
Copyright © 2024 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
450 AATCC TM214-2022e AATCC Manual of International Test Methods and Procedures/2025
1. Foreword
1.1 While several test methods exist to
measure the effectiveness of moisture
transport mechanisms through fabric,
they do not measure the amount of water
condensation created within the micro-
climate of the textile product. This
method provides a measure of the fabric
contribution to the end-product conden-
sation accumulation.
2. Purpose and Scope
2.1 This test method measures the wa-
ter condensation accumulation on the in-
nermost (back) surface of fabrics in a hu-
mid microclimate, with and without
simulated precipitation on the outermost
(face) fabric surface.
2.2 The method is applicable to fabrics
or multi-layer fabric systems.
3. Principle
3.1 The test method measures the
amount of water condensation produced
in 15 min. on a specimen placed in a hu-
mid microclimate created by controlling
temperature and relative humidity of
chambers on either side of the specimen.
Specimens are tested with a sprinkler to
simulate rain, and with no sprinkler.
3.1.1 The amount of water is calcu-
lated as the mass gain of a piece of pre-
weighed filter paper after absorbing the
condensation from the specimen.
3.2 Results are reported as g/m2, where
a higher value indicates more water con-
densation. Area and time are constant for
all specimens.
4. Referenced Documents
NOTE: Use current versions of all
publications unless otherwise specified.
4.1 ASTM D1776, Standard Practice
for Conditioning and Testing Textiles.
4.2 ASTM E1402, Standard Guide for
Sampling Design.
5. Terminology
5.1 back, n—in textiles, the side of a
fabric that is intended to be the inner sur-
face in an end product.
NOTE: Back is the opposite of face.
5.2 face, n—in textiles, the side of a
fabric that is intended to be the outer,
visible surface in an end product.
NOTE: The technical face of the fab-
ric is defined by production processes
but may not be the side selected as face
in the end product.
5.3 microclimate, n— in textiles, the
air layer immediately adjacent to one
side of a textile.
NOTE: In apparel, the microclimate
typically refers to the air layer between
skin and clothing.
5.4 water condensation, n—liquid
water droplets formed when airborne
water vapor contacts a colder surface.
6. Safety Precautions
6.1 The safety precautions specified in
the method are ancillary to the testing
procedures and are not intended to be all
inclusive.
6.2 It is the user’s responsibility to ref-
erence applicable safety data sheets, use
safe and proper techniques, and wear ap-
propriate personal protective equipment
in handling materials in this standard.
6.3 Users MUST consult manufactur-
ers for specific details such as safety data
sheets, equipment operating instruc-
tions, and other recommendations. Con-
sult and follow all applicable health and
safety regulations (e.g., OSHA standards
and rules).
7. Limitations
7.1 While this method may be used for
any textile fabric, results will vary based
on absorbency as well as vapor perme-
ability (see Appendix B).
7.2 This test method measures conden-
sation accumulation at a specific time-
point (15 min humidity exposure). Be-
cause accumulation is not linear nor
infinite, this result cannot be used to pre-
dict accumulation at other timepoints
(see Appendix B).
7.3 This test method does not address
phenomena such as rain penetration,
ventilation, wind resistance, air perme-
ability or breathability.
8. Apparatus and Materials (see 17.1)
8.1 Apparatus with inner and outer
chambers to simulate the microclimate
between human skin and clothing (in-
cluding headwear and footwear), and
sprinklers to simulate precipitation. See
Appendix A for apparatus specifications.
8.2 Specimen mounting rings.
8.2.1 Inner mounting rings (4): 165.1
mm inside diameter, 171.5 mm outside
diameter, 12.7 mm height.
8.2.2 Outer clamping rings with splash
guards (2): 172.7 mm inside diameter,
177.8 mm outside diameter, 12.7 mm
height.
8.2.3 Outer clamping rings (2): 172.7
mm inside diameter, 177.8 mm outside
diameter, 12.7 mm height.
8.3 Distilled water, for sprinkler sys-
tem reservoir and water vaporization
plate reservoir.
8.4 Filter paper, Grade 1 qualitative,
163-mm circles (see 17.2).
8.5 Balance, minimum resolution of
0.01 g.
8.6 Stopwatch, minimum resolution of
0.1, accuracy of ± 0.1 s.
8.7 Weight, 2 kg, 163-mm diameter.
9. Sampling
9.1 Test results are valid only when the
samples are statistically representative
(see ASTM E1402).
9.2 Sampling must be random. Every
unit of product must have a mathemati-
cally equal chance of becoming a sam-
ple; and every portion of each sample
must be equally likely to become a test
specimen.
9.3 All specimens must be alike within
the variations due to pure chance. There
must be no differences within samples
assignable to known causes.
10. Specimens
10.1 Cut 4 specimens of the test fabric
per sample, with a minimum dimension
of 200 mm in each direction.
10.1.1 Specimens may be round, rect-
angular, or a non-standard shape, but
must be large enough to cover the ports
of the test apparatus and be secured by
the specimen rings.
10.1.2 Mark pertinent identification of
construction (e.g., warp, course, face,
water repellent finish side) on each spec-
imen. Mark which 2 specimens will be
tested with simulated precipitation from
sprinklers and which 2 specimens will be
tested dry.
10.1.3 For multi-layer fabric systems,
secure all layers together, leaving an
open area (no stitches or other means of
attachment) of at least 152.4 mm diame-
ter. Use the open area for testing.
10.2 Use 4 pieces of filter paper. Cut
to 163-mm circles.
AATCC TM214-2022e
Test Method for Measuring Condensation
on Textiles in a Humid Microclimate
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