Copyright © 2005 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
AATCC Technical Manual /2006 TM 163-2002 287
Developed in 1985 by Committee RR92;
editorially revised and reaffirmed 1986,
1992, 1997, 2002; reaffirmed 1987; ed-
itorially revised 1995, 2001.
1. Purpose and Scope
The storage of garments made with
component parts of more than one shade
sometimes results in the transfer of dye
from one area to another, normally from
the darker to the lighter shade. This phe-
nomenon is distinct from sublimation be-
cause it occurs below the sublimation
temperature of dyes as well as with non-
subliming dyes.
Dye transfer occurs when garments
are folded with different shades in inti-
mate contact with each other. Normally
the amount of dye transferred is intensi-
fied when moisture is present, and thus
the problem is more severe during warm,
humid weather or when garments are
steamed immediately before storage.
Storage in plastic bags tends to maintain
the initial relative humidity of the gar-
ment environment and can aggravate or
reduce transfer depending on the condi-
tion of the fabric when it enters the bag.
This test method is intended to esti-
mate if color transfer might be expected
to occur during prolonged periods of stor-
age. In general, no problems will be ex-
pected under normal conditions of stor-
age or time-delay, if color transfer does
not occur under the conditions specified
in Section 7 (Procedure).
This test method may be used also
to assess potential color transfer prob-
lems that relate to finishing. Some dyes
are inherently more prone to transfer than
others, and some chemical finishes and
finishing conditions accelerate transfer.
2. Principle
Dyed and finished test specimens
are sandwiched between pre-wet multifi-
ber fabric and a selected second fabric,
placed in a Perspiration Tester for 48 h at
room temperature, dried and rated.
3. Terminology
colorfastness, n.—the resistance of
a material to change in any of its color
characteristics, to transfer of its color-
ant(s) to adjacent materials or both, as a
result of the exposure of the material to
any environment that might be encoun-
tered during the processing, testing, stor-
age or use of the material.
dye, n.—a colorant applied to or
formed in a substrate, via the moleculary
dispersed state, which exhibits some de-
gree of permanence.
transfer, n.—in textile processing,
testing, storage and use, movement of a
chemical, dye or pigment between fibers
within a substrate or between substrates.
4. Safety Precautions
NOTE: These safety precautions are
for information purposes and are not in-
tended to be all inclusive. It is the user’s
responsibility to use safe and proper tech-
niques in handling materials and equip-
ment in this test method. Manufacturers
MUST be consulted for specific details
such as material safety data sheets and
other manufacturer’s recommendations.
All OSHA standards and rules must also
be consulted and followed.
Good laboratory practices should
be followed. Wear safety glasses in all
laboratory areas.
Manufacturer’s safety recommen-
dations should be followed when operat-
ing laboratory testing equipment.
Observe padder safety. Ensure ade-
quate guard at the nip point. Normal safe-
guards on pad should not be removed. A
foot-operated kickoff is recommended.
5. Apparatus and Materials
AATCC Perspiration Tester (see
).
Plastic bag, polyethylene, large
enough to contain Perspiration Tester. A
Ziploc bag of suitable size may be used.
Multifiber Test Fabric No. 10 (see
).
White fabric of same fiber compo-
sition as test specimens. If not available,
cotton cloth as defined in AATCC
Method 8.
Distilled or deionized water.
Evaporating dish or glass beaker
having the capacity to hold 50 mL of wa-
ter. Wet sponge may also be used.
Chromatic Transference Scale (see
)
Gray Scale for Staining (see )
6. Test Specimens
Prepare × cm ( ×
in.) test specimens from each sample of
the dyed fabric to be tested.
Prepare × cm ( ×
in.) multifiber and × cm ( ×
in.) white fabric swatches.
7. Procedure
Option I.
Immerse in distilled or deionized
water at 24 ± 3°C (75 ± 5°F) both the mul-
tifiber fabric and the fabric selected for the
opposite side of the sandwich (see ).
The wet pickup of these fabrics should be
100-110% (see ). Do not wet out the
specimen to be tested to prevent removal
of dye or finish before testing begins.
Prepare a sandwich with the dyed
test specimen between pre-wet multifiber
cloth and the pre-wet white swatch (see
).
