ICS 97.160  
 
Reference number  
DRS 501: 2022  
© RSB 2022  
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
501 
 
First edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
Terry towelling  and terry weave articles — 
Specification  
   
DRS 501: 2022  
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2022 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
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KK 15 Rd, 49  
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Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   CD nnn: 2022  
iii                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
total number of terry articles included in the contract of supply  ................................ ................................ .. 2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
4.2 Specif ic requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
4.2.1  Hems  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  3 
4.2.2  Selvedges  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
4.2.3  Stitches and  stitchings  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  3 
4.2.4  Specific requirements for fabric  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
4.2.5  Dimensions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  5 
4.2.6  Restricted colourants ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
5 Pack aging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
6 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
6.1 Individual terry article  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  6 
6.2 Bulk container  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  6 
7 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  7 
Annex  A (informative)  Suitable yarn linear densities  ................................ ................................ ....................  8 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of  Terry ratio or pile to ground ratio  ................................ ..................  9 
Annex  C (informative)  Notes to purc hasers  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 10 
 DRS 501: 2022  
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword   
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adop ted by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards.  
CD nnn was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 029, Textile and leather technology . 
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standards:  
1) ARS 1573:2019 , Textiles — Woven cotton and similar household fabrics and articles  
The assistance derived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Textile and leather technology  
(RSB/TC 029) in the preparation of this standard.  
DIKAM Ltd  
GBF Leather and Art promoters Ltd  
HE works Rwanda silk L td 
Kigali Garment Centre Ltd (KGC)   
LIXIL SATO  
Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM)  
MULTIPHAR UBIPHARM Rwanda Ltd  
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA)  
Sunbelt textiles Rwanda Ltd  
University of Rwanda -College of Scien ce and Technology (UR -CST)  CD nnn: 2022  
v                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 UTEXRWA Ltd  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  
 DRS 501: 2022  
1                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Terry towelling  fabric  and terry weave articles  — Specification   
1 Scope  
This Draft  Rwanda Standard  specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for woven  cotton  terry 
towelling fabrics and terry weave articles intended  for domestic and institutional use.  
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
RS ARS 1551 , Textiles and textile merchandise — Terms and definitions  
EAS 256, Textiles — Method for determination of scouring loss in grey and finish ed cotton materials  
RS ISO 105 -C10, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part C10: Colour fastness to washing with soap or 
soap  and soda  
RS ISO 105 -X12, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing  
RS ISO 105 -B02, Colour fa stness to artificial light: Xenon arc fading lamp test   
RS ISO 105 -D01, Colour fastness to dry cleaning using perchloroethylene solvent  
RS ISO 139 , Textiles — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing  
RS ISO 1833 -11, Textiles — Quantitative chemical analysis — Part 11: Mixtures of certain cellulose fibres with 
certain other fibres (method using sulfuric acid)  
RS ISO 3071 , Textiles — Determination of pH of aqueous extract  
RS ISO 3758, Care labelling code using symbols  
RS ISO 3759, Textiles — Preparation, marking and measuring of fabric specimens and garments in tests for 
determination of dimensional change  
RS ISO 3801, Textiles — Woven fabrics — Determination of mass per unit length and mass per unit area  
RS ISO 5077, Textiles — Determination of dimensional change in washing and drying  
ISO 6330, Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing   
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  2 
 ISO 7211 -1, Textiles — Woven fabrics — Construction — Methods of analysis — Part 1: Methods for the 
presentation of a w eave diagram and plans for drafting, denting and lifting  
RS ISO 7211 -2, Textiles — Woven fabrics — Construction — Methods of analysis — Part 2: Determination of 
number of threads per unit length  
RS ISO 8498 ,  Woven fabrics — Description of defects — Vocabu lary 
ISO 13015, Woven fabrics — Distortion — Determination of skew and bow  
RS ISO 13934 -1, Textiles — Tensile properties of fabrics — Part 1: Determination of maximum force and 
elongation at maximum force using the strip method  
ISO 14362 -3, Textiles — Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants — 
Part 3: Detection of the use of certain azo colorants, which may release 4 -aminoazobenzene  
ISO 14362 -1, Textiles — Methods for determination of certain aromatic am ines derived from azo colorants — 
Part 1: Detection of the use of certain azo colorants accessible with and without extracting the fibres  
ISO 16373 -1, Textiles — Dyestuffs — Part 1: General principles of testing coloured textiles for dyestuff 
identificatio n 
ISO 16373 -2, Textiles — Dyestuffs — Part 2: General method for the determination of extractable dyestuffs 
including allergenic and carcinogenic dyestuffs (method using pyridine -water)  
ISO 16373 -3, Textiles — Dyestuffs — Part 3: Method for determination o f certain carcinogenic dyestuffs 
(method using triethylamine/methanol)  
ISO 20158,  Textiles — Determination of water absorption time and water absorption capacity of textile fabrics  
RS ISO 22198, Textiles — Fabrics — Determination of width and length  
ISO 24 153, Random sampling and randomization procedures  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions given in RS ARS 1551  and the follow ing apply .  
3.1 
bulk 
total number of terry articles  included in the contract of supply  
3.2 
terry fabric (woven)  
 DRS 501: 2022  
3                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 warp -pile fabric in which loops are created, without positive assistance, by varying the relative positions of the 
fell and the reed. A high tension is applied to the ground warp and a very low tension to the pile warp  
3.3 
terry ratio  
length of the pile yarn removed divided by the length of the sample  
 
