Choosing Shirting Fabric for a 150-Piece School Order
A small tailoring unit in Guwahati has won a contract to stitch 150 half-sleeve shirts for a nearby school. The school fixed a fabric budget of about ₹180 per metre, and the unit shortlisted two options from the same wholesaler: Fabric A, a 100% cotton poplin (40s count, roughly 120 gsm), and Fabric B, a 67/33 polyester–cotton blend (about 110 gsm). Both cost nearly the same and both are available in white. Before quoting, the tailor cut a 30 cm × 30 cm sample of each, washed it at 40 °C with detergent, dried it in shade and pressed it. Fabric A shrank 4.5% along the warp and 3% along the weft and came out slightly wrinkled; Fabric B shrank 1.2% in both directions and stayed smooth. Each shirt needs 1.60 m of fabric at the unit's existing pattern. The school wants uniforms that survive two academic years of daily wear and repeated washing in a humid climate, and the students stay in them for the whole school day.
1. Which fabric would you recommend, and why? Support your choice with fibre properties and the shrinkage figures, and calculate the revised fabric requirement per shirt for the fabric you choose.
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Both fabrics can be defended, so the marks lie in the reasoning, not the letter.
Case for Fabric B (polyester–cotton 67/33):
- Shrinkage is only 1.2% in each direction, so the 1.60 m pattern needs 1.60 × 1.012 ≈ 1.62 m per shirt (about 243 m for 150 shirts).
- Polyester contributes strength, abrasion resistance, wrinkle recovery and quick drying - important when a uniform is washed almost daily and dried indoors during the monsoon.
- Cotton at 33% still gives some absorbency and comfort.
Case for Fabric A (100% cotton):
- Cotton is more breathable and absorbs sweat better, which matters in Assam's humid heat, and it is more comfortable against the skin for children.
- But the measured 4.5% warp shrinkage means 1.60 × 1.045 ≈ 1.67 m per shirt (about 251 m), and even pre-shrunk cotton creases and needs frequent ironing.
Judgement: for a 150-piece contract judged on two years of daily wear, low shrinkage and easy maintenance, I would select Fabric B, provided the school accepts the slightly lower breathability. I would pre-shrink by washing or compacting the full lot anyway, cut at 1.65 m per shirt to absorb residual shrinkage and matching, and obtain all fabric from one dye lot so white shades do not vary.
2. State two production controls the unit should introduce before bulk cutting, and explain what each control prevents.
Read the worked answer
- Lot-level shrinkage testing and pre-treatment. The 30 cm sample is too small to be reliable; cut three 50 cm samples from different places in the roll, wash at the temperature the school will use, dry, press and measure. Apply the highest shrinkage figure to the marker. This prevents the finished shirts from going one size small after the first wash - the commonest complaint in uniform supply.
- A sealed approval sample (size set) before bulk cutting. Stitch one complete shirt in each size from the actual fabric, with the actual thread and interlining, and get the school's written approval on fit, collar shape, hem length and shade. Keep it as the 'gold seal'. This prevents disputes at delivery and gives the cutting room a reference for seam allowances and trims.
Two supporting controls worth mentioning: a shade/lot check under daylight for all rolls (white varies visibly between lots), and a cutting ticket recording metres issued, metres cut and balance, so fabric consumption per shirt can be verified against the 1.62–1.67 m estimate.