Before approving a textile bag for contact with pale clothing, request dry and wet rubbing evidence for the actual body, handles and relevant printed areas. Record each material, colour, finish and sample version, then agree the acceptance requirements. A dark appearance, a matching colour swatch or a photograph cannot establish whether the finished combination is suitable.
Map the parts that touch clothing
Start with the selected bag and its intended carry mode. A shoulder handle touches a different part of an outfit from a hand-carried body brushing a coat. Mark those areas on front, back and inside views. Include the intended contents and clothing in the use brief so the supplier understands which surfaces need attention.
LinHord’s Color-Block Canvas Tote and Two-Tone Canvas Tote are useful references for identifying separate body and strap colours. The reference image helps locate components; it is not a colourfastness report. List the actual proposed materials and colours for your project rather than treating a product name as one test specimen.
| Part | Contact to identify | Sample information |
|---|---|---|
| Body panels | The face resting against a shirt, coat or trousers. | Fabric, colour, finish, face and lot reference. |
| Handles and straps | Shoulder contact, grip area and the strap face against clothing. | Each material and colour, including a contrasting strap. |
| Prints or stitched decoration | Which decorated areas actually meet clothing. | Artwork revision, process, substrate and intended test area. |
| Opening and lining | Any edge that folds outward or touches garments during use. | Relevant inner material, colour and exposed face. |
Use this map to agree a representative sample plan with the supplier or laboratory. A body-fabric result should not silently become approval of a different handle material, another colour or a later print revision. Record which variants a report represents and which still need review.
Separate colour matching, rubbing and washing
“The colour is approved” is incomplete unless the approval scope is named. Use the colour-matching guide for the target shade and viewing conditions. Keep the clothing-contact decision as a separate line in the approval record.
| Question | What the buyer approves | Keep separate |
|---|---|---|
| Does it match the target? | The sample against the agreed colour reference. | Whether rubbing transfers colour to another surface. |
| Does colour rub off? | Rubbing evidence for identified materials and conditions. | Washing behaviour and the complete care instruction. |
| Does the bag tolerate the proposed care? | The complete bag under agreed treatment and checks. | Unassessed clothing-contact or other exposure claims. |
The public summary of AATCC TM8 notes that treatments such as washing or finishing can affect rubbing transfer. Ask whether testing is needed before the agreed treatment, after it, or at both stages. The canvas tote care guide addresses approval of the care route itself.
Request dry and wet rubbing separately
ISO 105-X12:2016 addresses textile colour rubbing off and staining other materials, with separate dry and wet rubbing-cloth tests. Have the laboratory confirm the applicable specimen and procedure for the proposed textile component. One dry result does not answer the wet-rubbing question.
Put dry and wet requirements in separate fields, alongside the selected method and edition. Ask the laboratory to define conditioning, preparation and any relevant pretreatment, rather than inventing a wiping force or number of strokes in the purchase brief. Agree each acceptance requirement before results are reviewed.
A quick rub with an ordinary white cloth can prompt further investigation, but do not record it as a standardized test or a guarantee against transfer. If perspiration, cleaning products or another particular exposure matters to the project, describe it separately and ask which additional assessment is appropriate. A wet-rubbing result is not blanket evidence for every kind of moisture.
Choose a method that can isolate the area
A small logo or one dark detail within a multicolour print needs a clearly identified test area. ISO 105-X16:2016 addresses textile areas too small to isolate with the ISO 105-X12 apparatus. Discuss applicability with the laboratory using the actual artwork size and material; do not automatically assign it to every bag logo.
Keep a photograph of the selected area with the report. Confirm whether a supplied fabric or print swatch represents the actual bag material, finish and process. If the laboratory cannot prepare a suitable specimen from the finished detail, agree what evidence can be supplied and what remains unresolved before approving the claim.
These are textile-method discussions. PVC film, metal fittings and other nontextile surfaces need material-specific advice. If the concern is colour moving between packed surfaces during storage rather than rubbing against clothing, describe that separate problem instead of relabelling it as a rubbing test.
Read the report component by component
Read the specimen description before the result. Match it to the sample ID, component, colour and revision on your approval sheet. A report on blue body cloth does not establish the result for tan webbing or an added printed mark, even when the materials appear in one finished bag.
AATCC TM8’s summary describes grading the colour transferred to the white test cloth. Read that as a staining assessment, not as the original bag’s colour-match result. Use the buyer’s agreed method, evaluation scale and limits; do not assume grades from different procedures are interchangeable.
| Record field | What to check | Approval question |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Report ID, laboratory, sample ID and date. | Can the result be traced to this submission? |
| Component | Material, colour, finish, print revision, lot and tested face. | Which exact parts or variants are represented? |
| Method | Method and edition; any stated deviations or limitations. | Is it the agreed method for this specimen? |
| Sample state | Preparation and whether an agreed treatment came first. | Does it represent the required approval state? |
| Dry and wet results | Separate findings, evaluation scale and acceptance requirements. | Has each required condition been reviewed? |
| Decision | Accepted, revise or pending; reviewer and affected scope. | What is approved, and what still needs evidence? |
If a condition or component is missing, keep it pending rather than treating a blank as a pass. Resolve mismatched specimen descriptions with the supplier and laboratory. Retain the full report and its limitations with the sample approval record, not only a cropped grade screenshot.
Review a change without losing the other approvals
Consider a hypothetical tote whose body and contrasting handle are assessed separately. The body meets its agreed dry and wet requirements, while the handle misses the wet requirement. Record the handle finding and hold approval of the affected combination. Do not describe the whole colour-transfer brief as passed because the body was acceptable.
Ask the supplier to propose a correction, identify the changed material or process and agree the evidence needed for the replacement. Keep earlier approvals only within their unchanged scope. Then review the revised assembled sample for the affected requirements. This is an approval example, not a LinHord order or test result.
For bulk production and reorders, identify which lots the submissions represent and agree what changes trigger renewed review. A retained sample and an earlier report help establish the reference; they do not automatically certify every future material, colour or production lot. Align release decisions with the quality workflow.
Send a colour-transfer brief with your RFQ
Send the contact map and the following through the RFQ form. Separate confirmed requirements from questions still needing laboratory advice so sampling, reporting and quotation coverage can be agreed.
- Bag reference, intended users, clothing contact, contents and carry mode.
- Body, handle, exposed lining and decorated areas, with material/colour/finish references.
- Artwork size, placement and revision; a photograph of each proposed test area.
- Dry and wet requirements separately, selected methods/editions or questions for the laboratory.
- Agreed sample states, pretreatments, representative lots and acceptance criteria.
- Required reports, review responsibility, changed-material review and retained references.
- Quantity by style and colour, destination, sample needs and proposed product wording.
Approve any customer-facing colourfastness wording against the actual evidence and its scope. Keep clothing-contact, washing and other claims distinct. The useful outcome is a traceable decision for the selected bag, rather than an unsupported promise that every dark bag will never stain clothing.