ICS 59.080.01  
W09  
                                                                   GB 
National Standard of the People’s Republic of China  
 
GB 18401 ---XXXX  
Replac es GB 18401 ---2003  
 
 
 
 
National General Safety Technical Code for Textile Products  
 
(Draft  version for review)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Published XX /XX/200X                               Implemented XX/XX/200X  
 
Published by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine 
of the People’s Republic of China; S tandardis ation Administration of the People’s Republic 
of China  
GB 18401 ---XXXX  
 Preface  
 
All contents of this Standard are compulsory.  
 
This Standard replaces GB 18401 -2003 National General Safety Technical Code for Textile 
Products . The main technical differences betwe en this Standard and GB 18401 -2003 are listed 
below:  
 
 ‘Home use’ has been added to the scope  of application , and ‘Use’ and ‘Except when 
otherwise agreed  by both demand and supply parties’ have been deleted;  
 2 quoted standards have been  added to chapter 2 ; GB/T 17592.1 has been replaced with GB 
17592;  
 Infant age has been altered from 24 months to 3 6 months;  
 Product 4.1 categori sation from A,  B and C coding has been changed to a verbal description;  
 The pH value in category B of Table 1 has been changed from 4 .0~7.5 to 4.0~8.5;  
 Products in Footnotes a and b of Table 1 have been confirmed to be ‘non -end products’;  
 Footnote b of Table 1 has been updated to include ‘not required for original colour ed and 
bleached products; not required for traditional handcrafted products such as tie dyed, wax 
printed products; only baby /child ren products are to be tested  for colour fastness to saliva ’; 
 Footnote c of Table 1 has been updated , with the limit value for decomposable carcinogenic 
arylamine set to  20mg/kg;  
 Note 5.2 has been updated to include ‘regulation s governing exemption from testing for 
colour fastness  to perspiration for hanging  products such as curtain s’; 
 Note 5.3 has been updated to include ‘product categori sation by piece’, and the 80  cm 
measurement in the Note has been changed to 100 cm ; 
 The examination limit set in 6.8 has been deleted;  
 Footnote 7.4 has been added to the main texts;  
 A.11, A.12 and A.13 have been added to Appendix A, and A.9 has been changed to ‘rag 
crafted products’;  
 Some samples in Appendix B have been adjusted;  
 ‘4-Ammoazobenzene’ has been added to the list in appendix C;   Appendix D has been added.  
 
This Standard only specifies  requirements for the general safety of textile products ; other 
requirements should adhere to the relevant standards.  
Appendix C of this Standard is regulatory , while Appendices  A, B and D are for reference . 
This Standard was proposed by the  China National Textile and Apparel Council.  
This Standard is specifically managed by the National Technical Committee on Textile s of the 
Standardis ation Administration of China . 
This Standard was drafted by the Textile Industry Standardis ation Research Institute and the China 
Textile Quality Supervision and Testing Centre.  
This Standard was drafted by: Zheng Yuying, Xu Lu  and Wang Baoju n. 
Historical publication of this standard: GB 18401 -2001, GB 18401 -2003.       
GB 18401 -XXXX  
 
National General Safety Technical Code for Textile Products  
 
1. Scope  
  This Standard defines the  general safety technical requirements for textile products, test 
methods, testing, implementation and supervision principles. Other requirements for textile 
products should adhere to the relevant standards.  
  This Standard is applicable to the manufactur e and sale of garment, decoration s and household 
textile product s. Products for export should adhere to the clauses in the respective agreements.  
  Note: Products listed in Appendix A do not fall under the categories of this Standard, unless otherwise indicated 
by the government.  
 
2. Cited n ormative documents  
  The cla uses listed below have become clauses of this Standard due to their being quoted in this 
Standard. The amended  version s (not including contents that have been corrected) or modified 
version of all quoted documents which are dated shall not apply to this St andard. However, it is 
recommended that both parties to any agreement reached based on this Standard investigate the 
feasibility of using the latest version of these documents. The latest versions of any documents 
with no specified dates shall apply to thi s Standard.  
  GB/T 2912.1   Textile formaldehyde determination. Part I: free formaldehyde and hydrolyzed 
formaldehyde (hydro -extraction method) (GB/T 2912.1 -XXXX, ISO 
14184.1:1998, MOD)  
  GB/T 3920   Textile colour fastness test. Colour rub-fastness test. (G B/T 3920 -2008, ISO 
105-X12:2001, MOD)  
  GB/T 3922   Textile colour fastness to perspiration test method (GB/T 3922 -1995, eqv ISO 
105-E04:1994)  
  GB/T 5713   Textile colour fastness test. Colour fastness to water resistance  test . (GB/T 
5713 -1997, eqv ISO 105 -E01:1994)  
  GB/T 7573   Textile determination of pH value of hydro -extraction liquid. (GB/T 
7573 -XXXX, ISO 3071:2005, MOD)  
  GB/T 17592  Textile determination of forbidden azo dyes.  
  GB/T 18886  Textile colourfastness test. Colour fastness to saliva.  
  GB/T  23344  Textile determination of 4 -Aminoazobenzene  
 
