Knitted fabrics behave differently from many woven fabrics.
Their looped construction allows considerable stretch, but the fabric can also be exposed to multidirectional forces during wear.
This is where bursting strength becomes an important performance characteristic.
What Is Bursting Strength?
Bursting strength measures the resistance of a textile to a force that acts across the fabric surface and pushes it outward until the material fails.
Unlike a simple tensile test that pulls a strip in one direction, bursting applies a more multidirectional load.
This makes it useful for evaluating certain knitted and stretchable textile structures.
Why Is It Relevant to Apparel?
Bursting strength can be relevant to garments such as:
- T-shirts
- sweatshirts
- leggings
- sportswear
- stretch garments
- knitted uniforms
- close-fitting apparel
The importance depends on how the garment is designed and used.
How Is It Tested?
ISO 13938-1:2019 specifies a hydraulic method for determining bursting strength and bursting distension.
The method applies to knitted, woven, nonwoven and laminated fabrics and can test specimens in conditioned or wet states.
ISO 13938-2:2019 provides a pneumatic method for the same general type of bursting evaluation.
ASTM D6797-24 also provides a ball-burst method for measuring the bursting strength of woven and knitted textiles, including fabric taken from garments.
Why Testing Method Matters
Different testing methods use different equipment and loading principles.
For example:
- hydraulic bursting
- pneumatic bursting
- ball burst testing
should not simply be treated as interchangeable numbers.
When comparing results, buyers should confirm that the same method and relevant test conditions are being used.
Bursting Strength vs. Tensile Strength
These are different measurements.
Tensile testing typically evaluates force applied along a defined direction.
Bursting testing evaluates resistance to a force that expands the material outward.
For knitted fabrics, this can provide information that a conventional strip tensile test does not fully capture.
What Influences Bursting Performance?
Performance can be affected by:
- fiber type
- yarn structure
- knitting construction
- fabric weight
- fabric density
- finishing
- stretch characteristics
This means that fabric appearance alone cannot reliably predict bursting performance.
What Should Buyers Specify?
If bursting resistance matters, buyers can define:
- test method
- fabric type
- sample condition
- minimum performance requirement
- testing laboratory
- acceptance criteria
It is also useful to test material that is representative of the actual bulk-production fabric.
When Should Buyers Pay More Attention?
Bursting performance may deserve additional consideration for:
- tight-fitting sportswear
- stretch uniforms
- high-movement garments
- knitted workwear
- garments exposed to repeated stretching
For casual garments with relatively low mechanical stress, it may be less critical.
Our Approach to Custom Apparel
When a custom garment requires significant stretch or repeated mechanical movement, bursting strength can be considered together with other relevant fabric-performance characteristics.
The goal is not to maximize every test result.
Instead, the goal is to select a performance level that matches the intended application.
Final Thoughts
Bursting strength provides another way to evaluate textile durability, particularly for knitted and stretchable fabrics.
For B2B buyers, using a defined test method and clear acceptance requirement can make fabric performance easier to communicate and verify during custom apparel development.
