KENYA STANDARD  KS 494:2020  
ICS 59.080  
Second   Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2020   
 Specification for knitted vests  and T -
shirts— Specification     
 
 
 
KS 494:2020  
ii © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Moi university –Department of Industrial and Textile Engineering  
National Industrial Training Authority (NITA)  
Ministry of Industrialization and Tra de 
Alpha Knits Ltd  
Technical University of Kenya(TUK)  
Ministry of Health  
Vidyesh H&F Group Ltd  
COTECNA Inspection Kenya  
Spinknit Ltd Nakuru  
Kantoor Brands Inc  Ltd 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION  OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast  of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2020  
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Burea u of Standards 
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing f rom the 
Managing Director.   KENYA STANDARD  KS 494:2020  
ICS 59.080  
Second   Edition  
 
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
  Specification for knitted vests  and T -shirts  
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Popo Road, Off M ombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 Kenya  bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
KS 494:2020  
iv © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee on the Readymade garments under  the 
direction of the Textile Industry Standards Committee and it is in accordance wit h the procedures of the 
Bureau.  
A number of hosiery manufacturers are engaged in fabricating vests from the knitted fabrics manufactured 
elsewhere. This standard is intended to help, the manufacturers in producing quality goods and in 
safeguarding the interests of consumers.  
In the preparation of this standard reference was made to the  following documents:  
IS : 4964 (Part 11) – 1975 Specifi cation for plain knitted cotton vests.  
IS : 4965 (Part 11) – 1975 Specification for interlock knitted cotton vests.  
Acknowledgement is made for the assistance received from these sources.  
 KS 494: 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  v 
  KS 494: 2020    
 
© KEBS 2020– All rights reserved   
 Specification for knitted vests  and T -shirt  
 
1. Scope  
This Kenya Standard prescribes the requirements of knitted vests and T -shirts. This  includes polo shirts, sport 
shirts and any other type of knitted vest or T -shirt.  
 
2. Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents 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 . 
 
KS EAS 220 Specification for Knitted polyester fabric  
EAS 222  Specification for Knitted polyester -cellulosic blended fabric Specification  
EAS 227  Specification Knitted cotton fabric  
KS ISO 8559 -2 Size designation of clothes —Part 2:  Primary and secondary dimension indicators  
KS ISO 3758, Textiles — Care labeling code using symbols  
3. Terms and Definitions  
 
 For the purpose of this standard, the definitions given in  KS 410 and KS 8559,  size designation for clothes  and 
body  measurement procedure and KS  415, Glossary of terms relating to hosiery shall apply.  
Garments – a piece of clothing as T -shirts, polo shirts, sport shirts among others  
 
 
4. Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
4.1.1  Freedom from defects  
The vests shall be free from manufacturing defects, such as mends, ladders,  dropped stitches holes, cuts badly 
sewn neck and armholes, missed stitches and chemical damages.  The vests shall not be over boarded. All the 
accessories of the vest shall be as durable as the vest itself.  
5 Specific requirements  
5.1   Materials  
 
5.1.1  Fabrics   
The fabrics of which the vests are ma de shall conform with the requirements of KS EAS 220, KS EAS 222 and 
KS EAS 227 standards for  knitted fabrics.  
 
5.1.2 Sewing Thread   
The sewing threads used shall comply with the  requirements of KS 479, Specification for sewing thread Parts 
1 and 2.  
 
5.1.3 Seams and Stitches  
 
The seams shall be straight and continuous. The seams shall fit the type of the fabric.  
 
The density of the stitches shall not be less than 3.5 stitches per centimetre.  
All the seams connecting the various parts of the vest shall be reinforced to cover  all the raw edges.   
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
   
6 MARKING  
 
Each garment shall bear a label, sewn on the inside , on which the following particulars shall be clearly and 
indelibly marked:  
 
i. manufacturer's name or trade mark,  
ii. size designation as given in accordance KS ISO 8559 -2 
iii. care instructions as given in accordance with KS ISO 3758  
iv. Country of manufacture   
 
7 PACKING  
 
The garments shall be packed in a suitable package to protect  them from dust, dirt and water.