Greige Fabric Storage Requirements and Preservation Standards
Unfinished greige fabric preservation demands humidity control between 50 and 65 percent relative humidity to prevent size retrogradation and oil oxidation.
ISO 105-X18
Standard Method
Standardized analytical test procedures quantify the yellowing potential of textile materials exposed to phenolic compounds during storage. Testing under iso 105-x18 evaluates fabric susceptibility to discolouration caused by sterically hindered phenols present in packaging materials. White and pastel textiles suffer discolouration when packaging films release volatile antioxidants like butylhydroxytoluene.
The standardized method subjects test specimens to nitrogen oxide gases after phenolic impregnation. Assessment ends when colour change ratings are determined against standard grey scales.
Phenolic Phenomenon
Volatile phenolic antioxidants migrate from polyethylene bags into stored textile products. Nitrogen oxides in warehouse air react with absorbed phenols to form yellow nitrophenol compounds.
Test Chamber
Test specimens are wrapped in paper impregnated with twenty-six-ditertiarybutyl-four-nitrophenol inside airtight glass plates. Loaded glass plates undergo heat treatment at fifty degrees Celsius for sixteen hours. Standardized pressure plates maintain constant contact between test fabrics and phenolic papers.
Moisture control inside test chambers prevents false yellowing results.
Scale Assessment
Visual evaluation compares tested fabrics against unexposed control samples using standard grey scales for staining. Ratings range from grade one indicating severe yellowing to grade five indicating no discolouration. A minimum result of grade four marks acceptable resistance for retail packaging standards.
Mills adjust antioxidant formulations when test ratings fall below contract requirements.