Fabric wicking test :water or liquid

Wicking properties of fabric means absorbing of water by the fabrics and spreading the absorbed water or liquid to the surrounding areas of the fabric. Wicking property of the fabric plays very important role on comfort of clothing, specially in hot weather. Wicking property of fabric can be tested in different methods. The simplest approach is to measure the wicking height of the absorbed liquid in the vertically hanged fabric strip after fixed time period.

One end of a fabric strip size of 25 mm wide × 170 mm long is clamped vertically and the hanging end is immersed to about 3 mm in distill water at 210C . Coloured water can be used for easy observation. The height to which the water is transported upward is recorded at 1, 5, and 10 minutes interval and reported in centimeter. Higher wicking value shows greater liquid or water transport ability and hence better comfort.