ISO 105 X12 Colorfastness to Rubbing Test Guide

ISO 105 X12 is a popular test in textile testing labs. Clients have specific testing protocols and requirements, as well as pass/fail criteria for various fabric properties. If you're a technician in a textile lab, this article focusing on the ISO 105 X12 method for colorfastness to rubbing may be helpful.

Why Colorfastness Testing is Important ?

Colorfastness is a crucial factor for textile materials, including towels, bedding, clothing, and apparel. The color of any dyed or printed item must be vibrant enough to prevent transfer from the fabric surface to another material. To achieve optimal colorfastness, dyes or pigments must be carefully selected. This ensures that the color remains vibrant and does not fade or bleed, thereby maintaining the quality and durability of the textile product. Proper testing and material selection are crucial to meeting the high colorfastness standards of the textile industry. Rubbing or rubbing is a common problem with textiles.

What is Colorfastness to Rubbing?

Colorfastness to rubbing refers to testing for colorfastness to rubbing when a fabric is in contact with another surface through friction or rubbing. This is also known as colorfastness to rubbing. There are two rubbing methods: the American (AATCC 8) method and the ISO method. The ISO standard for the rubbing method described in this article is ISO 105-X12.

What is the ISO standard for colorfastness to rubbing?

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) has a series of standards for testing various colorfastness properties, such as colorfastness to washing, colorfastness to water, colorfastness to perspiration, colorfastness to light, and more. The ISO 105-X12 colorfastness to rubbing test includes the type of rubbing action, the pressure applied, and an assessment of the color transferred to a standard fabric.

What is ISO 105-X12?

International test method ISO 105-X12 is used to evaluate the degree of color transfer from dyed or printed textiles to other surfaces (whether colored, printed, or white). This method provides guidance for reviewing our processes and making necessary adjustments to dye formulations or auxiliaries used. By following ISO 105-X12. we can ensure better colorfastness and improve the quality and durability of textiles, reduce the risk of color transfer, and maintain customer satisfaction. ISO 105-X12 is a wet and dry test method using a DaRong crockmeter and an adjacent reference white fabric. Colorfastness is assessed using a grayscale. This method helps determine the resistance of a fabric color to friction against other materials, thereby ensuring the quality and durability of textiles. ISO 105-X12 includes the type of rubbing action, the pressure applied, and the assessment of color transfer to a standard fabric.

Purpose of the Colorfastness to Rubbing Test

1. The fabric will not fade or transfer color to other fabrics or surfaces.

2. The fabric will not excessively fade due to friction or abrasion.

3. The fabric will not stain or discolor adjacent materials.

ISO 105-X12 Textile Testing Equipment and Tools

In textile laboratories, ISO 105-X12 requires an automated crockmeter with a specific weight (9 ± 0.1 Newtons) applied to the rubbing finger, a path length of 104 mm, and a rubbing finger diameter of 16 ± 0.3 mm. 10 cycles per second. Recommended rubbing cloth according to ISO 105 F09 (5 x 5 cm square, 100% bleached cotton)

For grayscale ISO 105 A03 evaluation, illuminant D-65 is recommended.

Rubbing cloth specifications: The rubbing cloth must be cotton, desized, bleached, and untreated fabric. The rubbing cloth must be 50 ± 2 mm square.

Conditioning time: Four hours.

Soft-backed waterproof sandpaper or stainless steel wire mesh with a diameter of 1 mm and a mesh width of approximately 20 mm.

Rubbing should be performed in a straight line back and forth along the length of the truck (10 ± 10 mm long), 104 times.

Darong pottery measuring instrument

Rubbing pattern size = 16 mm

Rubbing path length = 104 3 mm

Downward force = 92 N

Number of cycles required = 10

Balance

• The rubbing cloth must be pre-treated, such as desizing and bleaching, and must be 50 mm in size.
• Filter paper can absorb excess moisture during wet rubbing.
• Balance
• Dropping
• Distilled water
• Use a grayscale to evaluate results.

