Many garment disputes are not about sewing. They are about a shirt that shrank a size in the first wash, a navy uniform that stained the white one next to it, or a seam that opened under load. Every one of those can be measured in a laboratory, and every one of them is cheaper to catch on a roll of fabric than on a finished, packed shipment.
This article lists the tests that usually matter for sewn products, names the ISO, AATCC and JIS methods for each — names and scope only, as published in each standards body’s catalogue — and sets out the stage of the order at which each test is worth running.
💬 Not sure which tests your uniforms, bags or towels actually need? Tell us the product and where it will be sold and we will draft a test plan before production starts.
Which tests matter for sewn products?
For most garments, uniforms, bags and home textiles the core tests are colour fastness (to washing, rubbing and perspiration), dimensional change, fabric and seam strength, pilling, fabric weight and, where finishes or the law require it, formaldehyde — each available as an ISO, AATCC or JIS method.
| Property | What it tells you | ISO | AATCC | JIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour fastness to washing | Whether colour fades or stains other items in laundering | ISO 105-C06:2010 (domestic and commercial laundering) | TM61 (laundering, accelerated) | JIS L 0844 (colour fastness to washing) |
| Colour fastness to rubbing | Whether dye rubs off onto skin, seats or other fabric | ISO 105-X12:2016 | TM8 (crocking, crockmeter) | JIS L 0849 (colour fastness to rubbing) |
| Colour fastness to perspiration | Whether sweat changes or transfers colour | ISO 105-E04:2013 | — | — |
| Dimensional change | Shrinkage or growth after washing and drying | ISO 5077:2007, using the procedures of ISO 6330:2021 | TM135 (after home laundering) | JIS L 1909 (dimensional change) |
| Fabric tensile strength | Maximum force and elongation of woven fabric | ISO 13934-1:2013 (strip method) | — | JIS L 1096 (general fabric test methods) |
| Seam strength | Force needed to rupture a sewn seam | ISO 13935-2:2026 (grab method) | — | — |
| Pilling | Surface pilling, fuzzing and matting | ISO 12945-2:2020 (modified Martindale) | — | — |
| Fabric weight | Mass per unit area (g/m²) | ISO 3801:1977 (woven fabrics) | — | JIS L 1096 |
| Absorbency | How readily the fabric takes up water | — | TM79 (absorbency of textiles) | JIS L 1907 (water absorbency) |
| Formaldehyde | Free or released formaldehyde from finishes | ISO 14184-1:2011 (water extraction); ISO 14184-2:2011 (vapour absorption) | TM112 (sealed jar) | JIS L 1041 (test methods for resin-finished woven and knitted fabrics) |
A dash means we have not listed a method from that body here, not that none exists. Standard numbers and titles were checked against the ISO, AATCC and JISC catalogues on 24 October 2026; the full texts are sold by the standards bodies and we have not reproduced their contents.
Methods on the same row are not interchangeable. Two laboratories testing “colour fastness to washing” by different methods use different temperatures, detergents and abrasion, and their grades cannot be compared directly. An acceptance level written against one method only means something if the test is run by that method.
Which tests does each product actually need?
The product’s use decides the test list: workwear and uniforms lean on colour fastness to washing and perspiration, dimensional change and seam strength; bags on fabric and seam strength and rubbing fastness; towels on absorbency, weight and dimensional change.
| Product | Usually critical | Often added |
|---|---|---|
| Workwear and uniforms | Colour fastness to washing and perspiration, dimensional change, seam strength | Rubbing fastness, pilling, any claimed function (for example water repellency) |
| T-shirts and promotional garments | Dimensional change, colour fastness to washing, print durability after washing | Rubbing fastness, pilling |
| Tote and promotional bags | Fabric tensile strength, seam and handle-attachment strength, rubbing fastness | Colour fastness to water if the bag may get wet |
| Towels and home textiles | Absorbency, fabric weight, dimensional change, colour fastness to washing | Pilling and lint, colour fastness to light for curtains |
| Infant and close-to-skin items | Formaldehyde and any other legally limited substance in the destination | Colour fastness to perspiration and saliva where relevant |
For towels specifically — how to state weight and absorbency in the specification — see sourcing towels and home textiles from Vietnam.
