Ask The Expert

Water-proofness - there are several methods and types of equipment that are available for evaluating this property of a fabric, selection will depend on the final end use of the fabric. eg. BS EN 2081 calls up the use of a Hydrostatic Head Tester Breathability – is a method for evaluating the Water Vapour Permeability through a fabric again there are several methods available dependent on the final end use of the fabric you wish to test eg. BS 7209, (don’t confuse this with Air Permeability). A lot of fabrics used for high performance garments need to exhibit all three characteristics. The above properties above of fabrics would come under a general grouping of High Performance Fabrics. These are made by a combination of the fabric construction (woven, non-woven or knitted) and fibre blends. These will then be finished using a variety of finishing processes again depending on the fabric type and the required properties and end use. I am unable to give you specific specialist advice; you need to get that from your finisher or a chemical supplier. Contact SDL Atlas for your test equipment needs, they supply a range of equipment for evaluating Water-proofness, Breathability or Air Permeability.