Tbs                                                  TDC4  (6678) P3 
 
                Second  edition
 
 
DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Textiles – General labelling of all products manufactured from 
textiles  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Foreword  
 
The consumers everywhere are interested in the information pertaining to various requirements of 
textiles such as blend composition, length, width, mass (g/m2), colour fastness, fire resistance, 
shrinkage and care labelling instructions for their subsequent use so that they can make optimum use 
of the textile and get the full value of the price paid by them.  
It is therefore;  very important that information pertaining to these as well as other essential 
requirements are labelled and marked on the consumer textiles so that the interests of the consumers 
are fully safeguarded. This will also help in curbing the m alpractice in the textile trade regarding 
spurious markings which mislead the consumers,  
In addition, certain safety and environment friendly requirements of textiles are essential to provide 
safety to the user and prevent environmental pollution after th eir final disposal. Keeping in view the 
health and safety of the consumers of textiles, many countries of the world have brought out 
regulation which will also help a long way in minimizing of dumping and import of cheap  and 
hazardous textiles in Tanzania  
In the preparation of this Draft Tanzania Standard, assistance was derived from:  
 
JSI: Part 5: 1974, Specification for general labelling of all products manufactured from textiles , 
published by the Jamaican Bureau of Standards.  
IS 15798:2007  Textiles — Requirements for labelling and marking of consumer textiles — 
Specification,  published by the Bureau of Indian Standards.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.  
 Textiles – General labelling of all products manufactured from 
textiles  
 
1 SCOPE  
 
This Draft Tanzania Standard specifi es basic labelling, marking and sapling plan requirements for all 
ready -made garments , woven and knitted fabrics  and other products manufactured from textiles.  
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES  
 
For the purpose of this Draft Tanzania Standard, the following r eferences shall apply:  
TZS 4: Rounding off numerical values  
TZS 22: Textiles — Woven fabrics — Determination of breaking load and extension  
TZS 23: Method for determination of colour fastness of textiles material to artificial light 
(xenon arc lamp)  
TZS 41: Method for evaluating change in colour  
TZS 42: Method for evaluating straining  
TZS 40: Method for determination of colour fastness of textiles material to day light  
TZS 137: Textiles — Determination of dimensional changes of woven and knitted fa brics and 
garments, Machine method  
TZS 44: Textiles — Woven or knitted fabrics — Determination of length and width  
TZS 43: Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Colour fastness to washing: Test 1  
TZS 138: Textiles — Method for determination of colour f astness of textiles material to 
rubbing  
TZS 327:  Textiles  – Binary fibre mixtures – quantitative chemical analysis.  
TZS 691:2001, The General Labelling of all products manufactured from textiles  
3 REQUIREMENTS  
 
All textile fabrics (woven or knitted) shall be labelled and marked with and shall satisfy the following 
requirements.  
 
3.1 Length –The length of fabric when measured as per method given in TZS 44 shall be as declared 
by the manufacturer subject to a toler ance of 5 percent.  
 
3.2 Width –The width of fabric when measured as per method given in TZS 44 shall be as declared by 
the manufacturer. However, this shall be subject to following tolerances:  
a) Woven fabrics: +2/ -1 cm  
b) Knitted fabrics:  ± 2 cm  
 
3.3 Mass per unit area, g/m2) –The mass per unit area of the fabric when measured as per TZS 21  
shall be as declared by the manufacture r. However, a tolerance of +5/ -2.5 percent shall be permitted 
on the declared value. For cotton denim the tolerance on mass shall be ±5 percent.  
 
3.4 Blend Composition  
3.4.1 Silk Textile  Fabrics  — Textile materials containing silk shall be marked as given below on the 
basis of content of silk in Basel ground fabric only when tested as per TZS 327 .  
 a) Pure silk  —A textile material shal l be marked ‘PURE SILK’ if the material comprises of silk 
only subject to manufacturing tolerance up to 5 percent of foreign matter including metallic 
and weighting materials.  
 
b) Blended silk  — The textile material shall be marked ‘BLENDED SILK’ if it conta ins not less 
than 50 percent of silk f ibres. However, a tolerance of ± 3 percent units shall be permitted on 
the declared silk content in the textile material.  
 
c) Part silk  — The textile material shall be marked ‘PART SILK’ if it contains not less than 20 
percent of silk. However, a tolerance of ± 3 percent units shall be permitted on the declared 
silk content in the textile material.  
 