At which stage should each test happen?
Test the fabric before it is cut, confirm on the pre-production sample, and check the finished goods only for what sewing and finishing can change — because a failing fabric discovered after cutting cannot be sent back to the mill.
| Stage | What to test | Why at this stage |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric development and lab dip | Colour fastness and dimensional change on the proposed fabric and shade | Eliminates a fabric or a dye route before anything is ordered in bulk |
| Bulk fabric, before cutting | Weight, dimensional change, colour fastness, strength, formaldehyde where relevant | The last point at which the fabric can be rejected or replaced without losing cut panels |
| Pre-production sample | Dimensional change and appearance after washing on the made-up garment, seam strength, print and embroidery durability | Sewing, fusing and printing change how the garment behaves; the care label is confirmed here |
| During production | Spot checks if the fabric lot or dye lot changes | A new lot is a new fabric for testing purposes |
| Finished goods, pre-shipment | Measurements, appearance, labelling and packing; repeat lab tests only if the specification requires them | Covered by inspection against AQL — see pre-shipment inspection and AQL |
The pre-production sample is the bridge between the laboratory and the factory floor. The sample approval stages article explains how the approved sample becomes the reference that the bulk is judged against; the test results sit alongside it in the order file.
💬 Want test points built into the production schedule rather than added at the end? Send us your order timeline and we will mark where each test needs to happen.
Where does the law set a limit, not just the buyer?
Some markets set legal limits on substances in textiles — Japan, for example, limits formaldehyde in specified textile products, with a stricter limit for items for infants within 24 months of birth, and restricts azo dyes that can form listed aromatic amines — so for those products the test is a legal requirement, not a quality preference.
In Japan, the Enforcement Regulation of the Act on the Control of Household Products Containing Harmful Substances (有害物質を含有する家庭用品の規制に関する法律施行規則) sets the limits in its Annex Table 1. For formaldehyde, the table covers two groups of textile products:
- diapers, diaper covers, bibs, underwear, nightwear, gloves, socks, middle and outer garments, hats and bedding for infants within 24 months of birth; and
- underwear, nightwear, gloves and socks (other than for infants), tabi socks, and adhesives used in wigs, false eyelashes, false beards and sock suspenders.
The same table restricts azo dyes that can break down into any of a listed set of aromatic amines in a list of textile products that includes underwear, nightwear, gloves, socks, middle and outer garments, hats, bedding, floor coverings and tablecloths, among others. The exact limits and the official test methods are in the regulation and its notices; use them, not a summary.
In Vietnam, textile products on the list in Circular 33/2026/TT-BCT fall under QCVN 01:2017/BCT on formaldehyde and azo-dye aromatic amines, as amended by Circular 37/2026/TT-BCT from 1 July 2026; they must be tested and certified, declared conformant and carry the CR mark before circulation. For other destinations, confirm the current chemical rules for your product category with your importer before the test plan is fixed. A brand’s own restricted-substances list may also go further than the law, and it then becomes part of your specification.
What should the purchase order say about testing?
A testing clause should name the tests, the method and edition, the acceptance level, the stage, who draws the samples, which laboratory, who pays for a retest and what happens if a result fails — an instruction to “test to international standards” commits nobody to anything.
- Tests and methods. List each test with its method and edition, for example “ISO 105-C06:2010” rather than “washing fastness”.
- Acceptance levels. The grade or limit you accept for each test. These are your commercial and legal decisions; where the law sets a limit, the law’s figure is the floor.
- Stage and sampling. When the sample is drawn and by whom. Samples cut from the bulk roll by someone independent of production are better evidence than a swatch handed over by the factory.
