What is fabric shrinkage?

Fabric shrinkage can ruin your clothes and leaves you with unpleasant clients. But what is fabric shrinkage? And what can you do to avoid it? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

What is fabric shrinkage?

Fabric shrinkage is simply the extent to which the length or width of a fabric changes during the washing process.

Why do we need to check fabric shrinkage?

We need to know how much a fabric can shrink for a number of reasons.

Firstly, manufacturers need to know that the fabric or clothe they are making is of superior quality. The reputation of the brand should be taken into account. In addition, material and energy will be wasted if rework is required due to fabric shrinkage at a later stage in the production of the garment.

Secondly, if the fabric shrinks after cutting or sewing, the finished product will be deformed. The seams may be wrinkled. This affects the performance of the garment.

Finally, manufacturers should provide information on the care of the garment on the labels. Without checking the shrinkage of the fabric, the information on these labels is not correct.

What causes fabric shrinkage?

Fabric shrinkage is influenced by a number of factors:

1, Raw materials:

Different fibres naturally absorb different amounts of moisture and react differently to heat. This is an important factor in fabric shrinkage.

Low shrinkage rate fabrics include synthetic fibers and blended fabrics in normal use. In second place is linen. In the middle are cottons, which cannot be washed or dried at high temperatures. At the other end of the scale, viscose is the fibre that shrinks the most.

Some other things to consider: fabrics that contain elastane have a higher shrinkage rate than fabrics that do not. And dry cleaning is the best method for wool garments as they are especially prone to shrinkage.

2, Manufacturing process:

The way the fabric is made can also affect the degree of shrinkage. The processes of weaving, dyeing and finishing are important.

For example, woven fabric shrinks less than knitted fabric. And the tension of the fabric during manufacture affects how it behaves during washing and drying. Fabric density and thread thickness also play a role in shrinkage.

Fabrics can also be subjected to processes to prevent shrinkage, which will be discussed below.

How can shrinkage be prevented?

There are various treatment methods to reduce fabric shrinkage.

Examples include mercerising and preshrinking. These processes are mainly used for cotton fabrics. Synthetic fibres such as nylon often shrink when heated. However, shrinkage can be reduced if the fabrics are heat treated during production.

However, it is unrealistic to expect no shrinkage. No matter what fabric you use and what processes you subject it to, it will almost always shrink to some extent. There is always tolerance. The degree of tolerance depends largely on the type of material used.

We hope that this article is useful to you. Check out our website for more information on fabrics and industry news. For any inquiry, please do not hesitate to contact with us.