Insights and Experience with Test Method ISO 105 x12

Test Sample Preparation

Cut six dyed or printed samples measuring 50 mm x 140 mm for both dry and wet rubbing.

If the sample is yarn or thread, weave at least 50 mm x 140 mm.

Place the friction test cloth and test sample in a standard atmosphere at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 21 degrees Celsius for two hours.

The test must be performed in a standard atmosphere for optimal results.

ISO 105 x12 Test Method Procedure

The Daiei Ceramic Pot Meter is ready to use and does not require any external wires.

Dry Rubbing

As a lab technician, to perform the test, you will need:

• Place the sample on the sandpaper
• Secure the friction cloth on the friction machine fingers and place it on the fabric.
• Avoid using the edge of the fabric.
• Press the start button and observe the back-and-forth motion without touching anything else. When the machine stops, remove the rubbing cloth and allow it to air dry.
• Evaluate the rubbing cloth using the dyed ISO 03-A65 gray scale under appropriate D-105 lighting.
• Rubbing should be performed in two directions:warp and weft.

Wet Rubbing:

• Weight the sample on sandpaper.
• Weigh the conditioned rubbing cloth and soak it in distilled water or in a petri dish. Reweigh it with blotting paper to achieve an absorbency of 95% to 100%.
• Secure the rubbing cloth between the fingers of the rubbing tester and place it on the fabric.
• Start the machine and observe the back-and-forth motion.
• After the machine stops, remove the rubbing cloth and fabric.
• Set the rubbing cloth to air dry.
• Evaluation is the same as for dry rubbing.
• Rubbing should be performed in two directions: warp and weft.

Rating Scale

The rating scale measures the degree of color bleeding on the standard rubbing cloth fabric.

Ratings are given on a scale of 1 to 5. from poor to excellent, as follows:

• Rating 1 indicates very poor colorfastness performance.
• Rating 2 indicates poor colorfastness performance.
• Rating 3 indicates fair colorfastness performance.
• Rating 4 indicates good colorfastness performance.
• Rating 5 indicates excellent colorfastness performance, unaffected by rubbing.

Pass/Fail Criteria

The pass/fail criteria are determined based on customer needs. In most cases, scores below 3 are considered a failure, while scores of 3 or above are generally considered acceptable.

FAQ

What is the ISO 105-X12 method?

ISO 105-X12 is a globally recognized test method used to evaluate the amount of color transferred from dyed or printed textiles to another surface. This method helps ensure that textiles maintain their color integrity and do not bleed onto other materials, thereby maintaining the quality and durability of the product.

Why does color bleed or transfer from one surface to another?

In dyed textiles, color bleed occurs when unfixed dyes are not completely removed during the finishing process. This can cause dye to transfer from one surface to another. To address this, dyed materials should be heat-washed to ensure that all unfixed dye is completely removed. When dyes are not properly bound to fibers, they can easily transfer, causing color bleeding. Proper binding of dyes to textile fibers is crucial to preventing this transfer and ensuring that the color remains stable and does not bleed onto other surfaces. This process helps maintain the quality and appearance of dyed textile materials.

How can color fastness to rubbing be improved?

There are several methods for improving color fastness to rubbing:

1. Application of fixing agents: After the dyeing or printing process, fixing agents are used to improve the color fastness of the fabric.

2. Dye selection: This is also a very important technique that helps us save time and maintain quality for our customers.

3. Washing and finishing: Using good washing and finishing techniques removes excess dye and fixes the color.

4. Heat treatment: Heat is used to fix the dye to the fabric, improving fastness.

What is the difference between ISO and AATCC methods?

1. Rubbing Direction: The AATCC method rubs the fabric diagonally, while the ISO method uses straight warp and weft directions, not diagonal directions.

2. AATCC recommends a wet rubbing method; the absorbency should be 65% ± 5%. ISO recommends an absorbency of 95% to 100%.

2025-09-28 10:40