Residual Shrinkage

Residual shrinkage is the percentage of dimensional change a garment can still undergo after any preshrinking or sanforizing has already been done — the number left over, not the total. Spec sheets typically list it separately for length and width, something like 5% max length, 3% max width, tested under AATCC 135 by washing and drying a marked sample through multiple cycles and measuring the change against the original grid.

A size chart built off flat measurements alone tells half the story: a Gildan Softstyle spec sheet listing 5% residual shrinkage means a size Large measuring 28 inches body length off the shelf could measure closer to 26.6 inches after repeated washing — a real difference on a longline or cropped style where an inch changes the whole silhouette. We've had buyers size a run of longline tees off day-one measurements, skip the residual-shrinkage line entirely, and field complaints three months later that the shirts shrank — they didn't shrink unexpectedly, they shrank exactly to spec.

Pull the residual shrinkage percentage from the manufacturer's spec sheet before finalizing a size chart for any printed or embroidered run, and build sizing decisions around the post-wash number rather than the as-shipped one, especially on fitted or cropped silhouettes where there's little margin for error.

Zero shrinkage sounds like the goal on any quality blank, but it isn't a realistic one. Even sanforized, preshrunk goods carry a small allowable residual percentage by industry standard, and a garment shrinking within that published spec is functioning exactly as intended, not defective.