By Erika Simmons
Although we are proudly called the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, AATCC has long been widely recognized within the textile industry as a primary producer of textile testing methods. AATCC test methods and procedures are used in manufacturing facilities and testing laboratories around the world. We are truly an international standards producer.
We often partner with other organizations to help create method harmonization. Our association members generously volunteer countless hours and work diligently to develop and maintain methods which support industry needs. Currently methods around sustainability and emerging technologies are urgent needs for the industry. In our 2020 technical manual you will find two such methods:
AATCC TM210-2019 Test Method for Electrical Resistance Before and After Various Exposure Conditions
AATCC EP13-2018e Evaluation Procedure for Electrical Resistance of Electronically Integrated Textiles.
Need a method but aren’t sure where to start?
Here is some guidance to get you pointed in the right direction. If you are looking for test standards related to the mechanical or physical side of testing, you can find those within ASTM International. AATCC test methods generally cover the wet processing side of textile testing. Broadly speaking these would include laundering, chemical applications, dyeing and color measurement. A comprehensive list along with their subcommittee designation is as follows:
| RA31 ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY |
| RA61 APPEARANCE RETENTION |
| RA87 APPLIED DYEING AND CHARCTERIZATION |
| RA36 COLOR MEASUREMENT |
| RA33 COLORFASTNESS TO ATMOSPHERIC CONTAMINANTS |
| RA38 COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING |
| RA60 COLORFASTNESS TO WAHSING |
| RA23 COLORFASTNESS TO WATER |
| RA42 DIMENSIONAL CHANGE |
| RA111 ELECTRONICALLY INTEGRATED TEXTILES |
| RA75 EVALUATION FOR END USE |
| RA24 FIBER ANALYSIS |
| RA59 FIBEROUS TEST MATERIAL |
| RA45 FINISH ANALYSIS |
| RA109 FLAMMABILITY |
| RA57 FLOOR COVERING |
| RA104 GARMENT WET PROCESSIN |
| RA100 GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY |
| RA89 HAND EVALUATION |
| RA88 HOME LAUNDERING |
| RA49 INSECT RESISTANCE |
| RA92 INTERACTION OF DYES AND FINISHES |
| RA50 LIGHTFASTNESS AND WEATHERING |
| RA34 PREPARATION |
| RA80 PRINTING TECHNOLOGY |
| RA43 PROFESSIONAL TEXTILE CARE |
| RA103 SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNOLOGIES |
| RA56 STAIN RESISTANCE |
| RA32 STATIC ELECTRICITY |
| RA102 STATISTICS ADVISORY |
| RA112 THERMAL REGULATION |
| RA106 UV PROTECTIVE TEXTILES |
| RA63 WATER RESISTANCE, ABSORBENCY AND WETTING |