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DIN Standards Committee Materials Testing

Overview

The "Super S" classification for the fineness of wool in woven fabrics and garments goes back to the traditional English wool grading system as used by the trade in Bradford, England. The foundations of this system can be described as follows: a yarn, to be even and strong enough for weaving, shall contain a certain minimum number of fibres in its cross section. Therefore, with coarse wool fibres it is possible to obtain only coarse yarns, while with the fine ones very thin yarns can be spun. This criterion is the basis of the wool fineness classification. If wool is classified as "Super 120s", for example, it means that 1 pound of fibre will produce 120 hanks of yarn, each of which is 560 yards long. With a coarser wool the yarn would be thicker and the number of hanks lower (for instance 80), with a still finer wool on the contrary the hanks would be more numerous (for instance 150). At the beginning of this century, the IWTO officially and precisely codified the fineness classes by fixing for each one of them a maximum limit in microns of mean fibre diameter. As wool is processed it shall be taken into account that the diameter of the original fibre used in producing a woven fabric may change due to structural modification of the fibre and the possible effects of chemicals used during processing, etcetera. Consequently, the mean fibre diameter of the fibre extracted from the fabric can be different from the mean fibre diameter of the fibre used to spin the yarn used in the fabric. Wool weavers supply their clients with statements concerning the fineness and, on request, with "Super S" label to be sewn inside garments made with the "Super S" cloth. This is a voluntary label, but it has to correspond with the code of practice. The fine wool is very expensive, but with it light, soft fabrics of high wearability and elegance can be produced. A false classification is an act of unfair competition towards the honest producers and an unfair and deceptive practice to consumers. The whole chain of production for wool textiles from the grower through to the garment manufacturer will benefit from a proper understanding and application of the "Super S" code. In addition, retailers and consumers will be protected from fraud or misunderstandings which originate from ignorance of the classification system. This document defines the requirements of the "Super S" labelling code for finished woven fabric made from pure virgin wool and the test method to determine this. The committee responsible for this standard is NA 106-01-02 AA "Textilien und Bekleidung - Kennzeichnung, Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren; SpA zu CEN/TC 248/WG 10, WG 20 WG 33 und ISO/TC 133" ("Textiles - Designation, requirements and test methods; Mirror committee to CEN/TC 248/WG 10, WG 20, WG 33 and ISO/TC 133") at DIN.

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 062-05-21 AA - Physical and technological test methods for textiles  

Responsible european committee

CEN/TC 248 - Textiles and textile products