Table of Contents
Introduction
Most fashion brands discover this valuable lesson the hard way—that the use of “small” elastic tape can either enhance or ruin the entire product.
If you think about it, an unfortunate customer buys your lovely dress, wears it once, and finds the waistband drooping. Who are they going to blame? It’s not the elastic tape manufacturer that gets blamed; it’s YOUR brand.
When you are looking for an elastic tape manufacturer in Surat, you would think it would be only about price. Sure, there are hundreds of manufacturers in Surat that sell elastic tape at a very competitive price. But, not all will have the same high-quality standards.
Effective quality control means continuity. Every meter of elastic should feel and perform the same, regardless if it is the first meter or the ten-thousandth meter of material. This only occurs if the manufacturers conduct rigorous quality tests at every level of manufacturing.
It is true that quality-driven manufacturers may charge 10-15% more; however, it’s worth considering the following: what’s really more expensive, the extra that you pay upfront or the cost of returning defective products, upset customers, and probable destroied reputation?
How Poor Quality Elastic Tape Affects Brand Reputation and Customer Satisfaction
Regardless of where or who you are, one viral Instagram story about your “cheap quality” clothing can reach thousands of people within a matter of minutes. That’s the reality of the world we live in today.
Cheap elastic has a cascading effect:
- First Wash: waistband stretch is compromised
- Second wear: elastic starts to roll
- Third wash: the item is completely ruined
- That is one customer that not only lost trust in your product but also won’t ever return to your brand.
And the worse news is that the average price of getting a new customer is 5 times more than keeping an existing one, so not only have you ruined one sale, you have ruined the lifetime customer value of one customer based on the cheap elastic.
The unfortunate reality is worse for a premium brand; your fabric could be the best server around or be the best sewing quality but once that elastic fails, the entire quality of this item and the “premium” experience has collapsed. This is the equivalent of selling a luxury car with cheap tires.
Understanding Quality Standards in Elastic Tape Manufacturing
Quality Parameters Brands Must Know
When considering an Elastic Tape Manufacturer based in Surat, simply looking at samples and saying “looks good!” will not suffice. Specific technical parameters will determine if that elastic will hold up in your garments or not even get through a few wears before failing.
Elasticity and Stretch Recovery Rate
This is the most crucial quality parameter with no debate.
Elasticity describes how much the tape is capable of stretching when pulling. Stretch Recovery Rate describes how well it will go back to its original size after pulling.
Here is what to look for: after you have stretched your elastic to twice its length, when you release it, does it not go back to greater than or equal to 95% of its original size? If yes, it is a good quality elastic. If it remains stretched out? Red flag.
You can do this at home too: take a 10cm sample of the elastic tape you are concerned about, stretch it to 20cm, hold in stretched position for 30 seconds, then measure it again after you have released it.
Good quality elastic will contract back to 9.5cm or better, which is the good quality elastic we are seeing. You can also do this again after it goes through the wash cycle as well! Quality elastic, even after multiple washes, will hold stretch recovery.
Tensile Strength and Durability
Tensile strength is just a formal way to ask “how much pulling force can this elastic withstand in order to not fail?” In waistbands for standard apparel, this elastic needs to withstand a minimum of 8-10 kg of pulling force.
For activewear or plus-size men, will need more pulling force likely it will be in the range of 12-15 kg. Why do we care? Because clients will pull, stretch, and wear these products continually. Elastic that is less than capable will fail in normal use.
Always ask your manufacturer for tensile strength reports. If they can’t provide you with reports, this should be a red flag for you. Quality manufacturers will have this reported tested routinely and will have reports ready for you.
Color Fastness and Consistency
Have you ever experienced an elastic band that has faded after being washed, or worse, bled color onto the fabric? That is a sign of poor colorfastness.
An elastic band made from the right quality will keep its color for 20-30 washings. Take the time to launder a sample as directed, in hot water if recommended, and be sure that the color stays bright and relatively fast with absolutely no bleeding onto a white cloth.
Consistency matters as much as what you believe to be appropriate color fastness. If you order black elastic today, and then reorder in three months, the colors should be the same within reason.
Color differences will look unprofessional and will complicate the manufacturing process. You might want to ask about how suppliers make their color match and whether they have a shade card for future reference.
Width and Thickness Uniformity
If you were sewing elastic into 500 garments and suddenly realized that some pieces are 24mm wide and others are 26mm wide, your entire line would stop. Quality manufacturers hold tight tolerances—usually ±0.5mm (the width) & ±0.1mm (the thickness) the difference in the difference keeps the line running (and garments fitting the same).
