An overview of dye fastness testing

Abstract: Colouration does not aim at producing only well levelled shades, the fastness of the dyed textile must be adequate enough for its effective end use. Coloured apparels are subject to various influencing factors that can cause decomposition, sublimation, decolourisation or stripping of colour in selective cases, the final effect of which is fading of the coloured garment. If the colour in the garment is prone to be solubilised or stripped out by detergents, any adjacent white or coloured garments can be stained badly thus compromising the quality of the whole washing load. This chapter describes various aspects related to the importance of fastness assessment and the tests that ascertain the grading of various fastness criteria of dyed textiles.