3. Terminology  and definitions  
 
  The following terminology  and definitions are applicable to this Standard.  
 
3.1 
  Textile products  
  Products whose main materials comprise natural and chemical fib res, processed using 
procedures including reeling, knitting, and dyeing, combined with stitching and compounding 
processes. Examples include yarn and textile  and finished products  thereof . 
 3.2 
  General safety specification  
  Fundamental specifications required  to ensure fabric products are not harm ful to human health.  
3.3 
  Textile products for infants  
  Textile products that are worn or used by infants at/ below 36 month s of age.  
3.4 
  Textile products with direct contact to skin  
  Textile products with large a reas in direct contact with human skin when worn or used.  
3.5 
  Textile products without  direct contact to s kin 
  Textile products with little or no area in direct contact with human skin when worn or used.  
 
4. Product categoris ation  
 
4.1 
Products are sort ed by end use  into three categories : 
 Textile products for infants  
 Textile products with direct contact to skin  
 Textile products without  direct contact to s kin 
4.2 
Products that can only be used after further processing by the customer (such as: cover mater ials, 
yarn) should be categoris ed in accordance with their end use.  
 
5. Requirements  
 
5.1 
General technical safety specifications for textile products are sorted into three categories: A, B 
and C categories  - see Table 1. 
Table 1  
 
Item A B C 
formaldehyde % (mg/kg)         20 75 300 
pH valuea 4.0~7.5  4.0~8.5  4.0~9.0  
water-resistant 
(colour 
deterioration, 
staining)  3-4 3 3 Dyeing 
colourfastnessb 
(level),  
  
 colour fastness to 
acidic 
perspiration 
(colour 
deterioration, 3-4 3 3 staining)  
colourfastness to 
alkali 
perspi ration 
(colour 
deterioration, 
staining)  3-4 3 3 
colour fastness to 
Coulomb friction  4 3 3 
colourfastness to 
saliva  4 - - 
Peculiar odour  n/l 
Decomposable carcinogenic 
arylamine dye c (mg/kg)  Forbidden  
a The pH value can be adjusted to 4.0~10.5  for non -end products that must under go wet 
processing in  further processing procedures . 
b Not appli cable  to: non -end products that must under go washing and fading processes, products 
that are of original colour or bleached products; traditional handcrafted produc ts such as tie dyed  
or wax printed products. Only baby/children products need to be tested  for colourfastness to 
saliva.  
c Please see appendix C  for list of decomposab le carcinogenic arylamine dyes , limit value: 
 20 mg/kg . 
 
5.2 
Textile products for infan ts should comply with requirements in category A;  products in direct 
contact with skin should compl y with requirements in category B; products not in direct contact 
with skin should at least comply with requirements in category C ; of these, testing for 
colourfastness to perspiration  of hanging and decorative products such as curtains is not required.  
5.3 
Textile products for infants should be labelled  ‘products for infants’. Other products must be 
labelled  with explanation s as to which general safety techni cal specifications (such as category A, 
B or C) they comply with. Products should be labelled  to a single category in accordance to their 
component parts . 
Note: Products normally suitable for children below a height of 100  cm can be deemed as textile produ cts for 
infants.  
 
