Quality & Delivery
Colourfastness to Rubbing: Reading an Embroidery Test Report
Colourfastness to rubbing concerns colour transferred from a textile onto another material through rubbing. Dry and wet results are separate findings, not interchangeable grades. For embroidery, first establish what the rubbing path actually touches: ground, thread, decoration or a mixture. A passing result on bare ground does not establish the performance of the finished embroidered face or the attached sequins.
1. Separate three observations that look similar
A coloured rubbing cloth is evidence of transfer under the stated test conditions. A lighter-looking specimen may indicate colour change or physical alteration, but that is a different observation. Broken threads, detached decoration and dull or scratched film are further findings. Record each separately; the phrase colourfastness passed can conceal serious damage if the report gives only a transfer grade and omits what happened to the surface.
ISO 105-X12’s public abstract identifies rubbing off and staining other materials, with dry and wet rubbing cloth tests. AATCC lists TM8 for crockmeter testing and TM116 for a rotary vertical crockmeter. Those references identify methods, not a universal buyer pass mark. Do not supply an invented rubbing count, load or wet pickup from a short internet summary; the laboratory needs the agreed licensed method and edition.
Technical references
2. Map the contact area before sending a specimen
Lay out the embroidered face and identify ground-only areas, dense thread, mixed transitions and raised decoration. Ask the laboratory which zones can be assessed meaningfully with its apparatus. A tiny motif may not occupy the full contact track, while an open net may expose the backing. If the rubbing cloth tears on a bead or catches a sequin, the interruption must be documented; continuing as though it were a smooth specimen can change the meaning of the result.
Do not cut away an inconvenient decoration and label the result whole fabric. Separate component tests can still be useful when clearly named, but retain an assessment of the intended completed surface. Include the reverse if it is expected to contact a pale lining or another garment. Describe any mounting, backing or track modification and have the laboratory state whether it remains within the named method or is an agreed investigative trial.
3. Write the test request so results stay comparable
Name the fabric article, colour and lot; attach a face-direction photograph; state whether the sample is before or after the relevant care treatment. Request separate dry and wet findings, direction or zone identification as appropriate, the assessment procedure and any deviations. Agree acceptance criteria before testing. A reference number without an edition, specimen identity or tested zone is too weak to decide whether a replacement lot is comparable.
Keep colour-transfer assessment distinct from a colour-change scale. AATCC’s official naming explanation distinguishes test methods from evaluation procedures; similar numbers do not mean the same document. Have the report spell out what is graded, the scale used and which end is better. Do not convert a grade between methods or average a dry result and a wet result into one supposed quality score.
| Report field | Useful entry | Ambiguity to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Specimen | Finished embroidery, colour C2, lot B | Bare base presented as finished fabric |
| Contact zone | Dense blue thread / ground separately | Mixed path reported as each component |
| Results | Dry and wet entries, named scale | One unexplained grade or an average |
| Deviations | Backing, interruptions and method status | Unreported snagged cloth or removed decoration |
Technical references
4. Read a mixed-colour example without overclaiming
Hypothetical case: ivory mesh carries dark blue flowers and silver sequins, and the garment has an ivory lining. A ground-only specimen shows little transfer, but the blue embroidered zone visibly stains the rubbing cloth in the laboratory’s wet assessment. That result does not identify the dye chemistry or prove every blue thread is unsuitable. It identifies the tested assembled zone and condition as a development issue requiring investigation.
Keep the failed sample and ask for comparison of the same thread article and lot, an alternative shade or process where feasible, and a new finished assembly. If the issue appears only after finishing, compare the retained before-and-after specimens with the process records. An unrecorded extra wash may change shade, dimensions or attachment and cannot be assumed to solve the order. Any revised care route needs its own confirmation.
5. Know what a rubbing result cannot prove
Rubbing fastness is not a wash-fastness, perspiration, light or storage-transfer result. The intended garment may need more than one assessment because its contact and care conditions differ. A dry-only result should not be promoted as evidence for damp rubbing. Likewise, a laboratory pass describes that specimen and method; it does not promise no transfer under every combination of body moisture, abrasion, detergent and wear.
Use practical assembly review alongside the formal report when a pale lining contacts dark embroidery, but identify it as a project trial. Specify the contact arrangement and compare against an untreated reference; keep photographs and specimens. If the laboratory says a standard method is unsuitable for the embellished construction, resolve the method and buyer requirement together before bulk release instead of choosing a more favourable test solely to obtain a pass.
6. Close the decision with traceable evidence
The approval record should identify the accepted specimen, the report, the agreed limit and any remaining exclusions. For multiple thread colours or lots, keep the sampling rationale so a pale tested motif does not quietly stand for an untested dark one. If a subsequent lot changes the ground, thread, coating or finish, review which results remain applicable and which need a new submission.
Can a phone photograph approve rubbing fastness? It can document a visible concern, but cannot substitute for a controlled method. Does a high grade mean sequins are securely sewn? No, attachment is a different property. What should a buyer request first? A method-and-zone plan tied to the intended garment contact, followed by representative physical specimens and an independent laboratory report where formal conformity is required.
Discuss your embroidery project
Send All4Lace the fabric reference, colours, intended lining/contact surface and requested test method or buyer specification. Mark the rubbing zones on a photograph so sampling discussions cover the finished embroidery, not just the ground.
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