Laboratory

UKAS-accredited testing space

Enabling the future of textile innovation

Our Laboratory

At the heart of the Hainsworth mill lies our UKAS-accredited laboratory, a state-of-the-art development and testing facility.

Here is where our team of fabric technologists to apply their expertise to innovating, developing and testing our protective fabric solutions under the most rigorous laboratory conditions.

Using the latest equipment and machinery, the team carry out a range of standard tests that help to ensure our fabrics are of the highest quality. We have also developed our own in-house testing methods where standard tests don’t exist, so our fabrics can consistently offer top levels of protection.

Investing in industry-leading facilities

To ensure that we are testing in the strictest controlled conditions, we have invested £250,000 in a new laboratory with the world’s best textile testing equipment.

For performance fabrics worn in the toughest conditions, claims must be supported by a rigorous and thorough testing regime, to prove compliance with international industry standards. All our protective fabrics are evaluated in our UKAS-accredited laboratory, to guarantee performance, durability and consistency at all stages of the manufacturing process.

Our testing

We offer a range of tests for evaluating textile properties, including physical (tensile, tear strength, rub tests), chemical (colour fastness) and performance (wicking, drying rate).

Abrasion

Abrasion is the surface damage caused by rubbing against another material. It is vital that our PPE fabrics can withstand high levels of abrasion, which is why we test for this on our Martindale machine.

Wet abrasion

We also carry our wet abrasion testing in our laboratory, measuring our fabrics’ effectiveness in outdoors or otherwise wet conditions.

Flammability

We flame test all Hainsworth Protective Fabrics to observe multiple factors including flame spread, afterglow and afterflame times, char length, and combustion behaviour.

Colour fastness to rubbing

We carry out crocking testing to determine colour fastness to wet and dry rubbing, assessing the amount of dye transferred from our fabric. This ensures colour remains bright and consistent despite prolonged wear.

Pilling and snagging

We mount fabric samples onto tubes which are then loaded into our Orbitor machine and ‘tumbled’. The fabric is then checked for damage.

Tensile strength

This test is to determine the maximum load a material can withstand before splitting – a very important quality for PPE fabric.

Tear strength

It is important that our PPE fabrics have high resistance to tearing, to ensure the longevity of the cloth and the safety of the wearer.

Gutter test

We carry out this test to measure how much liquid is repelled from the surface of the fabric – highly important for firefighter fabrics.

Yarn testing

In addition to fabric testing, we also test all individual yarns in our yarn testing facility. Test types include yarn count, yarn twist, yarn strength, and yarn evenness.