6. Test method  
 
6.1 Determination of formaldehyde should be performed in conformance with GB/T 2912.1.  
6.2 Determination of pH value should be performed in conformance with GB/T 7573.  
6.3 Determination of water resistance should be perfor med in conformance with GB/T 5713.  
6.4 Determination of colour fastness to acid/alkali perspiration should be performed in 
conformance with GB/T 3922.  
6.5 Determination of colour fastness to coulomb friction should be performed in conformance with 
GB/T 3920.  
6.6 Determination of colour fastness to saliva should be performed in conformance with GB/T 18886.  
6.7 Peculiar odour . 
  Peculiar odour is determined  through the olfaction method, to be performed by professionals 
with proper training and assessment.  
 This determination process should be performed immediately  after opening the sample . The 
process should be conducted in an environment that is free of peculiar odours . The test performer 
should wash their hands and wear gloves, then hold the sample close to their nostril s, and carefully 
smell the smell borne by the sample. In the event that one or several smells including mould, 
high-boiling range fossil fuel s (such as petrol, kerosene), fishy smell s or aromatic hydrocarbon s 
are noticed , the sample shall be dete rmined to ‘have a peculiar odour ; the type of smell should also 
be recorded. Otherwise, the sample sh all be determined to ‘have no peculiar odour ’. 
 The determination process  shall be performed by t wo persons , and the result confirmed by the 
consisten cy of  the results from the two testers . If the results are inconsistent, one further tester 
shall perform the determination process, and the final result sh all be confirmed by the two 
consistent results out of the three persons.  
6.8 Determination of decomposabl e carcinogenic arylamine dye should be performed in 
conformance with GB/T 17592 and GB/T 23344.  
  Note: in general, GB/T 17592  is first applied ; when aniline and/or 1,4 -phenylenediamines are found, GB/T 
23344  is then applied . 
 
7. Determination principles  
 
7.1 Representative samples should be randomly selected from every batch of products by category 
and colour, and one sample is then selected for each different colour within every category.  
7.2 Individual goods should be sampled at a minimum distance of 2 m away from one end, and the 
sample should be a whole piece with a length no less than 0.5 m; sampling of garments or other 
products should satisfy the requirements of the determination process.  
7.3 Following sample  select ion, the goods should be sealed such that they are airproof. No action 
should be taken. The relevant sampling technique can be found in the sampling manual  in 
Appendix D. 
7.4 An assessment should be performed by product categor y in accordance with T able 1. If the 
results of the product dete rmination all satisfy the corresponding requirements in Table 1 (all 
components of products with two or more components should satisfy the corresponding 
requirements in Table 1), these samples will then conform to the general safety technical 
specification s; otherwise they will fail to do so.  No d etermination process is required for small 
components with a total weight of less than 1% of the whole product that come into contact with 
skin either directly or non -directly . 
7.5 If the selected samples are all conformant , the batch of products sh all be determined to be 
conformant with the general safety technical specifications. I n the event of any non -conformant 
samples, the product category or colour represented by the sample sh all be determined to be 
non-confo rmant . 
 
8. Implementation and supervision  
 
8.1 Entities and individuals engaged in textile product research, production and trading  shall 
strictly implement this Standard  in line with the Standardisation Law of the People's Republic of China  and the Regula tions for the Implementation of the Standardisation Law of the People's 
Republic of China . The production, sale or importation of p roducts that do not comply with this 
Standard are forbidden.  
8.2 In line with the Standardis ation Law of the People's Republi c of China  and the Regulations for 
the Implementation of the Standardis ation Law of the People's Republic of China , any entit y or 
individual is entitled to file a report , appeal or complai nt against actions in breach of this Standard.  
8.3 The government shall mainly use the spot-check supervision and examination method for 
textile products  in line with the Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China . 
8.4 Procedures such as product authentication related to the general safety of textile products shall 
adhere to the relevant national law and regulations.  
 
9. Legal responsibility  
  Relevant laws and regulations such as the Standardis ation Law of the People's Republic of 
China  and the Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China  shall prevail and provide the 
means for punishment  for actions in breach of this Standard .  
GB 18401 -XXXX  
Appendix A  
(For reference ) 
List of textile products not included in the categories of this Standard  
 
A.1 Textile products for c onstruction use such as geotextile s, water proof linoleum ground cloth, 
etc. 
A.2 Industrial textile products such as papermaking blanketry, awning  cloth, filtrate cloth, and 
insulated textiles , etc. 
A.3 Agricultural textile products such as soil -less cultivation ground cloth, etc.  
A.4 Specia l protection products such as gas proof, radiation proof, high temperature endurance 
products , etc. 
A.5 String and net products such as fishing net, cables, and climbing  cables, etc.  
A.6 Packaging products such as sack ing and parcel packaging, etc. 
A.7 Medical products such as medicated gauze and bandage s, etc.  
A.8 Cloth handcrafted or soft toys  
A.9 Cloth handcrafted p roducts  
A.10 Outdoor products such as cloth for advertising light box es, awning cloth s and tent s, etc.  
A.11  Sanitary products that are dispos able in nature  
A.12 Umbrellas, shoes, suitcases or backpacks, etc.  
A.13 Carpets   
GB 18401 -XXXX  
Appendix B  
(For reference ) 
Sample textile product categoris ation s 
 
Table B.1 shows example s of product categoris ation used in the statements. Products not liste d in 
table B.1 should be categoris ed in accordance with the product’s end use.  
 