To be sure the elastic is the same where you measure it, take several samples of at least 6″ in length and measure at equally spaced intervals along the length of the elastic. Quality elastic maintains the same measurement regardless of where you measure it.
Thickness is important for multiple reasons. An inconsistent thickness causes bumpy fabric in the garments AND can also cause issues when sewing. Run your fingers along the elastic and you would like to feel a consistent and smooth thickness.
Critical Quality Control Checkpoints
Quality is not a coincidence, but built into every point of manufacture. When you are assessing an Elastic Tape Manufacturer in Surat, knowing where and how they check quality tells you about their commitment to quality throughout every step of production.
Raw Material Inspection
Rubber Quality Testing
Rubber is the essence of elastic tape; it’s what enables the stretch and recoil.
Natural rubber is obtained from rubber trees. It has excellent elasticity and recovery but is also more expensive than synthetic rubber. Natural rubber elastic tape is ideal for high-end garments and activewear where performance and workout frequency are crucial.
Most synthetic rubbers (usually spandex or latex blends) are also less expensive and more consistent. Synthetic rubber will be fine for everyday garments but won’t perform to the level of natural rubber.
What should a manufacturer test?
- Purity level. Is there contamination? Quality rubber should be at least 95% pure.
- Elasticity coefficient. How much does it stretch? Quality rubber should stretch 400-600% of its original length.
- Age and storage. Rubber that has sat for a long time or has been poorly stored will not hold up. Make sure to check the manufacturing dates on the packaging of the raw materials.
Considering visiting the factory? Take a look at how the raw material is being stored. While reputable manufacturers will store rubber in temperature and humidity controlled warehouse, poor manufacturers may simply store rubber in a hot warehouse or place it outside without consideration for the elements. If you see rubber just laying out in the open sun and heat, run away!
Thread Quality Verification
The threads woven around the rubber core are equally important as the rubber itself. The threads (usually either polyester or nylon) provide the structural strength and determine the overall appearance of the elastic. Low-quality threads simply break during weaving, generate uneven surfaces, and have inconsistent fading properties. Quality checks involve:
- Thread tensile strength testing: Can the thread withstand production strain without breaking
- Color fastness of threads: Will they bleed, or fade
- Uniformity: Is the thickness of the thread consistent throughout the spool
In-Process Quality Monitoring
Raw materials have passed inspection? Great! but quality can still go wrong during the production processes which is why monitoring during production is crucial.
Think of this process as your safety net, you are catching problems before thousands of meters are produced.
Real Time Elasticity Testing During Production
What differentiates great manufacturers from average manufacturers is that they are testing their elasticity while the production processes are running, instead of only after it is done.
Quality manufacturers will pull samples every 30-60 minutes while production is taking place and perform stretch tests on the samples, the same day, to check for elasticity. If the elasticity drops even slightly, production will shut down as the manufacturer fix the problem.
What this looks like in practice:
- Sample pulled from running machine
- Stretched 200% of length
- Held for 30 seconds
- Released and measured
- Should recover to 95% or greater to original length.
Final Product Testing
Is production complete? Not yet! Final testing is your final precautionary measure before elastic is shipped to you.
This is where an Elastic Tape Manufacturer in Surat shows they stand behind the quality of the product.
Wash Durability Testing
Your customers are going to wash their garments over and over. Will the elastic withstand it?
A quality manufacturer will conduct wash testing on samples from each production batch. Here is the standard test:
- Sample is washed 20-30 times in 40°C water
- Sample is naturally dried (some manufacturers tumble dry as well)
- Elasticity is measured after every 5 washes
- Color fastness is evaluated during every wash
Results you like to see:
- Less than 10% elasticity loss after 20 washes
- No color bleeding or fading
- No physical performance deterioration (cracking, breaking or deforming)
Conclusion
Selecting an Elastic Tape Manufacturer in Surat goes beyond just pricing… it’s all about reliability, consistency and long-term brand protection. Manufacturers that have committed to a stringent quality program, material testing, and wash performance savings, will save you money in the long run, reduce consumers complaints, and raise the standards of your apparel.
Proshiv combines all of these factors, guaranteeing it maintains the highest standards – from raw material inspections, real-time elasticity testing, wash durability checks by batches, and maintain high tolerances. When your garments reach the customer, the elastic should feel premium, consistently perform, while maintain its shape wash after wash. That is where Proshiv comes in.