What Is Fabric Shrinkage Rate?

The fabric is a fiber fabric, and after the fiber itself absorbs water, it will produce a certain degree of swelling, that is, a reduction in length and an increase in diameter. The percentage difference between the length of a fabric before and after being immersed in water and its original length is usually called the shrinkage rate. The shrinkage rate is (pre washing size - post washing size)/pre washing size x 100%. In general, the shrinkage rate of fabrics in both warp and weft directions needs to be measured.

The stronger the water absorption ability, the more severe the swelling, the higher the shrinkage rate, and the poorer the dimensional stability of the fabric. In dyeing and finishing process, in order to reduce the shrinkage rate of fabrics, pre shrinkage finishing is often used to increase the weft density, pre increase the fabric shrinkage rate, and thus reduce the shrinkage rate of the fabric.

From the perspective of shrinkage rate, the smallest are synthetic fibers and blended fabrics, followed by wool and linen fabrics, cotton fabrics in the middle, silk fabrics with larger shrinkage, and the largest are viscose fibers, rayon, and artificial wool fabrics.

The shrinkage rate of general fabrics is:

Cotton: 4% -10%

Chemical fiber: 4% -8%

Cotton polyester: 3.5% -5.5%

Natural white cloth: 3%

Woolen blue cloth: 3% -4%

Poplin: 3%-4.5%

Floral cloth: 3%-3.5%

Twill fabric: 4%

Denim: 10%

Rayon: 10%