DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
ICS 61.020 
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                              First Edition 2023  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Textile garments — Specification — Part 3: T-shirts  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
ii © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards  development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for permission  to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community  2023 — All rights reserved  
East African Community  
P.O. Box 1096 , 
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: + 255 27 2 162100  
Fax: + 255 27 2162190  
E-mail: eac@eachq.org  
       Web: www.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . 
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents   Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative referen ces ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 Additional requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2.1  Physical and chemical requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 2 
4.2.2  Dimensions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  3 
5 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
6 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
Annex  A (informative)  Dimensions of t -shirts  ................................ ................................ ................................  4 
Annex  B (informative)  Recommended minimum mass per unit area  ................................ ..........................  7 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  8 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
iv © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements  
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Communi ty has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives fro m the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interes ted parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles a nd procedures for develop ment of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 061, Textiles , textile products 
and accessories . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be sub ject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
EAS 1141 consists of the following parts, under the general title Textile garments — Specification : 
⎯ Part 1: General requirements  
⎯ Part 2: Shirts  
⎯ Part 3: T-shirts  
⎯ Part 4: Skirts and dresses  
⎯ Part 5: Jackets and coats  
⎯ Part 6: Cardigans and sweaters  
⎯ Part 7: Trousers and shorts  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 Textile garments — Specification — Part 3: T-shirts  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for T-shirts  such as  
sports t -shirts, polo, crew neck and vests  
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.  
DEAS 1141 -1, Textile garments — Spec ification — Part 1: General requirements  
ISO 105 -B01, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part B01: Colour fastness to light: Daylight  
ISO 105 -X12, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing  
ISO 139, Textiles — Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing  
ISO 2859 -1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed by 
acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot -by-lot inspection  
ISO 3801, Textiles — Woven fabrics — Determination of mass per unit length and mass per unit area  
ISO 5077 , Textiles — Determination of dimensional change in washing and drying  
ISO 6330 , Textiles — Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing  
ISO 12945 -1, Textiles — Determination of fabric propensity  to surface pilling, fuzzing or matting — Part 1: 
Pilling box method  
ISO 12945 -2, Textiles — Determination of fabric propensity to surface pilling, fuzzing or matting — Part 2: 
Modified Martindale method  
ISO 12947 -2, Textiles — Determination of the abrasio n resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method — Part 
2: Determination of specimen breakdown  
ISO 13938 -2, Textiles — Bursting properties of fabrics — Part 2: Pneumatic method for determination of 
bursting strength and bursting distension  
ISO 16322 -3, Textiles — Determination of spirality after laundering — Part 3: Woven and knitted garments  
ISO 18890, Clothing — Standard method of garment measurement  DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
2 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 8498 and  ISO 8499 and the 
following apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at  http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
T-shirt (or tee -shirt)  
short sleeved, long sleeve or   sleeveless knit -outerwear with or without a color and folded rib tape attached to 
the neck and sometimes to sleeves and bottom  
3.2  
crew tshirt   
type of a t -shirt that has a round or vee neckline with no col lar 
3.3  
polo tshirt  
form of t -shirt with a collar, placket, buttons and an optional pocket  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Additional  requirement s 
T-shirts shall comply with the colourfastness, restricted chemical substances, pH, fibre composition, 
packaging and other  general requirements specified in D EAS 1141-1. 
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Physical and chemical requirements  
T-shirts  or the fabric  used for the manufacture of T-shirts  shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1 
when tested in accordance wit h the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements of T-shirts or the fabric  used to manufacture T -shirts  
S/No  Parametera Requirement  Test method  
i Dimensional change , %, max.  ±6 ISO 5077  
ISO 6330, 
Procedure 6N  
ii Spirality  3 ISO 16 322-3 
iii Bursting strengthb, kPa, m in. 160 ISO 13938 -2 
iv Abrasion resistance at 2  000 rubs  No specimen 
breakdown  ISO 12947 -1 
ISO 12947 -2 
v Piling resistance (500 rubs), min.  4 ISO 12945 -2 
a Recommended minimum values for mass per unit area are in dicated in Annex B for guidance 
purposes only . 
b Use a test area of 50 cm2. 
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  3 
 4.2.2  Dimensions  
The dimensions of t-shirts  are as given in Annex A for guidance purposes . Garment measurements may be 
carried out in accordance with ISO 18890 .  
4.2.3  Number o f stitches  
The density of the stitches shall not be less than 3.5 stitches per centimetre.  
5 Labelling  
T-shirts  shall comply with the labelling requirements in DEAS 1141 -1. 
6 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 2859 -1. DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
4 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(informative) 
 
Dimensions of t-shirts   
Table A.1 and Table A.2 contain dimensions of crew -neck  and polo t -shirts  for guidance purposes only. Figure 
A.1 and Figure A.2  are example s of crew -neck and polo t -shirts to show measurement points.  
 
