The testing and evaluation of textile properties and performance, including strength, abrasion, colourfastness, shrinkage, flammability and care testing, and how test results are used to judge a fabric against the requirements of its end use

What this dot point is asking

You need to explain how textile properties are tested and how the results are used to decide whether a fabric suits an end use. NESA wants you to know the main tests, what each measures, and the reasoning that turns a test result into a design decision. This dot point makes the structure to property to performance chain measurable: testing produces the evidence that justifies a fabric choice, both in the exam and in the experimentation of the Major Textiles Project.

Why testing matters

Testing replaces guesswork with evidence. A fabric may look right but fail in use if it shrinks, fades, pills or burns too readily. Standardised tests let a designer or manufacturer measure a property under controlled conditions and compare it with the performance the end use demands or with a standard the product must meet. In the design process, testing belongs to devising and evaluating: trialling samples to confirm a fabric performs before committing to it, and checking the finished item against criteria. Honest testing prevents items that look good on paper but fail their user.

Strength, abrasion and durability tests

Durability tests measure how a fabric withstands force and wear. Tensile or breaking strength tests pull a fabric until it breaks, while tear tests measure resistance to tearing once a cut starts; both matter for items under load such as bags, workwear and upholstery. Abrasion tests rub a fabric against a surface to count how many cycles it survives, predicting how it will wear at seats, cuffs and elbows. Pilling tests tumble or rub a fabric to see how readily loose fibres ball on the surface, which affects appearance and is common in low twist knits.

Colourfastness and appearance tests

Colourfastness tests check whether colour stays put. Fastness to washing confirms a fabric will not bleed or fade in laundering, fastness to light confirms it will not fade in sunlight (vital for curtains and outdoor items), and fastness to rubbing or crocking checks colour does not transfer onto skin or other fabrics. Results are usually graded against a standard scale. A fabric with poor light fastness might be fine for a lining but unsuitable for a sun exposed furnishing, which shows how the same result leads to different decisions depending on end use.

Dimensional, care and safety tests

Other tests cover stability, care and safety. Shrinkage and dimensional stability tests wash or relax a fabric to measure how much it changes size, important for fit and for furnishings. Care testing confirms how a fabric behaves through washing, drying and ironing, informing the care label. Flammability testing measures how readily a fabric ignites and how fast it burns, which is critical and regulated for children's sleepwear and furnishings. Absorbency and water resistance tests measure moisture behaviour for activewear, towels and outerwear. Each test targets a property that a specific end use makes essential.

Using results to judge a fabric

A test result only has meaning against a requirement. The reasoning runs: identify what the end use demands, set a target or standard, test the fabric, then judge it. Upholstery demands high abrasion resistance and good light fastness, so a fabric is judged against those; activewear demands moisture wicking, stretch recovery and colourfastness to sweat. If a fabric fails, the designer responds: choose a stronger fibre or construction, add a finish, or change the end use. This is exactly the justified, evidence based decision making that the project documentation should record.

Bringing it together

In the exam, link a named test to the property it measures and to the end use that makes it matter, then explain how the result would guide a decision. In your project, test samples during devising and record the results so your fabric choice is justified by evidence rather than assertion. Testing is where the abstract properties of fibres, construction and finishes become measurable, comparable and defensible.