperature Bleach Activator

ISO 105-C10 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Washing

ISO 105D01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Cleaning

ISO 105-E02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E02: Color Fastness to Seawater

ISO 105-E03 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - E03: Color Fastness to Chlorinated Water

ISO 105-E04 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E04: Color Fastness to Perspiration

ISO 105-E07 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part E07: Color Fastness to Water Spots

ISO 105-N01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part N01: Color Fastness to Bleaching - Hypochlorite

ISO 105-N02 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Part N02: Color Fastness to Peroxide Bleaching

ISO 105P01 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Dry Heat (Excluding Ironing)

ISO 105X11 Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Heat Pressing

ISO 105-X12    

Textiles - Tests for Color Fastness - Color Fastness to Rubbing

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