How to Test Color Difference and Color Change Fastness of Jackets and What Are the Relevant Standards?

Preface

As core protective gear for outdoor sports,the visual quality of jackets directly influences brand image and consumer experience. Color difference and color‑change fastness serve as key indicators for evaluating visual quality. Color difference refers tocolor variances atgarment splicing seams or between top‑and‑bottom suit components; excessive discrepancy will ruin the overall visual effect. Color‑change fastness characterizes the capacity of fabrics to retain original color under external influences such as light exposure, washing and friction. It is closely linkedto the service life of products in outdoor scenarios. These two indicators underpin visual uniformity and weather resistance of finished garments. They also constitute critical references for brands to conduct incoming‑material inspection and finished‑product classification.

According to GB/T 32614‑2023 OutdoorSports Apparel — Jackets, the newly‑released national standard has added assessment requirements for color difference and raised thresholds for color fastness grades, imposing higher requirements for the precision and adaptability of testing instruments. The CHNSpec DS‑700D portable spectrophotometer is purpose‑built for color measurement of outdoor composite fabrics. Compliant with standard specifications, it can be flexibly deployed for workshop on‑site inspection, lab batch testing and finished‑product random sampling. It delivers standardized quantitative testing solutions for colorquality control of jackets.

I. Core Challenges in Measuring ColorDifference and Color‑Change Fastness of Jackets

1.Complex surface texture
Jacket fabrics are mostly made of polyamideor polyester and treated with waterproof and moisture‑permeable coatings or  laminating layers, yielding textured or glossy surfaces. Variations inmeasuring angles and lighting conditions may trigger perceived color deviations.

2.Fluorescent‑material interference
Some jackets adopt fluorescent‑colored fabrics to boost safety in outdoor environments. Conventional colorimeters cannot precisely capture the true color of fluorescent materials.

3.Measurement for small‑size areas
Detailed zones around stitching, zipper edges and logo prints occupy limited space, calling for precise positioning and properly‑sized measurement apertures.

4.Subjectivity in color‑fastness grading
Traditional visual assessment issusceptible to light sources and evaluators' subjective judgement. Evaluation outcomes may diverge across different operators or testing time points.

II. Standardized Measurement Procedures for Color Difference and Color‑Change Fastness of Jackets

Testing Instrument: CHNSpec DS‑700DPortable Spectrophotometer
Test Sample: Jacket specimen

Step 1: Instrument and Sample Preparation
Lay the tested jacket flat and smooth out wrinkles in measured zones. Avoid raised stitching at splicing positions. Fold thin samples into multiple layers until they become light‑proof, so as to prevent background light penetration from distorting readings. Power on the instrument with a short press of the power button and confirm its normal status.

Step 2: Instrument Calibration
‑ White calibration: Navigate to Settings‑Calibration on the interface. Confirm the correct aperture, insert the instrument into the calibration box following on‑screen prompts, and the device will complete white calibration automatically.
‑ Black calibration: Take the instrumentout of the calibration box. Insert its measuring port into the black‑calibration container as prompted, then short‑press the measure button to finish black calibration.

Step 3: Parameter Configuration
Configure the instrument for D65 standard illuminant and 10° standard observer as required by relevant standards.
‑ For color‑difference measurement: Go to Settings‑Measurement on the main interface, select CIE_Lab for display parameters and dE*ab as the color‑difference formula.
‑ For color‑change fastness measurement: Go to Settings‑Measurement on the main interface, select Color Fastness fordisplay parameters and dE*ab as the color‑difference formula.

Step 4: Reference‑Sample Measurement
Remove the calibration base. Initiate color measurement. Press the measuring port tightly against the designated flat zone of the sample to block ambient light, and press the measure button to acquire color data of the reference sample.

Step 5: Test‑Sample Measurement
Tap the Color Difference option.Align the measuring port with the corresponding zone of the test sample and repeat measurement operations. The instrument will automatically compare color data between reference sample and test sample.

