Overview
ISO 105-E01:2013 - Textiles: Tests for colour fastness - Part E01: Colour fastness to water specifies a laboratory method to determine the resistance of textile colour to immersion in water. The procedure applies to textiles of all kinds and processing stages and is part of the ISO 105 series for textile colourfastness testing. It is used to assess colour change of the test specimen and staining (dye transfer) onto specified test fabrics after controlled water immersion and heat exposure.
Key Topics and Technical Requirements
- Scope: Method for determining colour fastness to water (immersion).
- Specimen preparation: Composite specimens of (40 ± 2) mm × (100 ± 2) mm - either one specimen + multifibre adjacent fabric or specimen sandwiched between two monofibre test fabrics (see ISO 105‑F01 to F06 or F10).
- Immersion conditions: Immerse composite specimen in laboratory-grade water (ISO 3696, grade 3) at ambient temperature for 30 minutes with a bath ratio ≈ 50:1; agitate periodically to ensure penetration.
- Post-immersion handling: Remove excess water by pressing between glass rods, assemble between glass/acrylic plates and apply a nominal pressure of (12.5 ± 0.9) kPa (device typically uses a ~5 kg mass with 60 × 115 mm base); place in an oven at (37 ± 2) °C for 4 hours.
- Drying and evaluation: Air-dry specimens (not exceeding 60 °C) with parts only touching at the seam. Assess:
- Colour change of the specimen (grey scale ISO 105‑A02 or instrumental per ISO 105‑A05)
- Staining (crocking/dye transfer) on the test fabrics (grey scale ISO 105‑A03 or instrumental per ISO 105‑A04)
- Equipment & materials: Test device (pressure frame), oven (37 ± 2 °C), 11 glass/acrylic plates, spectrophotometer or colorimeter (optional).
- Reporting: Include ISO reference, sample identification, numeric grey-scale ratings and/or instrumental results, details of test fabrics used, any deviations from the standard, and the option(s) applied.
Applications and Users
ISO 105‑E01:2013 is used by:
- Textile manufacturers and dye houses for quality control of dyed fabrics
- Independent textile test laboratories for certification and compliance testing
- Apparel, home‑textile and upholstery brands assessing product performance
- R&D teams evaluating dye formulations and washfastness properties
Practical uses include validating waterfastness before market release, troubleshooting dye bleeding issues, and comparing dye stability across substrates and processes.
Related Standards
- ISO 105‑A01, A02, A03, A04, A05 (general principles and evaluation methods)
- ISO 105‑F01 to F06, F10 (specifications for monofibre and multifibre test fabrics)
- ISO 3696 (laboratory water quality)
- ISO 105‑J01, J03 (colour measurement and colour difference calculation)
- AATCC TM 107 (comparable US test method for colour fastness to water)
Keywords: ISO 105‑E01:2013, colour fastness to water, textile testing, colourfastness, water immersion test, multifibre test fabric, grey scale, spectrophotometer, ISO 105 series, quality control.