Oil Repellency Test

Oil-repellent features are desirable attributes of some workwear, such as catering uniforms and chef wear, to help prevent stains and prolong the life of the garment. The oil resistance property enhances the durability of garments.

Oil repellency is the ability of a fabric to repel oil on contact and slide off grease rather than soaking in. It is determined by using a selected series of liquid hydrocarbons with different surface tensions to check the resistance of oil stains. Oil-repellent fabric is similar to waterproof fabric that requires very low surface tension.

Oil-repellent fabric can help clothing become more environmentally sustainable to achieve stain release during laundering. It repels oil and oil-based fluids to keep garments looking new longer. It also enables oil to roll off or be dabbed away and leave the underlying material unchanged.

Oil repellent properties can be tested by the below procedures:

1. Prepare 8 bottles of chemicals, numbered from 1 to 8. No. 1 is the one with the largest surface tension and no. 8 is that with the lowest surface tension.
2. Drop several droplets of No. 1 liquid on the specimen surface and observe the liquid dissipates or not.
3. If No. 1 liquid passes, No. 2 liquid will be used to repeat the test of 2. If No. 2 also passes; then using No. 3 liquid.
4. The test will be finished until there is a failure.

The applicable methods for oil repellency testing include:

• AATCC 118

• ISO 14419

• GB/T 19977