Step 6: Data Analysis
Readtest results directly on device. The instrument outputs total color difference of dE*ab, dimensional deviations of L*, a*, b*, as well as color change fastness grades for rapid compliance judgement against standards. Spectrum curves areavailable for review. Users may connect the instrument to a computer via USB and leverage PC software for trend analysis, report generation and dataprinting.

III. Core National Standards for ColorDifference and Color‑Change Fastness of Jackets

GB/T 32614 2023 Outdoor Sports Apparel —Jackets came into force on April 1, 2024. Compared with the old version, itimposes stricter specifications for color performance, defines limit values forfinished garment color difference and various color change indicators of colorfastness, and unifies rules for test evaluation. It serves as the universalnational standard for jacket manufacturing, quality inspection and marketsampling inspection in China.

1. Mandatory Requirements for Visual ColorDifference of Finished Garments
The standard incorporates complete gradingrules for finished garment color difference, with test methods referenced toGB/T 250:
Splicing seams including sleeve seams, sideseams and crotch seams: color difference grade ≥ 3-4
Major exposed outer surfaces includingfront panels, back panels and sleeves: color difference grade ≥ 4
Color difference induced by multi layercomposite fabrics and bonded interlining splicing: grade ≥ 3-4
Matching jacket pants suits: overall colordifference grade ≥ 3-4
For grading rules of grey scale: highergrade values stand for slighter color difference. Smaller color deviationdelivers better visual quality for outdoor finished garments.

2. Assessment Indicators for Color ChangePerformance of Multiple Color Fastness Items
The standard specifies grade thresholds forcolor change of outer shell fabrics and inner lining fabrics with respect towashing resistance, light resistance, rubbing resistance and water resistance.Color change grades reflect the fading and discoloration extent of fabricsexposed to external conditions.

3. Explanation of Supporting Test Logicunder National Standard 
GB/T 32614-2023 stipulates that tests for colordifference and color change fastness shall follow GB/T250. This standardrequires measurement under conditions including specular reflected light. TheCHNSpec DS-700D supports both SCI and SCE measurement modes that satisfy suchinstrument requirements. Its output data can be directly used for nationalstandard grading without extra manual conversion.

Ⅳ Conclusion 

The visual quality and wear experience ofjackets largely depend on color uniformity of fabrics as well as anti‑discoloration performance after washing and sun exposure. To meetthe more stringent color specifications laid down in GB/T 32614‑2023, the CHNSpec DS‑700D portablespectrophotometer features optimized optical structures targeting measuringchallenges of composite fabrics and meets requirements of the new nationalstandard.

Compact and portable, the instrument can bedeployed in workshops, warehouses and laboratories. Its dual‑optical‑path designmitigates interference from coating gloss of fabrics and delivers stable, high‑precision measurements. It directly outputs CIELAB colorvalues,total color‑difference ΔE and gray‑scale color‑change grades.With data storage and report export capabilities, it replaces traditionalvisual color comparison and enables digital color‑quality management covering raw‑material inspection, finished‑garment testing and post‑wash evaluation. It helps outdoor‑apparel manufacturers comply with national standards efficiently andstabilize product quality.

The CHNSpec DS‑700D portable spectrophotometer provides a high‑precision and reliable solution for color‑difference and color‑fastnessevaluation. Built with SCI+SCE dual‑optical‑path design andD/8 illumination‑observationgeometry, it achieves measurement repeatability of ΔE*ab ≤0.02 and inter‑instrument agreement of ΔE*ab ≤0.25. Highly consistent results can be obtainedfor repeated tests on one unit or cross‑instrument data comparison.

Tailored for textile color‑fastness assessment,the DS‑700D embeds dedicated indicators for staining fastness and color‑change fastness, and supports nearly 40 light sources to simulatecolor‑differenceperformance under diverse lighting environments. Eight interchangeablemeasurement apertures are available together with camera‑assisted precise positioning. Accurate measurement can be realizedfor both regular color blocks and small irregular samples, providing solid datasupport for color‑quality management.