How bed linen is made for export
Most export bed linen starts as wide-width greige fabric, woven on air-jet or rapier looms, then bleached, dyed or printed, and finished at a process house. A made-up unit cuts the fabric to size, hems flat sheets, sews elastic into fitted sheets, and adds envelope flaps, buttons, zips or ties to pillowcases and duvet covers. Many exporters own the stitching and packing but buy processed fabric, so shade and shrinkage are fixed before the goods reach the sewing floor.
Panipat in Haryana is a Town of Export Excellence for carpets, other textile floor coverings and bed linen. Karur in Tamil Nadu is a Town of Export Excellence for handlooms and, according to IBEF, one of the centres that makes handloom bed linen for export. Mill-made sheeting is also finished and stitched in many other towns. See inspection in Panipat.
Two fabric styles behave differently. Percale is a plain weave: matte, crisp, and tolerant of handling. Sateen floats warp yarns over several picks for its sheen, so it snags more easily and shows shading where the floats catch the light at a different angle.
What we check on sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Finished size | Laid flat, measured on length and width at several points against the size chart for the market (a US Queen, a German 135 × 200 cm duvet cover and so on) | Short or narrow pieces, a size label that does not match the piece |
| Fitted-sheet pocket | Corner depth measured; elastic checked all round or at the corners as specified; sheet fitted to a mattress or a board of the right size where available | Pocket shallower than the label, elastic missing on one side, corners that pop off |
| Thread count and construction | Ends and picks counted with a pick glass as a screen; a lab counts to ASTM D3775 | Count well below the claim, plied yarn counted as single threads |
| Closures | Every button buttoned, every zip run end to end, snap tape and ties pulled | Buttons missing or loose, buttonholes not cut through, zips that jam or split |
| Duvet cover inner ties | Corner ties counted and pulled | Ties missing or caught in the seam |
| Pillowcase flap | Envelope flap depth measured; pillow inserted | Flap too short to hold the pillow |
| Set shade and contents | All pieces of a set compared side by side in a light box; set contents counted | Flat sheet and fitted sheet in different shades, a pillowcase missing |
| Seams and hems | Hem width and straightness; side seams of pillowcases stretched by hand | Wavy hems, seam slippage on sateen, open seams |
| Shrinkage | Pieces marked, washed and dried as the care label says, then remeasured, where the buyer asks | Shrinkage beyond the agreed tolerance, often in length |
Common bed sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical cause | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Broken needle or pin in the goods | No needle control on the sewing floor | Critical |
| Fitted sheet will not fit the mattress size on the label | Wrong cutting pattern or a pocket depth for another market | Major |
| Shade difference inside a set | Pieces cut from different dye lots | Major |
| Thread count lower than claimed | Multi-ply yarns counted as separate threads, or a lighter fabric substituted | Major |
| Zip or buttons not working | Wrong zip length, buttonholes not cut | Major |
| Print out of register, pattern off-centre | Screen or roller misaligned, careless cutting | Major or minor by visibility |
| Slubs, thick places, small oil spots | Weaving and handling | Minor |
Your defect list decides the final class.
Labels and market rules for bed linen
- Thread count in the US. In a 2002 staff letter, the FTC said a thread-count claim, like any objective claim, needs a reasonable basis, and that consensus test methods such as ASTM D3775 would carry great weight. That method counts each warp and weft yarn once, whether it is single or plied. Ask your supplier for a count to that method before you print "1000 thread count" on a box.
- Fibre labels. In the US, the Textile Act label shows fibre names and percentages, origin and the dealer's name or RN. Sheets sold as "bamboo" are almost always viscose or rayon made from bamboo and must say so. In the EU, Regulation 1007/2011 applies; see EU textile labelling. For Canada, see Canada textile labelling.
- Chemicals. Easy-care and wrinkle-resistant finishes can carry formaldehyde, and dark shades are where azo-dye problems show up. Tests are done by a lab; see azo dyes and restricted substances.
- Claims on the box. OEKO-TEX, GOTS, "Egyptian cotton" or "long-staple" claims need certificates or supplier documents. See OEKO-TEX and GOTS.
Packing, transit and loading risks
Retail bed linen is usually folded around a card, wrapped with a printed band or packed in a zip bag, with a sheet set in one pack. The inspector checks fold size against the pack, that the visible face is the right one, that the size on the band matches the size inside, and that pins and clips are not used, or are counted and removed if they are. Polybags need suffocation warnings where the market requires them.
White and pastel sheets mark easily: a damp carton, a dirty packing table or a rusty clip leaves a stain that only shows when the customer opens the pack. Cartons should be dry, strapped and not overfilled, since a bulging carton crushes folded edges into permanent creases.
What to put in your purchase order
- Fibre, yarn count, weave and thread count, and the test method for the count.
- Finished sizes per market with tolerances; fitted-sheet pocket depth and elastic position.
- Closure type for each item: buttons, zip, envelope or ties, with button count and zip length.
- Shade tolerance and the rule that all pieces of a set come from one dye lot.
- Shrinkage limit and the wash method used to check it.
- Label artwork for each market, pack type and carton quantity.
For quilted bedspreads and comforters, see quilts and bedspreads. For organic sheeting, see organic cotton home textiles.
Sources
- FTC staff letter on thread count to the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (18 March 2002)
- FTC: Threading your way through the labeling requirements under the Textile and Wool Acts
- FTC: How to avoid bamboozling your customers
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence
- IBEF: Handloom industry and exports