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1   The fabric used in the manufacture of the terry fabric and articles shall be woven entirely.   
4.1.2  Terry fabric and articles shall be made in accordance with sound manufacturing practice from clean, 
evenly -spun or dyed yarns. When visually examined, the fabric shall be free from spinning, weaving and 
processing defects as described in RS ISO 8498.  
4.1.3  The bleached fabric shall have a full bleach finish and shall be free from blue ing or optical whitening 
agents . In case of dyed fabric, the fabric shall be thoroughly scoured prior to dyeing so that the maximum 
absorbency is obtained. The dyeing sha ll be uniform without stains, streaks, patches, etc,. and shall match the 
required shade.  
4.1.4  Selvedges shal l be stra ight and evenly formed with no raw edges visible on the finished terry article.  
4.1.5  Sewing thread shall be of similar shade as the towel fabric.  
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Hems    
Finished hems at each end of a towel s hall have a width of at least 15 mm and a turn -in of at least 10  mm. 
Finished hems along the sides of terry article  with split or cut selvedges shall have a width of at leas t 6 mm 
and a turn -in of at least 3 mm.  
4.2.2  Selvedges  
When measured in accordance with RS ISO 22198 , the width of a finished selvedge shall be not less than 5 
mm and not greater than 13 mm.  
4.2.3  Stitches and stitchings  
Stitching shall be of even tension and w hen visually examined, h ems shall be shall be uniformly sewn with a 
minimum of 4 stitches per 1  cm. and the loose ends shall be finished securely and neatly.   
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  4 
 4.2.4  Specific requirements for f abric  
The fab ric of different types of terry article shall comply with  the requirements given in table 1, when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for f abric  
SN
o. Parameter  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Type a 
ii.  T1 T 2 b T3 c T4 T5 
iii.  Fibre  compositon , % 
cotton  100 
 RS ISO 
1833 -11 
iv.  Non-fibrous material  
conten t,%, max.  2 
 EAS 256  
v.  Weave  d 3 pick terry  ISO 7211 -1 
vi.  Mass per unit area , g/m2, 
min. 260 1100  320 260 385 RS ISO 3801  
vii.  Number of 
threads per 
decimetre  e, 
min. Ends  189 RS ISO 
7211 -2 viii.  Picks  181 
ix.  Yarn count  
(in number 
English)    Warp  
 19 24 19 20 25 RS ISO 
7211 -2 
x.  Weft f 12 11 14 15 16 
xi.  Breaking 
strength , N, 
min. Weft 250 325 
 250 
 250 
 325 RS ISO 
13934 -1 
 xii.  Warp   280 400 380 280 400 
xiii.  Weft Bow 
and  
skewness , 
%, max.  Mean  3 ISO 13015  
At any one 
place  7 
xiv.  Dimensional stability ,  % ±3 ISO 6330 
(Procedure 
4N) 
RS ISO 5077 
and RS ISO 
3759  
xv.  pH 6-8.5  RS ISO 3071  
xvi.  Pile-to-length ratio , min.  
 2.6 : 1  4.7 : 1  3.2 : 1 3.4 : 1  4.5 : 1  Annex  B 
xvii.  Absorption rate , s, max  10  ISO 20158  
xviii.  Colourfastness of dyed articles to : 
xix.  Washing , 
rating, min.  Change in 
colour  4 
 RS ISO 105 -
C10 DRS 501: 2022  
5                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 xx.  Staining of 
adjacent 
fabrics  4  
 
 
 
xxi.  Rubbing , 
rating, min  Change in 
colour  4 RS ISO 105 -
X12 
  Staining  4 
 Light , rating, 
min.  5 RS ISO 105 -
B02 
 Cuprammonium  fluidity , g, 
max.  10 ASTM D629  
 Terry ratio  (pile to  
ground ratio)  Tolerance: ± 5 % on the stated terry ratio  Annex C  
 
a Designation by the type number is restricted to fabrics that comply with the aboven requirements.  
b Type T2 is intended for the manufacture of bathmats only.  
c Type T3 is intended for dressing gowns only.  
d Woven one ground end and one pile end alterna tely, or two ground ends and two pile ends alternately.  
e Suitable yarn li near densities are given in A nnex A.  
f Subject to a tolerance of ±10 %.  
g When so required.  
 
