Chain of Custody Requirements for Fabric Swatch Dispute Resolution
Fabric swatch dispute resolution requires unbroken physical custody logs, transaction certificates matched to roll tags, and ISO 17025 split-sample testing.
Gray Scale
Visual Evaluation
Laboratory color fastness assessments rely on standardized comparison charts to measure changes in material appearance. The tool known as the gray scale consists of pairs of neutral gray chips showing progressive contrasts corresponding to numerical ratings. This scale provides a uniform method for grading color differences in textile testing laboratories worldwide.
Shade Assessment
Color transfer can damage adjacent panels of a garment during laundering. Technicians use the gray scale for staining to evaluate the amount of dye that has migrated onto a test fabric. This evaluation helps determine dye formula stability.
Color Change
Fabric exposure to sunlight or industrial laundering can cause pigments to degrade. By comparing the tested specimen to an untreated control, the operator uses the gray scale for color change to assign a fastness rating from five, indicating no change, to one, representing a severe difference. This ranking must be performed under standard lighting cabinets to maintain consistency, avoiding errors caused by fluorescent office lights.
Contrast Standard
Subjective visual inspections require strict environmental controls to produce repeatable results. Placing the gray scale next to the test fabric under a D65 daylight source minimizes the influence of surrounding room colors on the grader’s judgment. This controlled method ensures that different laboratories arrive at the same grade for a given sample.