QUALITY ASSURANCE

Color Fastness To Washing :-

There are different test methods to check the color fastness to washing.

The selection of the test method depends on, Customers Requirements Process Type
(Dyed,Print,White) Quality Construction, Some most commonly used methods are

• ISO-105-CO1
• ISO-105-CO2
• ISO-105-CO3
• ISO-105-CO4
• ISO-105-CO5
• ISO-105-CO6

The test methods from CO1 to CO5 are established to check the color fastness to washing of
color textiles and cover the range from mild to severe. These test methods are not intended to
reflect the comprehensive laundering procedures. The selection of washing test method depends
on

• Construction of the fabric

• Type of printing or dyeing
• End Use of the Fabric….etc

Each method has its own parameters of Temp,Time,Chemicals conc.

ISO-105-CO6:-
This part of ISO -105 specifies methods intended for determining the resistance of the color of
textiles in all forms to domestic or commercial laundering. This test method is more severe and
usually used for high quality textiles.
ISO-105-CO6 is a washing test for domestic and commercial laundering. In different countries
different washing procedures are adopted .Some use only Soap and Soda. Some use some other
chemicals like sodium perborate.So this is customers requirement what kind of washing
procedures he required.

Washing tests from CO1 to CO5 are mostly used in USA where they use only Soda and soap for
washing while in Europe they use Special detergent for washing name Sodium Perborate which
is used in ISO-105-CO6.

So ISO-105-CO6 test method is developed in which there is a wide choice of washing conditions
to reflect the different washing procedures used through out the world. For instance sodium
Perborate is used extensively in Europe , it is not used in USA.

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

When your customer ask for CO6 washing test confirm the test procedure number. Either it is
A1S,A2S, B2S,C2s etc….
There are 16 different washing procedures in ISO-105-CO6 which cover the range for Home and
Commercial laundering from mild to swear.

In CO6 washing test method there are 16 different sub methods which cover the range from mild
to severe. e.g..

• ISO-105-CO6 – A1S
• ISO-105-CO6 – B2S
• ISO-105-CO6 – B1M

In CO1 the specimen is treated at 40°c at 30min by using 0.5% soap & liquor ratio is1:50.
In CO2 the specimen is treated at 50°c at 45min by using 0.5% soap and liquor ratio 1:50.

Most important thing to remember is that when ever you commit the test method with your
customer must ask for the exact test method number..i.e.CO1,CO3, CO6 .. and if he required
CO6 washing test ask him with the exact test procedure either it is A1S,B2S or B2M etc…

Because each test method in CO6 laundering test has different parameters of temperature ,
time ,chemicals, liquor ratio…from mild to swear .. And each test method has its own
definition…like, if customer ask for B2S , It means he requires Single home laundering. In this
method “S” stands for single.

And if he ask for B1M it means he require multiple home launderings because in B1M “M”
stands for multiple and is equal to 5 home launderings.

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

APPLICATION FIELD:-
The Test is intended to determine Colour Fastness of Textile Material irrespective of their Composition
(Cotton, Linen Silk, Man Made Fibers & Wool) and their Form (Fiber, Yarn or Fabric) to Washing. p. s. :
The LABIN Digital Washing Fastness Tester can also be used for
checking the Colour Fastness against Dry cleaning & Bleaching.

INTRODUCTION:-
In this Test, a Specimen of Textile in contact with pieces of Adjacent Fabric (Standard Fabric) is
mechanically agitated in a Standard Soap Solution (Sodium Oleate Solution), before being rinsed and
dried.

The change in Colour of the Specimen and the Staining of the Standard Fabric are assessed with Standard
Grey Scales. The Instrument used for this purpose is called Digital Washing Fastness Tester.

EQIUPMENT:-
The LABIN Digital Washing Fastness Tester is supplied complete with:
1. Main Bath (Made of Stainless Steel).
2. 8 Nos Die Made Stainless Steel Test Vessels (Jars).
3. 100 Nos Non-Corrodible Steel Balls.

Details of the Important Parts of The LABIN Digital Washing Fastness Tester:
1. Stainless Steel Main Bath.
2. 100 Nos Stainless Steel Non-Corrodible Balls.

MAIN BATH (Stainless Steel):-

The Main Bath is double walled S. S. Water Bath, which is electrically heated with Digital Temperature
Controller-cum-Indicator. The gap between the walls is duly filled with special grade glass wool for
proper insulation. The Bath is heated by means of two Immersion Heaters and a Capillary type
Thermostat controls the Temperature. The Temperature of the Bath is indicated on a Digital Temperature
Controller-cum-Indicator. The Bath has a double walled hinged lid made of stainless steel sheet.

