How denim jeans are made in India
Denim is a twill woven with an indigo-dyed warp and an undyed weft, which is why the inside is paler than the face. Ahmedabad is a Town of Export Excellence for textiles and is home to many of India's largest denim fabric mills. Jeans are cut and sewn with heavy chainstitch and felled seams, then sent to a laundry for the wash: rinse, enzyme or stone wash, bleach, and local effects such as whiskers, hand-sanding and rips. Rivets, buttons and trims are added at the stage the factory's process sets.
Gurgaon and Noida are Towns of Export Excellence for apparel. A denim laundry may work for several sewing units, and jeans from one order may be washed in more than one batch, and each batch comes out a slightly different shade.
What we check on denim jeans
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Wash shade bands | Jeans from different cartons laid side by side against the approved shade band set, in daylight or a light box | Shades outside the approved bands, or two bands mixed in one carton or size run |
| Leg twist | Leg folded along the inseam; outseam position at the hem measured | Outseam swinging onto the front or back of the leg beyond the spec |
| Measurements | Waist, hip, front and back rise, thigh, knee, leg opening and inseam, on several pieces per size | Out of tolerance; washed jeans often shrink more than the size chart allows for |
| Rivets and shank button | Pull test with a gauge; button rotated; backs checked for burrs | Rivet or button pulls off, spins loose, or has a sharp edge |
| Zip | Opened and closed several times; slider lock tested | Zip sticks, slider does not lock, teeth missing, tape puckered |
| Indigo crocking | Dry and wet white cloth rubbed on the face | Heavy blue staining on the cloth, beyond what your lab standard allows |
| Wash effects | Whiskers, abrasion, tint and rips compared with the approved wash standard | Effects in the wrong place, too strong or weak, holes beyond the design |
| Bartacks and belt loops | Stress points checked: pocket corners, fly, belt loops | Missing or open bartacks, loops not caught in the waistband |
Common denim jeans defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical cause | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Broken needle or sharp burr on a rivet | Needle not recovered; badly set or damaged rivet | Critical |
| Shank button or rivet pulls off | Wrong setting die or pressure, or trim too short for the fabric thickness | Major |
| Two shade bands in one carton | Wash batches mixed at packing | Major |
| Leg twist | Fabric skew not corrected, or panels cut off-grain | Major |
| Hole or tear outside the design | Over-abrasion or chemical damage in the laundry | Major |
| Bleach or chemical spots | Spray splash or poor rinsing | Major |
| Uneven whiskers | Hand work varying between operators | Minor or major against the standard |
Your defect list decides the final class.
Market rules and buyer standards for jeans
- Nickel in metal trims (EU). REACH Annex XVII entry 27 limits nickel release to 0.5 µg/cm² per week from items in direct and prolonged skin contact, and names rivets, buttons and zips on garments. The inspector checks that the trim supplier's test report covers the trims used; release is measured by a lab.
- Azo dyes. REACH entry 43 restricts azo dyes that release listed amines in textiles that touch the skin. See azo dyes and restricted substances.
- Labels. Fibre content (for example cotton and spandex in the US, cotton and elastane in the EU), country of origin, importer identity and a care label. Leather patches need the EU statement on non-textile parts of animal origin; see EU textile labelling.
- Flammability. Denim is heavy plain-surface fabric and is normally exempt from testing under 16 CFR 1610.
- Laundry practices. Buyers set their own restricted substances lists for wash chemicals. Some brands ban sandblasting because of the silicosis risk to workers; if yours does, ask how the worn effect is made.
Packing, transit and your purchase order
Jeans that leave the laundry damp can grow mould in a sealed carton, and a strong chemical smell points to poor rinsing. The inspector feels folded jeans, smells opened cartons, and checks that each carton holds one shade band. Denim cartons are heavy: the inspector checks carton strength, weight and stacking marks, and that hangtags and patches are not crushed.
- Fabric reference, weight and stretch, and the approved wash standard.
- Shade band set and the rule for packing bands.
- Size chart after washing, with tolerances.
- Rivet, button and zip supplier, with nickel test report, and the pull strength required.
- Crocking and colour fastness limits for the lab.
- Your restricted substances list and banned processes.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Gurgaon, Noida apparel; Ahmedabad textiles)
- Apparel Resources: Ahmedabad denim players target brand retail growth (5 Sep 2024)
- REACH, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Annex XVII entries 27 and 43)
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 303, Textile Fiber Products Identification Act rules