Shrinkage:

• Shrinkage is the process in which a fabric becomes

smaller than its original size, usually through the
process of laundry. Cotton fabric suffers from two
main disadvantages of shrinking and creasing
during subsequent washing.

There are two types of shrinkage occurs during 

washing
1) Length wise
2) Width wise

Cause :
Due to high tension during preparation of fabric
which result in excess stretch in yarn. This type of
shrinkage is known as London shrinkage. Due to
• Shrinkage is a problem that hampers the dimensional
stability of a fabric. A recent survey of manufacturers
rated shrinkage as one of the ten leading quality
problems. Fabric shrinkage can cause problems in two
main areas-

i. During garment manufacturing
ii. During subsequent laundering by the ultimate customer.

Glass plate
 Types of shrinkage:
i. Relaxation shrinkage:
Its the irreversible dimensional
change accompanying the release
of fibre strains imparted during
manufacture which have been set
by the combined effects of time,
finishing treatments, and physical
restraints within the structure.
 ii. Swelling shrinkage:
o Swelling shrinkage
results from the
swelling and de-
swelling of the
constituent fibres of
a fabric due to the
absorption and
desorption of water.
o In swelling Figure: The effect of swelling of yarn.
shrinkage, in a fabric
the warp yarn must
either increase in
iii. Felting shrinkage:
It results from the frictional
properties of the component fibres
and it causes them to migrate within
the structure. This behavior is
normally considered for fibres having
scales on their surface such as wool.

Wool can be made shrink

resistant by treatment. Chlorine
treatments removes the scales.
Resin treatments are used to Figure: The scale
mask the scales. on wool fibre
 Working procedure/steps:
Washing: After measurement the samples are washed in
the suitable washing solution in a washing machine
 conforming to certain specification. After the specified
time has passed away the sample is rinsed.

Drying: After rinsing the surplus water is removed by

centrifuge or by hand squeezing, rubber–cover roller
wringer, or rolling in toweling. Drying is completed by
means of a flat handed press or a heated flat iron.

 Conditioning and remeasuring: After drying, the

specimen is conditioned in a standard testing atmosphere
and the distances between the markings are remeasured.
  The percentage dimensional change calculated.

 Step by step guide to calculating fabric

shrinkage percentage is shown

 Woven fabric shrinkage (2-4%) will vary

from knits shrinkage (3-8%).
 Shrinkage of stretchable fabric (10-18%)
is higher compared to normal woven
fabrics.
Figure: Marking out of a sample
for measuring shrinkage.
 Shrinkage is determined as;
 
• Shrinkage % = (length of fabric before wash)-
(length of fabric after wash))/ (length of fabric
after wash) *100

Before washing
Use data from the above example:
Fabric Shrinkage
Length wise= (100 - 95)/100 = 0.05 that is 5%
Width wise= (100 - 97)/100 = 0.03 that is 3%

Here, Shrinkage is 6%. Normally shrinkage is

acceptable less than 5%. But it can be change
in case of buyer requirement.