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Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

The Bath is provided with 8 nos Die Made Stainless Steel Test Vessels (Jars). In these jars the Standard
Soap Solution and the Test Specimens are kept during the Test. The vessels are provided with Silicon
Gaskets for water tight closing. They are held in a Stainless Steel Rotor Assembly mounted on a Stainless
Steel Shaft at the Center of the Bath. The Assembly rotates at a speed of 40 r.p.m. ± 2 r.p.m. The Rotor
Assembly rotates with the help of an Electric Motor and Reduction gearbox.

A special Inching Switch is provided in the LABIN Digital Washing Fastness Tester for Loading and
Unloading of the Test Vessels. It facilitates tremendous ease in operations.

STAINLESS STEEL BALLS (BS 1006 : CO4, CO5, CO6 :1990):-

100 Nos non-Corrodible Steel Balls of 6 mm Ø are provided with The LABIN Digital Washing Fastness
Tester. These Balls are used for providing beating action during the washing operations.

The Complete Unit is fabricated on a Stainless Steel Frame. All four sides of the Unit are covered with
beautifully S. S. Sheets. The Complete Top of the Unit is also made of Stainless Steel Sheet.

An attractive Acrylic Panel housing all the Controls is provided on the Front Right Side of the Unit.

Two Water Outlets are provided on the Left Side. Top is the Overflow outlet and Middle is the Water
Outlet of the Main Bath.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:-

Dimension of Main Bath : Depends upon No. of Test Vessels (Jars).

No. of Test Vessels
Volume of each Vessel
Speed of Rotation
Temperature of Main Bath
Motor
Inching Switch
Controls
Buzzer
Stainless Steel Balls
Availability of Models
: Die Made Stainless Steel Test Vessels (Jars).
: 550 ml approx
: 40 r.p.m. ±2 r.p.m.
: Ambient to 110 °C.
: ¼ HP 230 V AC.
: For Loading and Unloading of the Vessels
: Digital Electronic Temperature Controller-cum-Indicator with
Digital Timer
: Automatic Electronic Audio Buzzer
: (BS 1006 : CO4, CO5, CO6 :1990)
: From Models having 4 Beakers to 24 Beakers

Washing Fastness Tester :-

We are offering a wide range of Washing Fastness Test, which is used widely for determining
color fastness of textile materials to washings. Our experts mechanically agitate a specimen of
textile in contact with pieces of specified adjacent fabrics in soap – soda solution. After this, the
change in color of specimen and stains of the adjacent fabrics are assessed with standard grey
scale.

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Working procedure:-
• This tester consists of a thermostatically controlled, electrically heated water bath made
of stainless steel
• The bath is heated by means of immersion heaters and its temperature controlled by a
capillary type thermostat
• The temperature of water inside the bath is displayed on a digital temperature indicator
• The bath has a double walled hinged lid made of stainless steel sheets
The jars in which the test solution and the test specimens are kept during the test are made from
stainless steel and are provided with rubber scales for water tight closing
• They are held in a cast aluminum rotor assembly mounted on a stainless steel shaft at the
center of the bath and rotating about a horizontal axis with the help of a geared motor
• A clockwork timer is provided to stop the motor after a pre-determined time
• The apparatus is fabricated on a sturdy angle iron frame and is completely enclosed on
all four sides with mild steel sheet duly enameled in metallic green paint
• The top of the apparatus is covered with stainless steel sheet
One hundred stainless steel balls of 6 mm diameter are supplied with the apparatus as standard
accessory for providing beating action during the washing operation
• Extra stainless steel balls and standard grey scales are available as optional accessory

Technical data:
Number of Jars Eight
Volume of each Jar 550 cc (Approx)
Distance of base jars from the axis of 50 mm
rotation
Speed of rotation 40 to 45 rpm.
Temperature of Water Bath Ambient of 980
C
Motor ¼ HP 230 V AC.

Color Fastness To Rubbing:-

There are two test methods for rubbing.

• 1.ISO-105-X12
• 2.AATCC-08

In ISO-105-X12 the wet pickup of the rubbing cloth is 100%

While in AATCC-08 the wet Pickup of the rubbing cloth is 65%.
We check rubbing by Dry and Wet methods.
In wet rubbing we wet the rubbing cloth according to test method and give rating by comparing
the Staining with the gray scale.
Similarly for dry rubbing we check the rubbing with dry rubbing cloth and compare the staining

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

With gray scale for ratings. Color Fastness to rubbing is a main test which is always required for
every colored fabric either it is Printed or dyed.
If the color fastness to rubbing is good then its other properties like Washing fastness and
durability etc improves automatically because the rubbing is a method to check the fixation of
the color on the fabric. So if the fixation is good its washing properties will be good.
Rubbing Fastness depends on:

• Nature of the Color

• Depth of the Shade
• Construction of the Fabric

Nature of the color Each color either it is pigment ,Reactive ,Disperse or direct has its own
fastness properties to rubbing. There are some colors like black, Red ,Burgundy ,Navy blue
which have poor Color fastness properties because of their chemical structure.

