Overview
ISO 13936-3:2005 - "Textiles - Determination of the slippage resistance of yarns at a seam in woven fabrics - Part 3: Needle clamp method" describes a laboratory method to measure seam slippage (yarn movement at a seam) in woven fabrics. The standard determines the resistance of yarns to slippage when held in a needle clamp under controlled stress. It is intended to remove variation introduced by seam preparation or sewing-thread differences and is not applicable to stretch fabrics or industrial belting.
Keywords: ISO 13936-3, slippage resistance, needle clamp method, seam slippage, textiles testing, woven fabrics.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test principle: compare force–extension curves for a pinned (needle-clamped) specimen and an unpinned specimen; slippage is the difference in extension at specified force levels after correcting for a 5 N preload.
- Apparatus:
- Constant rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile testing machine with recording capability (data rate ≥ 8 Hz if using data acquisition).
- Machine accuracy class 1 per ISO 7500-1; metrological confirmation per ISO 10012-1.
- Needle-clamp device with specified needle spacing, diameter and counts differing for apparel vs furnishing/upholstery fabrics (e.g., 17 needles per 5 cm for apparel, 7 per 5 cm for upholstery; needle diameters 0.5 mm and 0.9 mm respectively).
- Conventional flat or corrugated jaws for the unpinned specimen.
- Test parameters:
- Conditioning per ISO 139.
- Typical gauge length 100 mm; traverse speed 50 mm/min ± 5 mm/min (alternative 20 mm/min option noted).
- Maximum test forces: commonly 250 N for full curve; apparel fabrics often use 100 N ± 5 N, furnishing/upholstery 200 N ± 5 N.
- Specimen preparation: cut strips (example 300 mm × 60 mm), edge fray to 50 mm, mark centreline; test five warp and five weft specimens.
- Calculation & reporting: slippage expressed in mm (average of five values per direction), report fabric breakdown if failure occurs before the test force.
Applications and users
- Practical uses:
- Quality control and acceptance testing for woven apparel and upholstery fabrics.
- Product development and fabric selection to predict seam performance.
- Comparative testing when evaluating finishes, constructions or sewing options.
- Typical users:
- Textile testing laboratories, QA/QC teams, fabric and apparel manufacturers, upholstery and furniture manufacturers, standards/compliance officers, and R&D engineers.
Related standards
- ISO 13936-1: Fixed seam opening method (other part of the same series)
- ISO 13936-2: Fixed load method
- ISO 139: Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing textiles
- ISO 7500-1: Verification of tension/compression testing machines
- ISO 10012-1: Metrological confirmation of measuring equipment
This standard provides a repeatable, instrumented approach to measuring seam slippage in woven fabrics, helping manufacturers and testers deliver reliable, comparable textile performance data.
Open preview (PDF)Textiles — Determination of the slippage resistance of yarns at a seam in woven fabrics — Part 3: Needle clamp method