NOTES  
1 All reference to percentage contents mean percentages by mass calculated from the mass of 
materials when in standard condition, namely, their oven dry mass plus the appropriate regain.  
 
2 In all cases the more detailed description or the contents of the material shall be given by 
indicating the percentages of silk and other fibres in descending order used in the manufact ure 
of textile material. However, such a description should not be misleading.  
 
3.4.2 Woollen/Worsted Fabrics –Textile fabrics shall be marked as given below on the basis of 
content of wool fibres when tested by the test method given in TZS 327 . 
 
a) All wool – A textile fabric shall be marked ‘All wool’, if the material comprises of pure new 
wool fibres only subject to the tolerances given below:  
 
1) Manufacturing tolerance up  to 3 percent of inadvertent impurities, and  
2) An allowance up to 5 percent of material other than wool fibres used to provide a 
decorative or ornamentation effect.  
 
b) Blended wool – The textile fabric shall be marked ‘BLENDED WOOL’, if it contains not less 
than 50 percent of wool fibres. However, a  manufacturing tolerance up to ± 3 percent units  on 
wool contents shall be permitted.  
 
c) Part wool – The textile material shall be marked ‘PART WOOL’, if it contains not less than 20 
percent wool fibres. However, a  manufacturing tolerance up to ± 3 percent units on wool 
contents shall be permitted.  
 
NOTES   
1 All reference to the percentage contents mean percentages by mass calculated from the 
mass of materials when in standard condition, namely, their oven dry mass plus the 
appropriate regain.  
 
2 In all cases the more detailed description of the contents of the material shall be given by 
indicating the percentages of the wool and other fibres in descending order used in the 
manufacture of the textile material. However, such a description should not be misleading.  
 
3 The above classification pertains to th e use of pure new wool fibres only. In case the used 
wool/shoddy wool fibres are used for manufacture of fabrics, the material shall also be clearly 
marked as ‘made from shoddy/reused wool’ in addition to above markings.  
 
 
3.4.3  Textile Fabrics Other Than Wool and Silk Fabrics – Textile fabrics other than wool and silk 
fabrics, shall satisfy the blend composition as declared by the m anufacturer with a tolerance of ± 3 
percent units when tested by methods specified in TZS 327 .  
 