4.2.5  Dimensions  
When measured in accordance with RS ISO 22198  the mean width and length of the towel shall  be as agreed 
to between the manufacturer and purchaser or as declared by the manufacturer subject to the tolerance of ± 2 
% from the dimensions declared on the label.  The recommended dimensions are given in Table 2.   
Table 2—Reco mmended dimensions for terry articles  
Terry  article  Fabric type  Dimensions  
Bib  
Face cloth  
Guest towel  
Hand towel  
Bath mat  
 Bath towel  
Bath sheet  
Napkin  
Hooded  baby towel  T36 or T31  
T36, T43 or T31  
T43 
T43 
T 34 
T43 
T43 
T36 or T 31 
T43  20 x 30 or 40 x45 
 25 x 25 or 30 х 30  
30 x 55 or 40 х 60  
 50 x 100 or 50 x 11 0  
55 x 75   
70 x 135 or 75 х 150  
100 х 175  
60 x 60 or 70 x 70  
90 x 90  
 
4.2.6  Restricted colourants  
4.2.6.1  When tested in accordance with ISO 14362 -1 and ISO 14362 -3. The dyed terry articles shall be 
free from aromatic amines.   
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 4.2.6.2  Dyestuff classes shall be identified in accordance with ISO 16373 -1. When tested in accordance 
with ISO 16373 -2 and ISO 16373 -3, the dyed terry articles shall be free from carcinogenic dyestuffs.  
5 Packagi ng  
5.1 Terry towel shall be individually folded and packaged to prevent contamination and damage during 
storage and transportation.   
5.2 Terry articles other than towels shall be packaged in bulk as agreed to between the manufacturer and 
the purchaser.  
5.3 Only terry articles  of the same type, size, colour(s) and finish shall be securely packed together in a bulk 
container.  
6 Labelling  
6.1 Individual terry article  
The following information shall appear in legible and indelible marking on a woven ty pe label, securely 
attached to an edge or on top (near one of the corners) o f each terry article:   
a) name of terry article  as “Bib” or “Face cloth” or “Guest  towel” or “Hand towel” or “Bath mat” or 
“Bath towel” or “Bath sheet” or “Kitchen napkin” or “Hooded baby towel ”; 
b) manufacturer’s address, name or  registered  trade mark or both;  
c) width and length  of the terry article  in centimetres;  
d) the fibre composition  and proportion ;  
e) mass per unit area, in g/m2 
f) care labelling in accordance with RS ISO  3758 ; and 
g) country of manufacture.  
6.2 Bulk container  
The following information shall appear in legible and indelible marking on the outside of each bulk container:  
a) manufacturer’s  address,  name or registered trade mark  or both ; 
b) dimensions of the terry articles ; 
c) number o f terry articles ; DRS 501: 2022  
7                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 d) batch number;  
e) colour of terry article;  and  
f) country of manufacture . 
7 Sampling   
7.1 Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 24153  and the samples shall be conditioned as per RS 
ISO 139.  
7.2 In the case of multi -coloured samples, all colours shall be represented by the specimens selected for 
colour fastness testing in accordance with Table 2.  
 
 
 
 
  
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  8 
 Annex  A 
(informative ) 
 
Suitable yarn linear  densities  
Table B.1 Suitable yarn linear densities  
Type  Tex a 
Warp  Weft  
Ground  Pile 
T31 25 × 2  
 36 74 
T34 25 × 2  
 160 74 
T35  
 50 50 65 
T36  
 50 42 42 
T43  50 36 65 
a Two-ply yarns of equivalent resultant linear density may be used.  
 
 DRS 501: 2022  
9                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Annex  B 
(normative ) 
 
Determination of  Terry ratio or pile to ground ratio  
B-1 Cut ou t a 10 cm × 10 cm specimen from the fabri c and condition the specimen in accordance with RS ISO 
139. Remove warp  threads from the specimen so as to provide 10  threads each from the specimen of ground 
warp  and of terry warp. Determine the mean  straightened length of each group of 10 threads.  
Express the terry  ratio as the ratio of the mean straightened length of the terry warp threads to  the mean 
straightened length of the ground  warp threads.  
TR =𝐿
𝐿𝑜 
   
Where 
TR is the terry ratio;  
L is the length in millimetres of the pile yarn removed from the sample length;  
L○ is the length in millimetres of the sample.  
 
  
©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved                  10 
 Annex  C 
(informative)  
 
Notes to purchasers  
A.1 In addition to data clearly describing the product ordered, the following requirements shall be specified 
in tender invitations and in each order or contract:  
 
a)  intended use (i.e. domestic  or institutional) ; 
b)  finish (e.g. piece -dyed,  yarn-dyed or bleached) ; 
c) colour, in the case of dyed terry jacqua rd articl es; 
d)  when relevant, the colour(s) of the pattern design; the colour(s) and width of stripe(s); the colour,  
e) size and placement of in  woven lettering; and  the colours of corded headings;  
f) type of article ; 
g)  dimensions ; 
h) whether  cupra mmonium fluidity is required;  
i) j number of articles pack ed together in a bulk container;  
j) additional markings, if required;  
A.2  The order or contract that specifies the requirements listed in A.1 shall be made available to  inspection 
representatives for inspection purposes when so required . 
 
 
 
 
  DRS 501: 2022  
11                ©RSB 2022 - All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 7056 : 1989 , Cotton towelling and towels — Specification   
[2] EN 14697 : 2005, Textiles - Terry towels and terry towel fabrics - Specification and methods of test  
 
 
 DRS 501: 2022  
 
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