| Fiber Composition | Specify the exact fiber type and percentage, such as polyester, recycled polyester, cotton, elastane, or blended construction. | Declared composition should normally match the approved specification with a tolerance agreed before production. | ISO 1833 series for quantitative chemical fiber analysis; product labeling rules depend on the destination market. | Check laboratory composition results, care labels, purchase specifications, and recycled-content documentation where applicable. |
| Fabric Weight | Define fabric mass per unit area in grams per square metre (GSM), together with an agreed tolerance. | Common sport-shirt fabrics are approximately 120–220 GSM, depending on climate, opacity, durability, and garment construction. | ISO 3801 or ASTM D3776 for fabric mass per unit area. | Measure samples from multiple fabric rolls and confirm that lightweight fabrics are not excessively transparent or fragile. |
| Moisture Management | Use a fabric construction and finish that supports perspiration spreading, drying, and wearer comfort during activity. | Require documented wicking or drying performance when the shirt is marketed for training, running, or outdoor use. | AATCC TM195 for liquid moisture management; AATCC TM201 may be used for drying evaluation. | Request performance reports for the actual production fabric, not only a development or showroom sample. |
| Colorfastness to Washing | Color should remain stable after the agreed number of home-laundering cycles, with limited staining of adjacent materials. | A common commercial target is color-change and staining grade 4 or better on a 1–5 grey-scale system, subject to product risk and market requirements. | ISO 105-C06 or AATCC TM61; assessment may use ISO 105-A02 and ISO 105-A03 grey scales. | Test dark shades, fluorescent shades, contrasting trims, prints, and garments containing elastane separately. |
| Colorfastness to Perspiration | Colors should resist transfer or fading caused by acidic and alkaline perspiration during repeated wear. | A common buyer benchmark is grade 4 or better for color change and staining, with stricter requirements for high-contact sportswear. | ISO 105-E04 or AATCC TM15. | Include both fabric and finished-garment testing where heat-transfer prints, piping, or multi-color panels are used. |
| Dimensional Stability | Control shrinkage, growth, spirality, and shape recovery after washing and drying. | Many global buyers specify approximately ±3% dimensional change for performance knits, with tighter limits for fitted garments. | ISO 6330 washing and drying procedures with ISO 5077 dimensional-change measurement. | Test body length, chest width, sleeve length, and collar dimensions against the approved measurement chart. |
| Pilling Resistance | Fabric surface should resist formation of pills caused by abrasion during wear and laundering. | A typical commercial requirement is grade 4 or better after the buyer-defined abrasion or laundering cycle. | ISO 12945-2 for modified Martindale pilling evaluation or an equivalent agreed method. | Check high-friction areas such as underarms, side seams, backpack-contact zones, and printed surfaces. |
| Tensile and Tear Strength | Fabric and finished seams should withstand normal pulling, movement, and repeated laundering without failure. | Set minimum values by fabric weight, knit structure, garment fit, and intended activity rather than using one universal value. | ISO 13934-1 for strip tensile strength; ISO 13937 series for tear strength; ISO 13935 series for seam strength. | Review results for the main body fabric, mesh panels, pocket areas, shoulder seams, and side seams. |
| Stretch and Recovery | For fitted or high-mobility shirts, specify horizontal and vertical stretch together with recovery after extension. | The required percentage depends on the pattern and activity; recovery should be verified to prevent bagging at collars, hems, and elbows. | ASTM D2594 for stretch and growth of knitted fabrics or another method agreed in the technical package. | Test fabric direction, repeated extension, and finished garment measurements after recovery time. |
| Seam and Construction Quality | Use balanced stitching, secure thread ends, smooth seam allowances, and construction suitable for movement and abrasion. | No skipped stitches, open seams, needle damage, twisting, excessive puckering, or loose threads in the approved production sample. | Buyer workmanship specification, approved reference sample, and in-line or final inspection checklist. | Inspect collar attachment, shoulder seams, armholes, side seams, hems, reflective details, and label attachment. |
| Print and Decoration Durability | Screen prints, heat transfers, embroidery, reflective elements, and silicone details should remain attached and legible after care testing. | Decoration should meet the agreed wash-cycle, adhesion, cracking, peeling, and appearance requirements. | Decoration-specific buyer protocol; ISO 105-C06 or AATCC TM61 may support wash durability evaluation. | Approve artwork, placement tolerance, color references, transfer adhesion, and wash-care instructions before bulk production. |
| Chemical and Restricted Substances | Materials, dyes, prints, finishes, trims, and packaging should comply with the destination market’s restricted-substance requirements. | No intentionally added restricted substances above applicable legal or buyer limits; documentation should cover every major component. | Destination-market legislation, buyer RSL/MRSL, and laboratory testing selected according to material risk. | Request current test reports, chemical declarations, supplier declarations, and traceability for dyes, finishes, inks, and accessories. |
| Flammability and Safety | Assess flammability, drawcords, small parts, sharp points, and other safety risks according to the product category and destination. | Meet the mandatory requirements of the target market and any additional buyer safety specification. | Applicable national or regional textile-product safety regulations and relevant flammability methods. | Confirm whether the product is ordinary apparel, children’s apparel, sleepwear, workwear, or protective clothing, since requirements differ. |
| Sizing and Measurement Control | Use a graded measurement chart with clearly defined points of measure and tolerances for each size. | Common production tolerances are approximately ±0.5–1.5 cm, depending on the measurement point and garment construction. | Approved technical package, measurement chart, size-set sample, and pre-shipment inspection procedure. | Compare bulk garments with the approved size set and verify grading across all requested size ranges. |
| Packaging and Carton Requirements | Protect garments from moisture, odor, crushing, color transfer, and contamination during international transport. | Use agreed folding, inner-polybag, carton strength, carton marking, and maximum carton-weight requirements. | Buyer packing specification and destination-country packaging and labeling rules. | Confirm carton dimensions, gross and net weight, barcode data, case-pack quantity, shipping marks, and moisture protection. |
| Traceability and Documentation | Maintain records linking finished garments to fabric lots, trims, production dates, inspection results, and shipment cartons. | Documentation should be complete enough to identify the production batch and support corrective action or recall if necessary. | Purchase order, bill of materials, lot records, inspection reports, test reports, packing list, and commercial invoice. | Require document consistency across fiber content, color, size, quantity, country of origin, and shipment references. |
