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Training Manual — Section 6

Color Fastness

The complete color fastness reference — washing, rubbing, perspiration, light, color migration, and common fastness problems.

Contents

01Color Fastness to Washing02Color Fastness to Rubbing03Color Fastness to Perspiration04Color Fastness to Light05Color Migration06Common Color Fastness Problems07Assessment & Grading Control08End-Use Specification Matrix
Color Fastness to Washing
Section 01

Color Fastness to Washing

Ability of fabric color to withstand washing without fading or bleeding.

Ability of fabric color to withstand washing without fading or bleeding.

Test Method

  • ISO 105-C06
  • Wash with detergent
  • Evaluate staining + color change

Grading

  • Grade 5: No change
  • Grade 4: Slight change
  • Grade 3: Noticeable change
  • Grade 2: Heavy change
  • Grade 1: Severe change

Quality Checkpoints

  • Dark colors must be ≥ Grade 3–4
  • Light colors must be ≥ Grade 4–5
  • No bleeding onto multi-color panels
Section 02

Color Fastness to Rubbing

Resistance of color to rubbing (dry and wet).

Resistance of color to rubbing (dry and wet).

Test Method

  • ISO 105-X12
  • Crockmeter test
  • Dry rubbing
  • Wet rubbing

Grading

  • Dry: ≥ Grade 4
  • Wet: ≥ Grade 3

Quality Checkpoints

  • No heavy staining
  • No color transfer
  • Wet rubbing must be controlled for dark colors
Section 03

Color Fastness to Perspiration

Resistance of color to sweat (acidic + alkaline).

Resistance of color to sweat (acidic + alkaline).

Test Method

  • ISO 105-E04
  • Fabric soaked in perspiration solution
  • Pressed and heated
  • Evaluate staining + color change

Grading

  • Minimum Grade 3–4

Quality Checkpoints

  • Sportswear must meet higher grade
  • No staining on adjacent fabrics
Section 04

Color Fastness to Light

Resistance of color to sunlight exposure.

Resistance of color to sunlight exposure.

Test Method

  • ISO 105-B02
  • Xenon arc lamp
  • Compare fading against blue wool scale

Grading

  • Outdoor garments: Grade 4–6
  • Indoor garments: Grade 3–4

Quality Checkpoints

  • No heavy fading
  • No yellowing
  • No patchy discoloration
Section 05

Color Migration

Color moves from one panel to another during storage or heat.

Color moves from one panel to another during storage or heat.

Causes

  • High temperature
  • Poor dye fixation
  • PVC packaging
  • Moisture exposure

Quality Checkpoints

  • Multi-color garments must be tested
  • No bleeding during storage
  • No transfer in polybags
Common Color Fastness Problems
Section 06

Common Color Fastness Problems

Failure diagnosis linking fibre, dye class, fixation, after-treatment, finishing, construction, and end use.

Failure Signatures

  • Colour change identifies fading, shade shift, or finish yellowing
  • Multifibre staining identifies which adjacent fibre attracts unfixed dye
  • Low wet crocking often reflects surface dye, deep shade, or inadequate washing-off
  • Panel migration can arise from disperse dye sublimation under heat and pressure
  • Patchiness suggests preparation, dosing, temperature, pH, or circulation variation

Corrective Actions

  • Confirm fibre blend and select the compatible dye class and process
  • Optimize fixation, reduction clearing, soaping, rinsing, and neutralization
  • Control finishing chemistry, curing conditions, residual pH, and moisture
  • Validate print, lining, thread, trim, adhesive, and contrasting panel combinations
  • Repeat testing on production material after corrective action

Investigation Evidence

  • Retain lab dip, bulk standard, dyelot, recipe, and process chart
  • Review spectrophotometer data and visual assessment under specified illuminants
  • Check conditioning, specimen preparation, solution, equipment, and assessor grading
  • Distinguish colour transfer from optical contrast or surface contamination
  • Document root cause, affected scope, disposition, and preventive control

Quality Checkpoints

  • Reports identify colour change and staining separately
  • Bulk compared with approved standard
  • Contrasting and multi-material garments tested as assembled
Section 07

Assessment & Grading Control

Reliable fastness decisions require controlled conditioning, reference scales, lighting, assessor competence, and equipment calibration.

