Can you tell about the average shrinkage of cotton, rayon, polyester, linen, canvas etc?
You might have experienced that after washing of the t-shirt, its length gets reduced. It is not just the washing process in which fabric and garment are shrunk. The fabric may shrink in the fusing process, printing and curing process too.
Now the question is how much is the average shrinkage percentage for different fabrics?
My friend S. Santra answered this question.
In general knit fabric shrink more than woven fabric. Normally, polyester fabrics don’t shrink. Other fabrics are having a tendency to shrink in washing. Rayon fabric is having a very tendency to shrink. Shrinkage percentage also depends on the fabric constructions and fabric quality. For your reference, fabric wise shrinkage percentage range is provided here.
Also see: How to calculate fabric shrinkage?
- Polyester - 0%
- Woven Cotton/Linen/Canvas: 2-7%
- Rayon: 5-10%
Also see: How to calculate fabric shrinkage?
Garment makers are aware of the shrinkage properties of the fabric. So, they take preventive action and add the required shrinkage in the patterns itself and cut the garment patterns. Another way, they pre-shrunk the fabric by panel washing before cutting the fabric. Using these two methods shrinkage issue is handled in the garment industry.