
Copyright © 2022 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
320 AATCC TM165-1999e10(2021)e AATCC Manual of International Test Methods and Procedures/2023
1. Purpose and Scope
1.1 This test method is designed to de-
termine the degree of color transfer from
the surface of textile floor coverings to
other surfaces by rubbing. The intent is to
reproduce as near as possible true-to-life
situations in all constructions whether
dyed, printed or otherwise colored.
1.2 Test procedures employing white
test cloths, both dry and wet with water,
are given.
1.3 As the use surface of a textile floor
covering may be exposed to various con-
ditions in true-to-life situations, such as
soil, stains, cleaning, shampooing and ap-
plication of chemical treatments such as
antisoils, antistats, antimicrobials, etc.,
the test may be made before, after or be-
fore and after such situations.
2. Principle
2.1 A colored test specimen held on
the base of a crockmeter is rubbed with a
white test cloth under controlled conditions.
2.2 Color transferred to the white test
cloth is rated by comparison with the
AATCC 9-Step Chromatic Transference
Scale or Gray Scale for Staining and a
grade is assigned.
3. Terminology
3.1 carpet, n.—all textile floor cover-
ings not designated as rugs.
3.2 colorfastness, n.—the resistance of
a material to change in any of its color
characteristics, to transfer of its colo-
rants(s) to adjacent materials or both, as a
result of the exposure of the material to
any environment that might be encoun-
tered during the processing, testing, stor-
age or use of the material.
3.3 crocking, n.—a transfer of colo-
rant from the surface of a colored yarn or
fabric to another surface or to an adjacent
area of the same fabric principally by
rubbing.
3.4 rug, n.—a textile floor covering of
limited area which is complete in itself
and is intended for use as a partial cover-
ing of a floor or another floor covering.
3.5 textile floor covering, n.—an arti-
cle having a use-surface composed of
textile material and generally used for
covering floors.
3.6 use-surface, n.—of textile floor
covering, the part of a textile floor cover-
ing directly exposed to foot traffic.
4. Safety Precautions
NOTE: These safety precautions are for
information purposes only. These safety
precautions are ancillary to the testing
procedures and are not intended to be all
inclusive. It is the user’s responsibility to
use safe and proper techniques in han-
dling materials in this test method. Manu-
facturers MUST be consulted for specific
details such as material safety data sheets
and other manufacturer’s recommenda-
tions. All OSHA standards and rules must
also be consulted and followed.
4.1 Good laboratory practices should
be followed. Wear safety glasses in all
laboratory areas.
5. Apparatus and Materials (see 13.1)
5.1 Crockmeter (see 13.2 and 13.3).
5.2 Crock Block (see 13.3).
5.3 Crockmeter Test Cloth (see 13.4).
5.4 AATCC 9-Step Chromatic Trans-
ference Scale (AATCC EP8) (see 13.5).
5.5 Gray Scale for Staining (AATCC
EP 2) (see 13.5).
5.6 White AATCC Textile Blotting
Paper (see 13.5).
6. Test Specimens
6.1 Two specimens are used, one each
for the dry and the wet tests.
6.1.1 Additional specimens may be used
to increase the precision of the average.
6.2 Floor covering material: pieces at
least 50 × 150 mm. If the pile lay is dis-
tinguishable, cut the specimen with the
pile lay pointing in the long direction.
6.2.1 Larger or full width lab samples
may be used without cutting individual
specimens, when multiple tests are
needed and when using for production
testing.
7. Verification
7.1 Verification checks on the opera-
tion of the test and the apparatus should
be made routinely and the results kept in
a log. The following observations and
corrective actions are extremely impor-
tant to avoid incorrect test results where
abnormal crock images can result and in-
fluence the rating process.
7.2 Use an in-house poor crocking car-
pet or rug as a calibration specimen and
conduct three dry crock tests.
7.2.1 A double, elongated image may
indicate a loose sleeve.
7.2.2 A stretched and streaked crock
image may be due to mounting the crock
test cloth diagonally.
7.2.3 Arc shaped indentions in the
crocked area of the test cloth may indi-
cate the crock block is mounted improp-
erly, most likely perpendicular to the
specified placement (see 13.3).
7.3 Replace the abrasive paper on the
tester base if it is smooth to the touch in
the crocking area compared to the adja-
cent area, or if slippage of the specimen
is noticed.
8. Conditioning
8.1 Prior to testing, condition the test
specimens and the crock test cloth for dry
crock testing as directed in ASTM
D1776, Standard Practice for Condition-
ing and Testing Textiles. Condition each
specimen for at least 4 h in an atmosphere
of 21 ± 2°C (70 ± 4°C) and 65 ± 5% RH
by laying each test specimen or crock test
cloth separately on a screen or perforated
shelf of conditioning rack.
9. Procedures
9.1 Dry Crocking Test.
9.1.1 Place a test specimen on the base
of the crockmeter so that it rests flat on
the abrasive cloth with its long dimension
in the direction of rubbing (see 13.5). The
pile lay should point to the back of the
crockmeter if direction of pile is distin-
guishable.
9.1.2 Mount a 25 × 100 mm swatch of
white cotton test cloth over the rubbing
surface of the crock block. The test cloth
should be mounted so that the long di-
mension will be moving in the long direc-
tion during the test. This operation can be
carried out with the crock block attached
to the weighted arm of the crockmeter us-
ing an Allen socket cap screw (see 13.6)
or with the crock block detached from the
arm and inverted in a suitable crock block
holder (see 13.3 and 13.7). Fasten the test
cloth to the crock block by means of a
rectangular sleeve that slips over the cot-
ton fabric on the crock block. When
ready for testing, the test cloth on the
crock block projects downward from the
reciprocating arm of the crockmeter.
CAUTION: Do not drop the crock block.
Nicks or dents on the rubbing surfaces
might be irreparable. Handle With Care.
9.1.3 Lower the covered crock block
AATCC TM165-1999e10(2021)e
Test Method for Colorfastness to Crocking:
Textile Floor Coverings—Crockmeter
Copyright The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
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