How to test textiles for colour transfer from sweat
Brief a textile laboratory on intended skin contact, submit traceable production dye lots and identify materials that could become stained. Agree the method, conditions and acceptance limits before testing, then request separate colour-change and staining results. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate factory samples.
Start with intended skin contact
Describe where and how the textile will touch the wearer: directly against skin, through a lining or alongside another garment. Identify sweaty contact areas such as collars, cuffs, waistbands and straps. Include printed areas, embroidery and dyed trims in the brief where they could transfer colour.
Tell the laboratory about prolonged wear, exercise and the intended care routine. Ask it to recommend a perspiration-fastness method for that use. Keep washing performance as a separate question; our garment and textile wash guide covers that approval work.
Choose traceable production dye lots
Submit fabric with the intended production dyeing, printing and finishing already completed. Record the colour, fibre composition, dye lot, finishing batch and product component. Ask the laboratory to help select representative lots across the order, including dark shades, contrasting prints and changed dye recipes.
Do not let an approved development swatch stand in for unrelated bulk dye lots. Agree which lots a result can support and what changes trigger further testing. Keep retained samples and a record of who selected and sealed them; see our laboratory sample chain-of-custody guide.
Identify materials that could become stained
Ask the laboratory to identify the standard adjacent fabric it proposes to use, including its fibre components. Also list the actual materials touching the dyed textile, such as pale linings, elastic, sewing thread, labels and neighbouring panels. Provide their composition and production samples where available.
Request supplementary contact tests on relevant finished assemblies if transfer between components is a concern. Have these reported separately from the standard method. A standard adjacent fabric and a product-specific lining answer different questions; agree how each result will affect approval.
Agree laboratory conditions before testing
Ask for the method reference and edition, and confirm whether the proposed test covers both acidic and alkaline artificial perspiration. Have the laboratory specify specimen preparation, conditioning, solution composition and acidity, wetting, pressure, exposure temperature and duration, drying and assessment conditions. Use its written protocol rather than an improvised sweat soak.
State whether samples are tested as supplied or after agreed care treatment, and request separate identification of those results. Ask for any departures from the method to be recorded. Check the laboratory's scope for the proposed test using our laboratory accreditation guide.
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Approve colour change and staining separately
Agree separate acceptance limits for the tested textile's colour change and for staining of adjacent materials. Request results by sample and perspiration condition, with staining grades for each adjacent fibre or material. Ask the report to identify the assessment scales used. A fabric can retain its shade while staining something beside it.
Avoid accepting a summary marked only “pass”. Match the report to the submitted lots, examine any failed component and hold the affected stock while the factory investigates. Retest corrected production samples before releasing that stock. Our textile dyes guide covers dye supply and chemical checks; colour-transfer testing does not establish chemical safety.
Frequently asked questions
Does a wash test show whether sweat will transfer colour?
Do not use wash results alone to approve perspiration performance. Ask the laboratory for a perspiration test matched to the intended use, alongside any wash testing.
Can I use a report from another dye lot?
Ask the laboratory to assess whether it represents your production. Compare the dye recipe, fibre, shade and finishing, and record which lots the report supports.
Should I send the lining with the fabric?
Yes, where staining of that lining matters. Ask for a supplementary contact assessment alongside the standard adjacent-fabric test, with clearly distinguished results.
What should a perspiration test report show?
Traceable samples, method and edition, conditions and deviations, plus separate colour-change and staining results for each perspiration condition and adjacent material.