Table B.1  
Type  Typical examples  
Textile products for infants  Nappie s, underwear, bib s, pyjama s, glove s, 
socks, overclothes, hats, bedding.  
Textile products in direct contact with skin  Underwear, shirt s, skirt s, trousers, socks, bed 
sheet s, duvet cover s, towel s, swimsuit s, hats. 
Textile products not in direct contact with skin  Overclothes, skirt s, trousers, curtain s, bed 
linen, wall cloth.  
  
GB 18401 -XXXX  
Appendix C  
(Compuls ory) 
List of decomposable carcinogenic arylamine s 
 
Table C.1  
 
No. English name  Chinese name  Chemi cal extracts  
No. 
1 4-Aminobipheny1  
4-  92-67-1 
2 Benzidine  
  92-87-5 
3 4-Chloro -o-toluidine  
4--  95-69-2 
4 2-Naphthylamine  
2- 91-59-8 
5 o-Aminoazotoluene  
  97-56-3 
6 5-Nitro -o-toluidine  
5- -  99-55-8 
7 p-Chloroaniline  
  106-47-8 
8 2,4-Diaminoanisole  
2,4-  615-05-4 
9 4,4’-Diaminobiphenymethane  
4,4’-  101-77-9 
10 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine  
3,3’-  91-94-1 
11 3,3’-Dimethoxybenzidine  
3,3’-  119-90-4 
12 3,3’-Dimethylbenzidine  
3,3’-  119-93-7 
13 3,3’-Dimethy1 -4,4’-diaminobiphenylmthane  
3,3’--4,4’-
  838-88-0 
14 p-Cresidine  
2- -5-  120-71-8 
15 4,4’-Methylene -bis-(2-chloroaniline)  
4,4’- --(2-
) 101-14-4 
16 4,4’-Oxydianiline  
4,4’-  101-80-4 17 4,4’-Thiodianiline  
4,4’-  139-65-1 
18 o-Toluidine  
  95-53-4 
19 2,4-Toluylendiamine  
2,4-  95-80-7 
20 2,4,5 -Trimethylaniline  
2,4,5 -  137-17-7 
21 o-Anisidine  
  90-04-0 
22 4-Aminoazobenzene  
4-  60-09-3 
23 2,4-Xylidine  
2,4-  95-68-1 
24 2,6-Xylidine  
2,6-  87-62-7 
  
GB 18401 -XXXX  
Appendix D  
(For r eference ) 
Sampling manual  
 
D.1 Sampling for colour fastness test ing 
  Follow the corresponding testing method. For printing and zephyr products with large repetitive 
or random cycle patterns, use the respective colour spectrum for determination, and use the result 
of the lowest level as test results.  
 
D.2 Sampling for formaldehyde, pH value and decomposable carcinogenic arylamine dyes  
 
D2.1 Products with coloured patterns  
 For printed products with order ed patterns , take a sample according to the cycle patter n, 
cut into small pieces then mix as a single sample;  
 For printed products with large cycles of pattern, take a sample according to the area and 
pattern  proportion , cut into small pieces then mix as a single sample;  
 For products with independent patterns, when the area of the pattern satisfies sampling 
requirements, take an independent  sample; if the pattern area is too small to take a sample, 
a small pattern should be used as a sample ; it is not recommended that samples from 
multiple pieces be taken and mixed as a single sample;  
 Only determine decomposable arylamine on areas with small patterns.  
 
D2.2 Products with multiple and composite layers  
 For products that can be manually divided, manually divide the layers and determine these 
respectively;  
 For produc ts that cannot be manually divided, determine on an overall basis.   
GB 18401 -XXXX  
 
Reference s 
 
[1.] S tandardis ation Law of the People's Republic of China  
[2.] Regulations for the Implementation of the Standardis ation Law of the People's Republic of 
China  
[3.] Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China