Shrinkage of fabric

1. Shrinkage of fabric

Shrinkage of fabric refers to the percentage of fabric shrinkage after washing or soaking. Generally speaking, fabrics with large shrinkage rate are synthetic fibers and their blends, followed by woolen fabrics and hemp fabrics. Cotton fabrics are in the middle, with large shrinkage, while viscose fibers, artificial cotton and artificial wool fabrics are the largest.

2. Factors causing shrinkage of fabrics

(1) The shrinkage of fabrics varies with the raw materials. Generally speaking, the fibers with high hygroscopicity will expand, increase in diameter, shorten in length, and have a large shrinkage rate after immersion. For example, some viscose fibers have water absorption as high as 13%, while synthetic fiber fabrics have poor moisture absorption, and their shrinkage is small.

(2) Shrinkage varies with fabric density. If the density in longitude and latitude is similar, the shrinkage rate in longitude and latitude is also similar. The fabric with high warp density will shrink in the warp direction. On the contrary, the fabric with higher weft density will shrink in the weft direction.

(3) The shrinkage of fabrics varies with the thickness of yarn. The shrinkage rate of fabrics with thick yarn is large, while that of fabrics with fine yarn is small.

(4) The shrinkage of fabrics varies with different production processes. Generally speaking, in the process of weaving, dyeing and finishing, the fiber needs to be stretched for many times, and the processing time is long. The shrinkage of the fabric with larger tension is large, and vice versa.