Grey & Blue Scales

  • Grey scale for colour change uses grades 5 to 1, including half grades
  • Grey scale for staining evaluates transfer onto each adjacent fibre
  • Blue wool references evaluate light fastness, commonly from 1 to 8
  • Grade against the specified standard and test endpoint, not memory
  • Use clean, undamaged, in-validity reference scales

Lab Governance

  • Condition specimens and controls under the required standard atmosphere
  • Use specified light source, viewing geometry, background, and masking
  • Calibrate crockmeters, launderometers, perspiration devices, and xenon equipment
  • Run reference fabrics and inter-laboratory correlation where required
  • Record method edition, deviations, assessor, equipment, and uncertainty

Quality Checkpoints

  • Trained assessors
  • Current reference scales
  • Test conditions and method edition reported
Section 08

End-Use Specification Matrix

Acceptance limits must reflect product use, shade depth, fibre chemistry, care label, market, and buyer requirements.

Risk-Based Selection

  • Underwear and sportswear emphasize perspiration, rubbing, washing, and saliva where relevant
  • Outerwear emphasizes light, weathering, water, rubbing, and dry cleaning as applicable
  • Baby products require strict staining and chemical-safety alignment
  • Deep shades and prints need wet rubbing and bleeding risk assessment
  • White or pale contrast panels need migration and cross-staining evaluation

Specification Rules

  • State test method, procedure variant, fibre adjacent fabric, and minimum grade
  • Separate limits for colour change and each staining result
  • Define any shade-specific concession before bulk approval
  • Apply the buyer manual and destination-market law over generic guidance
  • Test worst-case colourways, trims, care cycles, and assembled combinations

Quality Checkpoints

  • End use documented
  • Worst-case colourway selected
  • Buyer-specific limits approved before bulk

Continue your training

Explore the defects & quality engineering manual and the full module library.

Defects & quality

Advanced reference

Technical controls & troubleshooting

Test Engineering

  • Select ISO 105 or equivalent AATCC method matching intended exposure
  • Use standard multifibre adjacent fabric and controlled liquor ratio for wash tests
  • Condition rubbing cloth and control wet pickup for wet crocking
  • Evaluate colour change and staining under D65 in a calibrated light cabinet
  • Use blue-wool references for light fastness and grey scales for change/staining
  • Test component compatibility on contrast, white, printed, coated, and fluorescent panels

Acceptance & Risk

  • Grade 5 indicates negligible change; Grade 1 indicates severe change
  • Dark and saturated shades often require specific wet-rub risk approval
  • Perspiration testing includes separate acid and alkaline solutions
  • Phenolic yellowing and sublimation migration require packaging and heat-risk controls
  • Light-fastness requirements depend on end use and exposure duration
  • Buyer specifications supersede generic minimums and must be confirmed per product

Laboratory Controls

  • Verify colour fastness at incoming, first-output, inline, end-line, and final stages
  • Separate critical, major, and minor defects using the approved defect library
  • Use risk-based sampling; increase frequency after a failure or process change
  • Maintain shade, size, lot, roll, and bundle traceability throughout production
  • Quarantine nonconforming output until disposition and corrective action are approved
  • Confirm corrective action effectiveness on consecutive production checks

Troubleshooting

  • Contain affected colour output and identify the last verified-good checkpoint
  • Use 5 Why and fishbone analysis across material, machine, method, people, and environment
  • Compare failed output with the sealed sample, specification, and machine settings
  • Correct the root cause rather than relying on repeated inspection or repair
  • Run a controlled trial, validate results, then release the updated process setting
  • Update SOP, control plan, training record, and preventive-maintenance requirement

Author: Sanjeewa Dehiwalage — www.nosk.life© 2026 Sanjeewa Dehiwalage & NOSK.life. All rights reserved.