3.5 Shrink Resistance – The dimensional changes in both directions on washing of woven fabrics 
shall not exceed 2 percent except for cotton denim for which it shall not exceed 3 percent. For knitted 
fabrics, the dimensional changes on washing shall not exceed 5 percent.  
The dim ensional change shall be tested by the method prescribed in TZS 137  for wov en and knitted 
cotton textiles.   
 However, if the textile fabric is declared as Shrink res istant (or Pre - shrunk), it shall  have dimensional 
stability of ±1 percent except for cotton denim for which the tolerance shall be +3 percent in warp way  
and we ft way  when tested as per  test metho d specified in above mentioned . 
3.6 Colour Fastness Ratings – The fabric shall conform to the colour fastness ratings to all the 
agencies as specified in Table 1 of TZS 23 , TZS 40, TZS 43, and TZS 138 and shall be marked 
‘FAST COLOUR’ .  
4 MARKING  
4.1 Marking of Fabrics  
The marking shall be done by stencilling /labelling at both the free ends of the cloth and shall contain 
the following information:  
a) Name of material and its blend composition, for example, polyester blended shirting fabric 
(67 percent Polyester and 33 percent Viscose);  
b) All wool or Blended wool or Part wool in case of woollen  worsted fabrics and also ‘Made 
from shoddy wool/reused wool’, if applicable;  
c) Pure silk or Blended silk or Part silk and/or Pure Zari silk as applicable  in case of silk 
fabrics;  
d) Mass  per unit area  in (g/m2)  
e) Size and fibre content  
a) Width and length;  
b) Colour f astness rating ; 
c) Care Labelling Instructions using symbols;  
d) Shrinkage percentage, maximum or ‘Pre -shrunk’ or ‘Shrink resistant’, if applicable;  
e) Fire resistant, if applicable;  
f) ECO -Mark, if applicable;  
g) Manufacturer’s name, initials or trade -mark, if any;  
h) Month and year of manufacture;  
i) Country of origin; and  
j) Any other information as required by law in force.  
4.2 Marking of Ready -Made Garments  
A suitable label, woven or printed, shall be fastened to garment at a conspicuous position underside 
of the garment on which the control dimensions of garments along with infor mation  as given in 4.1 as 
applicable ( except 4.1 (e)) shall be provided.  
4.2.1 The label shall be permanent and non -detachable such that colour from the label does not bleed 
into the fabric or ready -made garment.  
4.2.2  The marking of the labels/stencils shall be clearly readable. The height of letters on labels shall 
be minimum 5 m m for the markings given in 4.1 (b), (c), (f), (j), and (k) and for all other letters, the 
minimum height shall be 2 mm. For stencils, the height of letters shall be minimum 10  mm for the 
marking given in 4.1 (b), (c), (f), (j), and (k) and for all other markings, the minimum height shall be 5  
mm. 
5 PACKAGING  
5.1 Garments  
Garment packages shall be so designed as to ensure that the garments reach the consumer in 
satisfactory condition without any damage. Packaging of garments s hall be done in a secured way 
either in bales or in cases or shall be as agreed upon between the buyer and the seller.  
5.2 Fabrics  
The fabrics shall be packed in a secured way or as agreed upon between the buyer and the seller.   
 6 PACKING  
6.1 Fabrics  
The fabric shall be well packed in roll or piece form wrapped in polyethylene film of not less than 40 
microns’ thickness in clean and dry state free from stains, grease etc.  
6.2 Garments  
The garment shall be packed in polyethylene or polypropylene bags and sealed and then kept in box, 
as required by the buyer.  However, each box shall also be  marked with the information required at 
4.2. 
7 SAMPLING AND CRITERIA FOR CONFORMITY  
7.1 Lot  
The number of pieces of the same type and composition of fabric or ready -made garment delivered to 
a buyer against one dispatch note shall constitute a lot .  
7.2 The number of pieces to be selected at random shall be according to col. 2 and 3 of Table 1.  
 
Table 1 Sample Size  
(Clauses 3.4.2 , 3.4.3.1 and 3.4.3.2 ) 
S/N Lot size Sample size  Permissible number of Non -
conforming pieces  Sub-sample 
size Sub-sub 
sample size  
1 Up to 50  5 0 3 2 
2 51 - 150 8 0 5 3 
3 151 - 300 13 1 5 3 
4 301 – 500 20 1 8 5 
5 501 - 1000  48 3 10 7 
6 1001 and above  50 3 10 7 
 
7.3 Number of Tests and Criteria for Conformity  
7.3.1 The number of pieces to be selected for care labelling symbols, length, width, mass and control 
dimensions (in case of garments)  shall be in accordance with col. 3  of Table 1. For shrinkage 
resistance, co lour fastness and blend composition, the number of pieces selected shall be in 
accordance with col. 5 of Table 1. For all other requirements specified in this Draft Tanzania 
Standard,  the number of pieces se lected shall be as given in col. 6of Table 1.  
7.3.2 All the pieces selected from the lot shall be tested for all requirements as specified in 3 or 4. A 
piece shall be declared defective, if it does not meet any of the requirement specified in 3 and 4. The 
lot shall be declared conforming to the require ments of this  Draft Tanzania  Standard if the total 
number of defective pieces does no t exceed the value given in col. 4  of Table 1.