Quick answer. The test list follows the use, the market and the age band rather than a standard template. Chemical testing, colour fastness, physical performance and — for children’s articles — the age-band requirements each answer a different question, and the scope has to cover print, dye and trims rather than the base fabric alone.
1. The four groups
- Chemical. Restricted substances, measured against the limits that apply to the article and its use.
- Colour fastness. Wash, rubbing, perspiration and light, since a garment can pass one and fail another.
- Physical performance. Dimensional stability after washing, pilling and abrasion, and the recovery of the elastic components.
- Children’s requirements. Where the article is for children, the age-band set applies, including fitments and any flammability requirement.
2. What decides which tests apply
- The use. A garment in direct skin contact all day carries a different requirement from one used occasionally.
- The market. The destination decides which requirement set applies, and the sets differ.
- The age band. Requirements tighten as the band drops, so the band is stated per style.
- The construction. Print, dye and every trim are part of the tested article, so each is listed rather than assumed covered.
- The claim. Any performance property stated needs a test behind it, and the test method is named alongside the claim.
3. When the tests happen
- At the material stage. Before the fabric is cut, so a failure does not become a finished-goods problem.
- On the finished article. Where the requirement is about the garment — fitments, and fastness on the made-up item.
- On the production run. Where a test result is used to support a claim about the goods shipped.
- Again when something changes. A new material, a new trim or a new site is a new verification rather than an extension of a previous result.
4. Reading a test report
- The article tested. Which material or article, since a conforming result on one does not describe another.
- The method. Named per test, since the same property measured by different methods gives different figures.
- The result against the limit. A figure alone is not a pass; the limit it is compared against is what makes it one.
- The date and the laboratory. Both belong in the record, since the result describes a point in time.
- The scope. Whether print, dye and trims were covered or only the base fabric.
5. What to hold on file
- The test list itself. Which tests were requested and why, so the next order can be compared on the same basis.
- The reports. With the method and the limit stated.
- The date and the laboratory. Since a report describes a material at a point in time.
- The article scope. What was actually tested, including any trims.
6. Common errors
- Using a template list. The tests follow the use, the market and the band rather than a fixed set.
- Testing the base fabric only. Print, dye and trims are part of the article, so a report on the fabric alone covers less than the garment.
- Reading a figure without a limit. A result is only a pass or a fail against a stated limit.
- Testing the material and assuming the garment. Fastness and fitments are properties of the made-up article.
- Making a claim without a method. A property stated without the test behind it cannot be compared or defended.
- Carrying a result onto a new order. A new material, trim or site is a new verification.
7. How to compare two suppliers
- The same test list. Otherwise the two sets of results are not comparable.
- The same methods named. Since a property measured by different methods gives different figures.
- The same article scope. Base fabric, print and trims on both sides.
- The same timing. At the material stage rather than after the goods are made.
- The same claim discipline. Every performance property tied to a named test on both sides.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | Chemical — restricted substances against the limits for the article and use |
| Group 2 | Colour fastness — wash · rubbing · perspiration · light |
| Group 3 | Physical — dimensional stability · pilling and abrasion · elastic recovery |
| Group 4 | Children's requirements — the age-band set, including fitments and any flammability requirement |
| Decided by | Use · market · age band · construction · any performance claim |
| Test scope | Print, dye and every trim, not the base fabric alone |
| When — material stage | Before cutting, so a failure does not become finished goods |
| When — finished article | Where the requirement concerns the made-up item, such as fitments |
| Report item 1 | The article or material tested |
| Report item 2 | The method, named per test |
| Report item 3 | The result against the limit |
| Report item 4 | The date and the laboratory |
| Re-test when | A new material, trim or producing site |
Buyer checklist
- Decide the test list from the use, the market and the age band rather than a template.
- Confirm the chemical limits that apply to the article and its use.
- Set the fastness requirement per mode rather than as a single figure.
- List print, dye and every trim in the scope.
- Test at the material stage rather than after the goods are made.
- Confirm the requirements for the youngest band in the range rather than inheriting a class.
- Ask for the method and the limit alongside each result.
- Check whether the report covers the article as made.
- Tie every performance claim to a named test.
- Re-test when a material, trim or site changes.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.