Clamp the sandwich (prepared as
directed in ) between two clean
plates of the Perspiration Tester. Set the
Perspiration Tester as instructed in
of AATCC Method 15 except that the
unit is not placed in an oven.
Enclose the Perspiration Tester in
a polyethylene bag along with a dish (see
) containing at least 50 mL of distilled
or deionized water to maintain high rela-
tive humidity in the polyethylene bag.
Seal the opening in the bag with a twist
tie or rubberband if Ziploc bag is not used
(see ). Allow to remain 48 h at room
temperature (24 ± 3°C). Take care that
the Perspiration Tester does not fall into
the water dish.
Remove the cover from the Per-
spiration Tester, remove the sandwiched
specimens from the tester and separate
the swatches. Allow the swatches to dry
at room temperature.
Option II.
An accelerated test procedure has
been used showing approximately the
same results on some dyed or finished
fabrics by placing the test apparatus (see
) in a force draft oven at 38 ± 1°C
(100 ± 2°F) for 4 h (see ).
8. Evaluation
After the swatches are dried, exam-
ine the multifiber and the white cloth for
color transfer. Rate each of the fiber types
in the multifiber fabric and the swatch on
the opposite side of the sandwich sepa-
rately, according to the Chromatic Trans-
ference Scale or the Gray Scale for Stain-
ing (see ). Record which scale was
used.
Grade 5—negligible or no color trans-
fer.
Grade —color transfer equivalent to
Step 4-5 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row on the 9-step AATCC Chro-
matic Transference Scale.
Grade 4—color transfer equivalent to
AATCC Test Method 163-2002
Colorfastness: Dye Transfer in Storage; Fabric-to-Fabric
Copyright © 2005 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
288 TM 163-2002 AATCC Technical Manual/2006
Step 4 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row 4 on the 9-step AATCC Chromatic
Transference Scale.
Grade —color transfer equivalent to
Step 3-4 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row on the 9-step AATCC Chro-
matic Transference Scale.
Grade 3—color transfer equivalent to
Step 3 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row 3 on the 9-step AATCC Chromatic
Transference Scale.
Grade —color transfer equivalent to
Step 2-3 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row on the 9-step AATCC Chro-
matic Transference Scale.
Grade 2—color transfer equivalent to
Step 2 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row 2 on the 9-step AATCC Chromatic
Transference Scale.
Grade —color transfer equivalent to
Step 1-2 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row on the 9-step AATCC Chro-
matic Transference Scale.
Grade 1—color transfer equivalent to
Step 1 on the Gray Scale for Staining or
Row 1 on the 9-step AATCC Chromatic
Transference Scale.
9. Report
Identify the white fabric used in the
sandwich (see and ).
Report the moisture pickup if other
than 100-110% (see ).
Report which rating scale was
used.
Report the stain grade for each fi-
ber type in the multifiber fabric and also
the grade on the white swatch, as a dye
transfer grade.
10. Precision and Bias
Interlaboratory Data. An inter-
laboratory comparison was run in 1982 in
which samples from two different textile
materials were tested in each of four lab-
oratories, each material having five dif-
ferent finishes. Both the AATCC Chro-
matic Transference Scale and the Gray
Scale for Staining were used and a corre-
lation within one unit was established be-
tween laboratories.
Precision. Based on the observa-
tions described in and on general
practice in the trade, a lot or consignment
is generally considered as having a rating
that is significantly worse than a speci-
fied value when a specimen from the lot
or consignment has a rating of dye trans-
fer that is more than one unit below the
specified rating on the Gray Scale for
Staining.
Bias. The true value of dye trans-
fer can only be defined in terms of a test
method. Within this limitation, this
method has no known bias.
11. Notes
For procurement see listings under
“Special Equipment and Materials Used in
AATCC Test Methods” in the AATCC TECH-
NICAL MANUAL.
With some fabrics and constructions,
100% pickup causes a dripping wet condition.
For those materials, use the highest pickup
that is possible without water dripping from
the specimen when it is suspended.
If any temperature and/or time other
than those specified in are used, report the
change and reason for same.
For very critical evaluation and in case
of arbitration, rating must be based on the geo-
metric gray scale for evaluating staining.
All materials are not affected equally.
Results obtained by the use of any one test
procedure should not be representative of
those of any other test procedure unless the
degree of quantitative correlation for a given
material has been established. In any event,
the test procedure should be described in a
material specification.
