What is Shade Variation in Fabrics and Garments?

Shade variation

What is Shade? 

Different shades of any items are of the same color with variations in color tone and depth. In a single color, you can get many shades. To match the actual color and shade, fabrics sample is matched with the color standards (Pantone shade card). 

What is Shade Variation in Fabrics?

Fabric shade variation is the variation of shade or depth of color (hue) in same fabric roll. In dyed fabrics often shade variation is found. Shade variation may occur fabric selvage to selvage, selvage to center of fabric width. Shade variation can be at the one end of the fabric rolls to another end.

Shading or shade variation is considered as one critical problem in fabrics which may cause shade variation in garments. If the quality auditor found shade variation in garments, they may reject the shipment. 

As a result of shade variation,
  • Fabric consumption per garment may increase
  • There is possibility of having defective garment in the finished garment due to shade variation in garment components.

Shade variation in Garment and Clothing

Garment are made by stitching number of fabric parts together. When shade variation is found in between garment parts, is called shade variation in garments. As mentioned above, garment manufacturing factories may receive fabric with varied shades of same color. 

If precaution is not taken in cutting department and sewing floor, fabric lot can mix easily and as a result you will garment with varied shade in between garment components. 

Solution of shade variation in garment manufacturing: 

Garment manufacturing factories use a standard practice to get rid of shade variation between different parts in a same garment. When shade variation is found that in the purchased fabric in between fabric lots, fabric checker prepares shade bands. Like shade band A, B, C, D etc. Different shade bands are marked and then sent to the buyers for buyer approval. 

Precaution 1: Once shade band of varied shades are approved by buyers, fabrics are issued for cutting. Different lots (shade of fabrics) are cut separately to avoid the shade mixing in garment components.
Still during shorting and bundling of garment parts caution is taken to avoid mix of fabric lots.

Precaution 2: After layer cutting, ply numbering is done to all component of the garments before bundling. Numbered stickers are attached to all garment parts to ensure that sewing operators stitch garment from same fabric layer. The numbering can be done using printed sticker or directly printing to the garment component on the edges. 

Precaution 3: After cutting process, cuttings (bundles) are sent to production floor. You can please for loading different fabric lots to different production line to avoid mixing parts on the production floor. 


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