The old British method will be withdrawn when it comes to pulling stretch fabrics, bra straps, underwear elastic etc., in short, the stretch testing of fabrics. Tinius Olsen has been actively working with CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) on the development of the new BS EN 14704 standard, the third part of which was issued this year, and which should mean the withdrawal of the popular standard BS 4952:1992.

The new standard is divided into three (3) parts; part one dealing with knitted or woven fabrics and using a specimen strip or loop that is pulled to either a fixed length or a fixed load; part two, which is scheduled to be issued later this year will be a new technique to most of the industry , it is designed to test apparel or upholstery fabrics by distention; part three is designed specifically for narrow fabrics.

This third part has two methods that are suggested. There is very little change in the first method, Method A, and because the results are grouped together in one test routine, anyone testing to this method should see some time savings as a benefit to switching to this standard.

The second method, Method B, that is introduced in BS EN 14704-3 allows the test specimen to be evaluated for performance in addition to material performance. With this the sample is tested first to determine the amount of available stretch, but then the sample is tested further by cycling a specimen between set-points to give manufacturers an indication of the effective working area of the material. The final graphical and numerical results of these tests give garment producers a wealth of information on the amount of stretch, or tension, to apply to the narrow fabrics while they are being sewn onto a garment.

Whether you are manufacturer monitoring the QC of you production processes, or a retailer specifying garment performance, BS EN 14704 is the standard that should now be used. When manufacturers start reacting to the results of these tests, we should all see better fitting, more comfortable clothes and the end of garments that either cut into you, or constantly need to be hitched up.