Colorfastness to rubbing

Date: 2024/12/21 By: Zoe Zhu
In the production and inspection process of fabrics and clothing, color fastness to rubbing is a very important indicator. It affects both the product’s look and the user’s experience. It also impacts the product’s lifespan.
What is colorfastness to rubbing?
Color fastness to rubbing refers to the situation where the fabric fades in the rubbed part due to the effect of friction under a certain pressure. The color fastness to rubbing test checks how much the cotton cloth stains after rubbing the fabric with a white cotton cloth. It uses a gray sample card to assess the staining and grade it.
Color fastness to rubbing is mainly divided into dry rubbing color fastness and wet rubbing color fastness. Dry rubbing color fastness is the textile’s color fastness after dry rubbing with a cloth. Wet rubbing color fastness is the same, but with a wet cloth.

Grading and standard of Colorfastness to rubbing
The grading of Colorfastness to rubbing is divided according to the degree of staining of the white cotton cloth after rubbing. Common standards for Colorfastness to rubbing include GB/T 3920-2008, AATCC 8-2007, AATCC 116-2010 and JIS L 0849-2004.
These standards divide Colorfastness to rubbing into 9 levels from 1 to 5, namely 1, 1-2, 2, 2-3, 3, 3-4, 4, 4-5, 5. The color fastness to rubbing of qualified products must generally be greater than or equal to level 3.
Different countries may adopt different rating standards. So, ratings must follow the relevant standards during specific tests.
The test of Colorfastness to rubbing can yield inconsistent results due to irregular weaving or uneven dyeing of fabrics. This is accidental. It is necessary to take multiple tests to obtain a specific report with a high repeatability result.

Factors affecting Colorfastness to rubbing
01 Influence of fabric surface morphology
Unfixed dyes are the main cause of poor Colorfastness to rubbing, under dry conditions. For rough or flanked surfaces, dry rubbing hard fabrics, like linen and denim, can easily grind off their dyes and coatings. It can even break some colored fibers, creating colored particles. This further reduces the color fastness to dry rubbing.
For flanked or flanked fabrics, the fluff on the fabric’s surface is at an angle to the friction cloth. It is not parallel. This increases the friction resistance of the friction head when it moves back and forth. It also reduces the color fastness to dry rubbing of such fabrics.

02 Influence of fabric structure
For thin, light fabrics, the loose structure causes issues. When dry rubbing is done, the sample will partially slip. This is due to the pressure and friction from the moving friction head. This increases the friction resistance and improves efficiency.
But when wet rubbing is performed, the situation is completely different from cellulose fibers. The fiber’s low hygroscopicity and weak water swelling make it less affected by water. It acts as a lubricant. So, these fabrics have much better wet than dry rubbing color fastness.
Therefore, for some specific fabrics, it is not uncommon for the wet rubbing color fastness to be better than the dry rubbing color fastness.
03 Influence of reactive dyes
Two main factors cause color transfer in wet rubbing tests on reactive-dyed, cellulose fabrics:
1. Water-soluble dyes transfer to the rubbing fabric during friction. This fades the original color and stains the cloth.
2. Some dyed fibers break during friction. This forms tiny colored particles that stain the fabric.
The wet rubbing color fastness of reactive-dye fabrics is related to the dyeing depth. When wet friction is applied, the color transfer is almost linearly related to the dyeing depth. Excessive dyes cannot bond with fibers. They can only accumulate on the fabric’s surface, forming floating colors. This severely affects the fabric’s wet rubbing color fastness.

Many factors affect the color fastness of fabric friction. Each factor’s working principles are complex and diverse. They also differ in their impact on color fastness.
In the inspection process, Colorfastness to rubbing testing is a key link in checking and evaluating product quality. Inspectors must use professional methods and tools to test color fastness to friction. They must follow relevant standards. We must analyze the test results of dry and wet friction. We should also study how dye selection, dyeing, fabric properties, and finishing affect color fastness. This will help factories and customers find and fix potential problems quickly.
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