American Textile Quality Control Testing Standards

The quality authorities and standards of American textiles mainly include: AATCC standards, ASTM standards, CPSC and FTC mandatory standards. In addition, the United States has formulated many technical regulations on textiles and clothing: the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act, the Wool Product Labeling Act, the Fur Product Labeling Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, the fabric flammability regulations, the flammability regulations for children’s pajamas, the down product processing regulations, etc. . The U.S. textile and clothing market is a relatively mature market. A very important issue facing entering the U.S. market is product quality certification. In other words, the key to whether a certain product can be sold in the United States is whether it can pass the inspection by the authoritative U.S. testing department and obtain a license.

There are two common US textile and apparel product certification standards:

1.FTC rules. FTC is the abbreviation of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC requires textiles sold in the United States to be marked with ingredient and protective labels, and restricts the entry of textiles containing ingredients not approved by the FTC into the US market. The FTC will also analyze the composition of textiles to determine whether the composition reports provided are consistent with the actual results.

2.INTER testing center. The INTER Testing Center performs physical testing of textiles and garments, such as fiber, chemical composition, elasticity, maintenance, flammability, coloration, fading, other chemical damage and import quotas.

The main rules of textile quality control in the United States

The U.S. regulations on textile and apparel product labeling mainly include: “Textile Fiber Product Identification Act”, “Wool Product Labeling Act” and “Textile, Apparel and Fabric Maintenance Labeling” and so on.

1. “Textile Fiber Product Identification Act”: Established in 1958, it is implemented by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Subsequently, implementation details were promulgated in response to various problems encountered in implementation. The “Textile Fiber Product Identification Act” and related regulations (16CFR303) apply to clothing products, handkerchiefs, scarves, bedding, curtains, draperies, decorative fabrics, tablecloths, carpets, towels, wipes, ironing board covers and linings Mats, umbrellas, batting, flags, all fiber yarns and fabrics, furniture covers, blankets and shawls, sleeping bags. The labeling content is as follows: Fiber composition: The labeling of fiber composition must use non-trademark fiber names, and the fiber composition should be arranged in descending order by weight percentage; fibers accounting for less than 5% of the total fiber weight should not be identified by name. It should be classified as other fibers, with a fiber content tolerance of no more than 3%, except for fibers with specific functions; the fiber content can be indicated on the back of the label, but the relevant information must be easy to find.

Origin information: All clothing must have a cloth label indicating the country of origin and a fixed location. For example, on T-shirts, shirts, outerwear, sweaters, dresses and similar clothing, the country of origin label must be placed in the center of the collar on the inside of the clothing and between the two shoulder seams; as for trousers, loose trousers, shorts and For clothing such as skirts, the country of origin label must be placed in a conspicuous location, such as on the inside of the belt. In addition, similar words such as Madein or Productof must be added in front of the name of origin so that the final purchaser can clearly see it to avoid being misled.

Manufacturer or Distributor Information: In addition to fiber content and country of origin, the garment must bear a permanent label providing care instructions and the name of the importer, distributor, retailer or foreign manufacturer. According to regulations, importers, distributors and retailers can use RN or WPL numbers issued by the Federal Trade Commission, but only companies located in the United States can obtain and use RN numbers. Foreign manufacturers can use their names or U.S. importers, The RN or WPL number of the distributor or retailer directly involved in the distribution of the product. A company can be identified by its trademark name, but the trademark name must be registered with the U.S. Patent Office, and the company must provide a copy of the trademark registration certificate to the Federal Trade Commission before using the trademark.

2. “Wool Products Labeling Act”: This act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1940 and the FTC is responsible for its implementation. The purpose is to protect consumers from being deceived by false labels on wool products. The bill also promulgated implementation details to address various problems encountered in its implementation. The Wool Products Labeling Act and its implementing rules and regulations (16 CFR 300) apply to wool products, that is, products or parts of products that contain wool or are made from wool. The annotation content is as follows:

Fiber composition: The labeling of fiber composition is the same as 16CFR303. If wool products contain mohair, cashmere or special fibers, they can be labeled with the name of the special fiber and indicate the fiber content.

Non-fiber substance content: The product contains non-fiber fillers or added substances, and their large percentage of the total mass of wool products should be marked separately.

Origin information: The origin marking is the same as 16CFR303.

Manufacturer information and registration identification number: Manufacturer information is the same as 16CFR303.

3. “Maintenance Labels for Textiles, Clothing and Fabrics”

(16CFR423): Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), CFR is a code of general application that is regularly compiled and included by the U.S. Federal Registration Office.Applicability and legal effect of U.S. regulations. Its various regulations on imported textiles and clothing are distributed in codes promulgated by various departments of the federal government, and most of the regulations and regulations are codified in the CFR.

“Maintenance Labeling of Textiles, Apparel and Fabrics” (16CFR423) applies to manufacturers and importers of textiles, apparel and fabrics, including organizations and individuals who manage or control the manufacturing or import of related products. 16CFR423 requires manufacturers and importers to attach maintenance labels to textile and apparel products during sales. The annotation content is as follows:

Maintenance labels refer to durable labels or marks that include routine maintenance information and instructions. They must indicate the relevant maintenance matters required for the product in routine use, including washing, drying, ironing, bleaching and warning instructions; ASTM D5489-01a also Provides a unified symbol system to express the maintenance content of textile products in simple graphics. Maintenance labels shall be visible or easily detectable, be affixed or affixed to the product in a manner that is not separated from the product, and shall remain legible during the useful life of the product.

The United States’ “Textile Fiber Product Identification Act” and “Wool Product Labeling Act” have new regulations that require imported textiles and clothing to be marked or labeled. The labels must be in English and must comply with relevant rules.

The new rules stipulate that the labeling of fiber ingredients must use non-trademark fiber names, and should be arranged in descending order by weight percentage; fiber names can use fiber names approved by the Federal Trade Commission or the International Organization for Standardization; trademark names can be used with non-trademark fiber names. Trademark fiber names are used together; fiber composition can be indicated on the back of the label, but the relevant information must be easy to find; fibers accounting for less than 5% of the total fiber weight should not be identified by name, but should be listed as other fibers, but wool or recycled wool and Except for fibers with special functions.

Regarding product origin labels, the United States stipulates that all clothing must use cloth labels to indicate the country of origin, unless there is precedent that allows other marking methods. In addition, similar words such as Madein or Productof must be added in front of the name of origin so that the final purchaser can clearly see it to avoid being misled.

Of course, the United States also agrees to accept the origin mark directly screen-printed on the fabric at the inner collar of the garment under certain circumstances. In addition, reversible garments are also exempt from the collar label requirement.

For example, a reversible women’s short vest can have a permanent washable label on the lower side seam of the vest, and a ribbon-style label that can be tied tightly to the neckline.