DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD        TDC 3 (1146 ) CD 3 
                                                                                                                    First Edition  
 
    
                                       
©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First edition 2022 
  
Textiles  — Woven Table cloths  — Specification.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TANZANIA BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
  
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      Second edition 2020  
              TDC 3 (1146)  CD 3 
Foreword  
This Draft Tanzania Standard is being developed by the House Hold Textile Technical Committee 
under supervision of the Textile and Leather Division Standards Committee and it is in accordance 
with the procedures of the Bureau.  
 This Tanzania Standard has been prepared with assistance drawn fro m:  
 SANS 1261 – 1, Performance requirements for retail textiles, Part 1 - Household  piece goods 
 and articles.  
 IS 3773 – Textiles – Napkins and Table cloth, cotton khadi, bleached – Specifications.  
 TZS 1423, Textile upholstery fabric specifications.  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2022  All right s reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 1.  Scope  
This Draft Tanzania standard specifies the requirements , test methods and sampling plan for woven  
table  cloth . It covers all cloths used during meals such as table mats, table covers,  table runners and 
napkins.  
 
2. Normative References  
For the purpose of this Draft Tanzania Standard the following references shall apply :  
a) TZS 4 Rounding off numerical values.  
b) TZS 21 Textiles - Woven  or knitted fabrics - Determination of mass per unit length and -    
per unit area.   
c) TZS 22 Textiles - Woven  Fabrics  Determination of breaking load and extension.  
d) TZS 23 Textile - Tests for colour fastness, -Colour fastness to light: Xenon arc.  
e) TZS 24 Textiles - Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to washing: Test 4.  
f) TZS 26 Text iles - Determination of conductivity, pH, water -soluble matter, chloride and 
sulphate in aqueous extracts.   
g) TZS 27 Textiles: Determination of dimensional changes of fabrics by cold water 
immersion.   
h) TZS 40 Textiles - Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to light: Daylight.  
i) TZS 44 Textiles - Tests Woven or knitted fabrics - Determination  of length and width.  
j) TZS 138 Textiles - Test for colour fastness to rubbing.  
k) TZS 529 Textiles  -  Test for colour fastness to dry cleaning.  
l) TZS 531  Textiles – Test for colour fastness to water spotting.  
m) TZS 2709 Packaging – Flexible Plastic Packaging Material – Specification.  
n) ISO 13937 – 1 Textiles — Tear properties of fabrics — Part 1: Determination of tear force 
using ballisti c pendulum method (Elmendorf).  
 
3. Terms and Definitions.   
 
For the purpose of this Draft Tanzania Standard the following definitions shall apply:  
3.1 table   
piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs, providing a level surface for eating, writing, or 
working at.  
3.2 table cloth    
cloth used during meal time.  
3.3 table cover  
cloth spread over a table . 
  
 
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©TBS 2022  All right s reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 3.4 table mat  
small cover that protects a table against heat damage from food containers or plates.  
3.5 table runner  
strip of material that is put along the le ngth of a table, for decoration.  
3.6 napkin  
piece of cloth used at table during meal time to protect the clothes or wipe the lips and fingers.  
4. General requirements  
4.1 Materials  
4.1.1 Textile fabric  
The fabric used for table cloth shall  be woven . 
4.1.2 Fibre composition and proportion  
The fibre composition of the fabric shall be of any natural or manmade textile fibre of quality as 
specified in this Draft Tanzania Standard.  
The fabric used in the manufacture of table cloths shall be free from dressing and filling materials and 
from substances liable to cause subsequent tendering.  
4.2 Construction  
4.2.1  Depending on the agreement between buyer and  seller , each transverse end of the table cloth 
shall be hemmed to a depth of not less than 12 mm, the raw edges having a turn in of 10 mm before 
the hem is formed.  
4.2.2  In the case of napkins, each cut end shall be hemmed to a depth of not less than 10 mm, the  
raw edges having a turn -in of 5 mm before the hem is formed.  
4.2.3  The table cloth and napkins may have fringes instead of hemming. The length of fringes, with or 
without knot, shall be 35 mm, minimum.  
4.3 Performance requirements     
Table  cloths  shall comply with th e requirements  as given in Table 1 . 
Table 1 – Performance requirements for Table Cloths  
SN Characteristics  Requirements  Test Methods  
    1 Mass per  unit area (g/m2), min  200 TZS 21  
2  
  Breaking strength, N, min.  
- Warp 
- Weft 
        
300 
190 
  
 
TZS 22  
  
 
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©TBS 2022  All right s reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
  
5. Packing   
5.1 Unit packages  
Table cloths conforming to this specification shall be packed in suitable transparent wrappers e.g. 
polyethylene bags or a wrapper of other material ensuring protection from stains and dust.  
5.2 Bulk Packages  
Table cloths of same design, size and type shall be arranged on a suitable number of pieces into a 
bundle wrapped in a suitable material conforming  to TZS 2706.  
6. Marking  
6.1 Unit marking  
The following information shall indelibly be marked on a label sewn or marked at an appropriate 
position on the table cloths individually ; 
a) Manufacture r’s name;  
b) Dimensions  (length and width in cm);  
c) Country of manufacture.  
d) Care label  3 Tear strength, N, min, (velour, flocked 
and woven fabrics only)  
- Warp  
- Weft  
 
32 
16  
 
ISO 13937 – 1 
4   
   
  Dimensional changes on washing %, 
max   
6    
TZS 27 
5 Dimensions  as declared with a tolerance of 
±2 TZS 44  
6 
  
  Colour fastness rubbing     
a) Dry, min  
b) Wet, min    
4   
4   
TZS 138  
 
7 Colour fastness to dry cleaning; 
Shade change, min  
    4 TZS 529  
 
Colour fastness to light,  min 3 TZS 40  
Colour fastness to washing, min  
a) Change in colour  
b) Staining on transfer clothes   
4 
4 TZS 24  
Colour fastness to water, min  4 TZS 531   
 
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©TBS 2022  All right s reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 6.2 Bulk Packages  
The following information shall indelibly be labelled /printed on the bulk package;  
a) Manufacturer's name, address and registered trade mark;  
b) Number of unit packages in the bulk package;  
c) Gross Mass;  
d) Batch number;  
e) County of origin.  
7. Sampling  
7.1 Lot 
The quantity of the table cloth delivered to buyer against one despatch note shall constitute a lot.  
7.2 The conformity of the lot to the various  requirements specified in this Draft Tanzania S tandard 
shall be determined on the basis of tests carried out on the samples selected from the lot.  
7.3 Unless otherwise agreed, the number of pieces selected at random for inspection sha ll be in 
accordance with Table 2 .  
Table 2 - Sample Size and Permissible Number of Non -conforming pieces . 
Lot size  Sample size  Perm issible number of non -
conforming pieces  Sub – sample size  
Up to 25  3 0 2 
26 to 50  5 0 2 
51 to 150  8 0 3 
151 to 100  13 1 3 
301 to 500  20 1 5 
501 to 1000  32 2 5 
1001 and above  50 3 8