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Quality controlled standards and test kits for laboratories running chemical testing on textiles and garments according to REACH restrictions and recognised ISO methods.
Chemical testing on textiles is not a single discipline. It covers dye analysis, plasticiser screening, metal release and finishing treatment monitoring, each with its own method, its own matrix and its own regulatory threshold. The catalogue below is organised into three product lines to match those needs directly.
Ask a laboratory manager what textile testing means and the answer depends entirely on where they sit in the supply chain. An import control laboratory running compliance checks on garments from outside the EU faces a different set of priorities than a manufacturer validating its own dyeing process, even if both end up using the same analytical method.
What they share is the need for reliable reference materials. Quantitative chemical testing only works when you have something to measure against. A chromatographic method for aromatic amines released by azo dyes needs a standard with a known concentration and a traceable certificate. A nickel release test needs a validated kit designed for the specific matrix and extraction conditions the method requires. Without those materials, there is no calibration, no validated result and no defensible compliance claim.
The restricted substances laboratories are most commonly working with in this sector fall into three broad groups. Aromatic amines from azo colorants sit at the top of the list, regulated across the EU, the UK and most major import markets, with specific limits that require quantitative confirmation. Phthalate plasticisers appear in synthetic textiles and coatings, subject to concentration limits in articles with prolonged skin contact. Nickel and formaldehyde round out the picture, requiring routine monitoring in both production environments and finished goods inspection.
Each of those testing scenarios maps to a different part of this catalogue.
Textile chemical restrictions are not a single framework. They are a patchwork of legislation that overlaps across markets, and the testing requirements that follow from them depend on which substances are in scope, which end use applies and where the product is being sold.
For laboratories working with products traded in the EU, REACH Annex XVII is the primary reference. Entry 43 restricts azo colorants that can cleave to release certain aromatic amines above 30 mg/kg in textile and leather articles. Entry 27 covers nickel release from articles in prolonged direct skin contact. Entries 51 and 52 set limits on specific phthalates in articles intended for skin contact, including textiles.
Each of these entries defines a threshold. Verifying that a product stays below it requires a calibrated analytical method, and a calibrated method requires reference materials with documented, traceable concentration values.
The test methods most commonly used in this sector are specific about what calibration materials look like. EN ISO 14362 covers azo dyes in textile fibres. EN 1811 defines the reference test for nickel release. EN ISO 14184 covers formaldehyde. In each case, concentration values need to be documented, uncertainty needs to be stated and traceability needs to be demonstrated.
A reference material that cannot show its working is not a reference material in any meaningful sense. It is a solution of unknown reliability.
A textile testing standard is a reference material containing a known concentration of a target compound, such as an aromatic amine, a phthalate or a metal ion, used to calibrate analytical instruments or validate test methods. The assigned concentration value needs to be traceable and accompanied by a stated measurement uncertainty for the result to hold up in a compliance context.
The substances most commonly requiring reference materials in textile testing under REACH include the aromatic amines listed in Annex XVII Entry 43, released by certain azo colorants, phthalates covered under Entries 51 and 52, and nickel under Entry 27. Each has a specific concentration limit that must be verified through a calibrated quantitative method.
Yes. If a method requires a compound that is not in the catalogue, CIFGA can produce it. Custom standards go through the same production process as the standard range, with the same analytical methods and the same documentation. Contact the team with your specifications to confirm feasibility.
Quality controlled standards and test kits for textile chemical testing, including azo dyes, nickel and formaldehyde test restricted substances under REACH.
Some additives used along the fashion value chain to provide plasticizing, solvent or fixing properties, have a regulated use due to their potential adverse effects due to their mode of action as endoncrine disruptors and carcinogenic and mutagenic effects.
Field test kits for nickel and formaldehyde screening in textiles. No equipment needed. Up to 50 determinations per kit.
Add references to your quote as you browse, or contact our team to discuss your analytical requirements.