Like Black color is a carbon base color and the particle size of carbon is large than the other
colors that's why its rubbing properties are poor. Similarly red and blue are in the same case.
So to improve the color fastness we add more binder to improve the fastness properties of these
colors .
It doesn't mean that we can not achieve the best results with these colors .
The required results can achieve but production cost will be increase.
On the other hand the construction of the fabric also effects the fastness properties.

If the rubbing fastness on 100.80/40.40 is 3 on the gray scale it will be 2-3 on 52.52/22.22 with
the same printing parameters.
So always keep in mind these effects during finalize the required parameters with your
customer .

“Always check”

• Quality construction
• Color
• Depth of the Color
• End Use of the product

Results which we can achieve in Normal Conditions are

Dark Shade Medium shades Light Shades
Dry 3-4 4 4-5
Wet 2-2.5 3 3.5-4

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Rubbing/Crocking fastness:-

Reactive dyes being water soluble it is difficult to achieve the same level of wet rubbing ratings
as compared to insoluble dyestuff and also dry rubbing. With water soluble dyes, apart from the
bleeding of the dyestuff from the rubbed area, finely distributed substrate particles also rub off
on the surface of crock meter cloth.
The problem is increasing with higher depths and fabrics like towels, corduroy
etc. with rough surface. While evaluating the rating it is necessary to 9gnore
such rub-off particles appearing on the crock meter cloth and consider only the
staining of the dye on the rubbed cloth

Instrument used for checking is the standard crock meter. However, test is quite sensitive and for
getting consistent result, it is necessary to use standard crock meter cloth, maintain uniform
pressure for applying rubbing strokes and number of strokes. Besides, for wet rubbing, %
moisture on the crock-cloth has to be kept to uniform level. For ISO-105 x 12 test method,
rubbing cloth that has been wetted with water, has to be squeezed to contain its own weight of
water. For AATCC 116-1995 methods, wet pick up is to be maintained between 65 ± 5% by
squeezing the wet crockmeter cloth using a AATCC blotting paper.

Any variation in the moisture content can lead to deviation in the rating. With high amount of
moisture i.e.., wet pick up, ratings will be lower. Degree of staining is visually assessed using Grey scale
for change of colour with grade of 1-5 where rating of 5 signifies negligible change and 1 maximum
change.
In order to get maximum achievable wet rubbing rating, with reactive dyes, it is absolutely necessary to
remove all unfixed hydrolyzed dyes by proper soaping/washing of the sample before evaluating the
ratings. Extraction with pyridine can be done to check the removal of hydrolyzed dyestuff.

Color Fastness To Light:-

Test Method:ISO-105-BO2
This test is use to check the effect of light on the Fabric.
In this test method the light source is Xenon Lamp. But this machine is very costly so we use the
murcarry lamp.
The results of light fastness depends on the type of dyes and the depth of the shade.
Usually light fastness of light color is poor.

If the customer requires the high light fastness rating then we have to use the dyes range with
high light fastness properties which is a costly range and increases our dye cost. So it depends on
the customers requirements and the final rates of dyeing. So always take care to finalize the
required results.

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Maximum achievable results are:

For Pigment Printed fabric:-

• Dark Colors:4-5
• Medium Colors:4
• Light Colors:3
• On gray scale rating

For Reactive and Reactive + Disperse Dyed Fabric:-

• Dark Colors:4
• Medium Colors:3
• Light Colors:2
• On Gray Scale rating

For OBA white Bleached fabric:-

• 3 to 3-4 on gray scale rating.

Recommended Procedure:-

The middle third of the strips is covered with opaque card (A). The assembly is
then exposed to light until the specimen first shows a change in shade (4-5 on the grey scale).

The exposure is continued until the contrast in the specimen is equal to grey scale 4, at which
point a second segment of the specimen and standards is covered with another piece of opaque
card (B). The exposure is again continued until the contrast between the exposed and unexposed
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Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

parts of the specimen is equal to the grey scale 3, at which point the exposure is terminated then,
it is matched with blue scale 1-8 standards. These blue scales are made with wooden fabric.

MBTL Light Fastness Tester

MBTL Lamp Standard mercury based Tungsten lamp is fitted

to create standard light.
Watt of MBTL 500WT.
Lamp
Specimen 3nos special rectangular,
Holders 3numbersofsampleholder for holding fabric
specimens are supplied with the instrument.
Type holders 50 pcs C Type holders for yarn.
Cooling Water circulation pump is fitted for controlling
arrangement the Temperature of the inner chamb. of the
specimen holders Cooling arrangement.
Power supply 220/240 VAC
Pump 1/8 hp motor pump is fitted for the circulation of
water.
Motor 1/4 hp motor. 2 RPM is fitted for revolving
movement.
Water tank 10 ltr capacity of tank for storage the water for
circulation purpose.
Humidity Humidity is controlled inside the sample holder
control for the fabric Samples only. With the help of
water circulation.

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Direct Dyes
The light fastness properties of normal direct dyes are very poor .So never try to commit the
light fastness of direct dyes more than 2-3 on gray scale ratings. If the customer required high
light fastness in direct dyed fabric we have to chose specific high light fast dyes.

Fastness and
appearance

Think of all These are the sort of

the garments issues that dye
you own and manufacturers need to
imagine the consider before
things that launching dyes onto
they have to the market.
go through Because of the wide
before you range of end uses of
buy them and coloured textiles, many
during use. tests have been
Their colour developed to assess
has to resist fastness. Testing
fading when involves comparing a
they are used dyed sample that has
or left out in been exposed to an
sunlight. They agency, for example to
have to be light or to washing,
suitable for with an original, to
repeated assess accurately any
washing change in shade or

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Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

without the change in depth of

colour colour. Up to a certain
running. But level, changes are
there are other considered by industry
factors as to be acceptable,
well. depending on the end
use of the dyed
For example, material. If these levels
the colour in are exceeded the
your product fails the test.
swimwear
must also be In washing fastness a
fast to sea sample is tested with
water and the so-called adjacent
chlorinated fabrics to assess the
water used in extent of staining of a
the swimming piece of white fabric,
pool. The similar to what
blouse and happens when coloured
shirt you wear garments are washed
next to your together with whites in
skin should a washing machine.
not discolour
because of the
effects of
perspiration
(which can be
either acid or
alkali).

Fastness to light Generally

is basically a speaking, the
feature of the more efficient a
actual dye detergent is in
molecule itself; it removing dirt or
is, in fact, a stains, the better
measure of the it is in breaking
ability of the down the
molecule to physical bonds
absorb radiation which bind the
without being dye to the fibre.
destroyed, the In the case of a
absorbed serve wash at the

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Masood BST-VIII
 QUALITY ASSURANCE

radiation being boil, given (for

dissipated in example) to
other ways. In a men’s shirts, this
dye with poor poses a
light-fastness the considerable
molecule will be problem,
broken down by particularly if the
the absorbed garment has
radiation. No dye coloured stripes,
is completely fast as the dye
to light, but it loosened by the
should be detergent is liable
emphasised that to stain the
this is not of real adjacent white.
importance. All
that matters is the
colorant should
not fade
appreciably
during the life of
the article which
it colours, and
today colorants
exist which fulfill
this condition.

Fastness to
washing is
dependent not so
much upon the
structure of the
dye molecule as
upon the tenacity
with which it
holds on to the
substrate.
Unfortunately
this tenacity is
under constant
attack during
washing by the
action of

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 QUALITY ASSURANCE

detergents
especially as the
detergent industry
is constantly
introducing new,
more efficient
products.

Until fairly recently it was only possible to obtain complete fastness to a boiling wash by using
colorants known as vat dyes. These are actually pigments; they are insoluble in water. In order to
apply them they must first be subjected to a process of chemical reduction known as ‘vatting’
(hence their name), which makes them soluble. They can then be applied to the fabric by a fairly
normal dyeing process. After this, the fabric is exposed to the air or treated with an oxidising
compound, whereby the reduced soluble form of the dye is re-converted to its original insoluble
pigment from in the fibre and so is not liable to be removed by washing. But vat dyes are
expensive and rather tricky to apply, and in the 1960s the situation was eased by the introduction
of a new class of dye known as ‘reactive’. These dyes have the ability to combine chemically
with, and so form an actual part of, the molecules of the fibre to which they are applied, so they
are, of course, very resistant to detergents.They are also cheaper and easier to apply than vat
dyes, and they are much brighter.

One other feature of detergents which can affect colour is worth a mention. Everyone today is
familiar with the 'whiter than white' claim made for these products. This effect is produced by the
addition to the detergent of a small amount of a substance known as a fluorescent brightener.
This is a colourless compound, usually with some affinity for the substrate, whose molecules are
fluorescent; that is to say, they absorb energy at a high level from ultraviolet radiation and
immediately re-emit it at a lower energy level, usually in the form of blue light. This light, when
contained in the eye with the trace of yellowness normally present in a white material, produces
a sensation of complete whiteness – that is absence of colour sensation, because, as will be
remembered, a sensation of yellow is caused when blue light is removed from the spectrum.
Previously, the yellowish tinge of whites was neutralised to some extent by the use of the old-
fashioned ‘blue bag’, which contained a reddish blue dye. This dye, combined with a trace of
yellow, will give a very pale grey, which is less noticeable than yellow

Prepared By: - Adeel

Masood BST-VIII