- Laboratory. An independent laboratory agreed by both sides, ideally accredited for the methods required.
- Failure. Whether a failing fabric is replaced, re-processed or accepted at a discount, and who pays for retesting.
- Records. The test report reference, linked to the fabric lot and to the approved sample.
Who buys the fabric changes who carries a fabric test failure. Under a cut-make-trim arrangement the buyer usually supplies the fabric and carries that risk; under full-package production the factory does. The split is explained in CMT, FOB or ODM — write it into the contract either way.
How do test results connect to the care label?
The care label is a claim about how the garment behaves in washing, and the test results are the evidence for that claim — the US Care Labeling Rule requires a reasonable basis for each instruction, and Japan’s labelling rules require care symbols to be chosen from test results or equivalent technical information.
That is why colour fastness to washing and dimensional change are usually run on the made-up pre-production sample as well as on the fabric: the label has to work for the whole garment, including trims, prints and embroidery thread. What each market requires on the label itself is set out in care and content labels by market.
How we manage testing on a sewn-products order
We draw up the test plan from the product and the destination, arrange for samples to be drawn from the bulk at the right stages, send them to a laboratory agreed with you, and compare every report with the specification before production moves on.
We do not own factories or laboratories. For each order we find the Vietnamese manufacturer that fits the product, check it as described in the factory audit checklist, and manage the test points, the sample approvals and the pre-shipment inspection as one sequence, so that a failed result stops the order at the cheapest point rather than the most expensive one.
💬 Our sewn-products manufacturing service covers uniforms, bags, novelty textiles and towels, with testing and inspection coordinated in Vietnam. Tell us about your next order.
Frequently asked questions
1. Does every order need laboratory testing?
Not every test on every order. A repeat order on an unchanged fabric from the same mill may need only the bulk-fabric checks, while a new fabric, a new colour or a new destination with legal limits needs more. The decision should be written down per order, not left to habit.
2. Can the factory’s own test results be accepted?
They can be useful for routine checks such as weight and dimensional change, especially with a factory you have worked with before. For anything legally limited, or for a first order, an independent laboratory report on samples drawn from the bulk is stronger evidence.
3. Which is better, ISO or AATCC?
Neither is better in general. Use the method your market, your customer or your specification refers to, and make sure acceptance levels are written against that same method, because results from different methods cannot be compared directly.
4. What grade of colour fastness should we ask for?
That depends on the product, the colour and how it will be washed, and it is your decision as the buyer. We can share how comparable products are usually specified and arrange tests on alternative fabrics, but we will not quote a single figure as if it fitted every product.
5. Should testing be repeated on the finished goods before shipment?
Only for properties that sewing and finishing can change, or where your customer requires it. Most finished-goods checks — measurements, appearance, labelling and packing — are done by inspection, as described in pre-shipment inspection and AQL.
Sources: International Organization for Standardization catalogue — ISO 105-C06:2010, ISO 105-X12:2016, ISO 105-E04:2013, ISO 5077:2007, ISO 6330:2021, ISO 13934-1:2013, ISO 13935-2:2026, ISO 12945-2:2020, ISO 3801:1977, ISO 14184-1:2011, ISO 14184-2:2011. AATCC test method catalogue — TM8, TM61, TM79, TM112, TM135. Japanese Industrial Standards Committee database — JIS L 0844, JIS L 0849, JIS L 1041, JIS L 1096, JIS L 1907, JIS L 1909. Enforcement Regulation of the Act on the Control of Household Products Containing Harmful Substances, Annex Table 1 (e-Gov). Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Circular 33/2026/TT-BCT (moit.gov.vn), and Tạp chí Công Thương on Circular 37/2026/TT-BCT amending QCVN 01:2017/BCT. US Federal Trade Commission, “Clothes Captioning — Complying with the Care Labeling Rule”. Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan, Textile Goods Quality Labelling Rules, Article 3(2). Checked on 24 October 2026.