Revealing the truth about "quick drying"! Is quick-drying clothing a waste of money or a black technology?

In summer, quick-drying clothes have become a hot commodity again. Are “quick-drying” clothes just a waste of money or black technology?

Will wearing it really make you cooler? In this issue, Professor V will reveal the secret of "quick drying" in summer!

Why do quick-drying clothes dry faster than pure cotton clothes?

Some friends found that the pure cotton clothes that are usually very comfortable to wear, once you sweat, they stick to your body and are very uncomfortable. But wearing quick-drying clothes, even if you sweat like rain, you can quickly return to a dry state.

Why is it that cotton T-shirts are hard to dry when wet, but quick-drying clothes dry quickly? In fact, it has something to do with the moisture absorption and perspiration wicking properties of the fabric.

The chemical composition and physical structure of different clothing fibers are different, and their moisture absorption and perspiration management properties are also different.

After sweat is discharged from the surface of the skin, it flows into the inner layer of the fiber and is absorbed.

01Cotton T-shirt

Cotton, linen, wool, silk and other fibers are hydrophilic , and sweat easily sticks to the surface of clothes after being absorbed. To put it bluntly, sweat is easy to get in but difficult to get out.

Cotton fiber has a hollow structure, which expands when it absorbs moisture, and its air permeability becomes poor

02Quick-drying clothes

Quick-drying clothes are made of special chemical fiber fabrics. By increasing the pressure difference or adding additives, sweat can flow better in the gaps between fibers. After flowing to the outer surface of the clothes, it evaporates quickly.

It mainly includes the following three methods:

Uses moisture wicking yarn

During production, the fiber cross-section can be designed into special shapes (such as Y-shape, cross-shape, W-shape, bone-shape, etc.) to form grooves, and sweat can be quickly discharged through the wicking structure of the grooves.

Changing the weaving structure of clothing

This method mainly utilizes the differential capillary effect of fabrics. During production, the mesh size of the inner layer of the garment can be made larger and the mesh size of the outer layer can be made smaller, so that sweat can be discharged faster through the pressure difference between the inside and the outside.

In addition, the inner layer of the clothing uses hydrophobic fibers and the outer layer uses hydrophilic fibers, which can also easily achieve one-way moisture conduction.

Add moisture wicking aid

During the dyeing process, polyester polyether chemicals are added to take advantage of their hydrophilicity to speed up the flow of sweat.

Note: After washing quick-drying clothes several times, the effect of the additives will weaken.

How to choose from so many quick-drying clothes?

Some friends complained that there are many styles of quick-drying clothes, and the information on the tags is different. Some say moisture absorption and perspiration, while others say moisture absorption and quick-drying level III... I feel like my CPU is about to burn out, and I don’t know how to choose!

Don’t worry, just follow the national standard GB/T 21655.1-2023 or GB/T 21655.2-2019!

Due to differences in testing methods and projects, these two national standards differ in performance and grade classification, and the identification information required to be reflected in the products is also different.

GB/T 21655.1-2023

GB/T 21655.1-2023 divides moisture absorption and quick-drying properties into Grade I , Grade II and Grade III by measuring individual tests such as water absorption rate and drying rate.

The bigger the level number, the better the effect.

GB/T 21655.1-2023 Evaluation of moisture absorption and quick-drying performance

According to the requirements, products with moisture absorption and quick-drying properties must directly indicate the moisture absorption and quick-drying level , such as moisture absorption and quick-drying level III, level II or level I.

GB/T 21655.2-2019

GB/T 21655.2-2019 divides the corresponding performance into moisture absorption and quick-drying and moisture absorption and perspiration discharge by measuring the dynamic transfer state of liquid water after the test liquid is dropped into the sample.

There are 5 levels, 5 is the best and 1 is the worst.

GB/T 21655.2-2019 Performance Index Classification

According to the requirements, the product can be marked as having the corresponding performance only if it reaches level 3, 4 or 5 (without writing the specific level).

GB/T 21655.2-2019 Technical requirements for performance evaluation

① It is recommended to identify the national standard GB/T 21655.1-2023 or GB/T 21655.2-2019. Other standards may not be accurate in evaluating performance.

②The higher the moisture absorption and quick-drying performance/moisture absorption and perspiration performance level, the better the effect:

>>GB/T 21655.1-2023, "Moisture absorption and quick drying level III" is preferred;

>>GB/T 21655.2-2019, look for the words "moisture absorption and quick drying" or "moisture absorption and perspiration management".

Note: Products that only say "quick-dry" may not be able to guarantee moisture absorption and quick-drying performance, so it is not recommended to purchase.

③ Jackets generally do not require moisture absorption and quick-drying properties. It is recommended to buy thin, close-fitting quick-drying clothes.