Figure A.1 — Example of  a crew neck t -shirt  
 
 
Figure A.2 — Example of a polo T-shirt  DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  5 
 Table A.1 — Dimensions of crew neck type T -shirt  
Ref  Description  Dimension  
cm 
Small 
(S)  Medium 
(M)  Large 
(L)  Extra -
large ( XL)  Extra 
extra 
large 
(XXL)  Extra extra e xtra 
large ( XXXL )  
A  ½ chest flat  50  53  56  59  64  66  
B  Full length  68  70  73  75  78  80  
C  ½ sleeve opening  18  19  20  21  22  23  
D  Sleeve length  19.5  20  21  2.5  22.5  23  
E  Armhole (straight)  24  25  27  28  29  30  
F  Neck wid th (seam to 
seam)  18  18  19  19  19.5  20  
G  Neck drop  7.5  7.5  8  8  8  8  
H  Across shoulders  48  51  54  57  59  61  
I  Rib width  2.5  2.5  2.5  2.5  2.5  2.5  
J  Hem  height  2  2  2  2  2  2  
 
Table A.2 – Dimensions of polo type T -shirt  
Ref  Description  Dimension  
cm 
S  M  L  XL  XXL  
A  ½ Chest width - 1” below 
armhole  52  56  60  64  66  
B  Hem bottom  2  2  2  2  2  
C  Front length  74  76  48  80  82  
D  Shoulder to shoulder  47  49.5  52  54  57  
E  Armhole (straight)  24.75   24.75  25.5  26  26.75  
F  Sleeve length  (from shoulder 
seam)  24  24.75  25.5  26  26.75  
G  ½ Cuff/ Sleeve opening  16  17  18  18  19  
H  Collar - point to point  35.75  38.25  40.75  43.25  43.25  
I  Neck circle (closed at neck 
seam)  39.5  42  44.5  47  47  DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
6 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 J  Collar height  8.25  8.25  8.25  8.25  8.25  
K  Collar points  7.5  7.5  7.5  7.5  7.5  
L  Neck width (seam to seam)  18.5  19.25  20  20.75  21  
M  Front neck drop  6  6.5  7  7.5  7.5  
N  Front placket length  15.5  15.5  15.5  15.5  15.5  
O  Front placket width  3.5  3.5  3.5  3.5  3.5  
P  Placket box stitch  0.75  0.75  0.75  0.75  0.75  
Q  Side vents opening  6.25  6.25  6.25  6.25  6.25  
R  Side vent stitch length  7.5  7.5  7.5  7.5  7.5  
S  Side vent double fold width  1  1  1  1  1  
T  Locker patch width  18  19  20  20.5  20.5  
U  Locker patch length  10  10.75  11.5  12  12.5  
V  Cuff height  2.5  2.5  2.5  2.5  2.5  
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex  B 
(informative)  
 
Recommended minimum mass per unit area   
Table B.1 shows minimum mass per uni t area for the different categories of t -shirts  
Table B.1 — Recommended minimum mass per unit area for  crew neck and polo T-shirts  
Mass per unit area, g/m2, min. Requirement  Test method  
Natural 
fibres  Man-made 
and natural 
fibre blends  
Crew -neck (plai n) T-shirt: 
• Lightweight crew neck body fabric  
• Heavyweight crew neck body fabric  
• Neck fabric   
140 
180 
200  
85 
120 
180 
ISO 3801  
Polo t -shirt: 
• Lightweight polo body fabric  
• Heavyweight polo body fabric  
• Collar/cuff fabric   
180 
210 
600 
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023  
8 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
US 1968: 2019, Textiles — Cotton T -shirts — Specification  
 DEAS 1141 -3: 2023    
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved