Generally encountered in knitted fabrics, pilling event, besides being a serious problem, gives a bad appearance to the fabric and even causes the fabric to perforate and deteriorate. Therefore, a number of test methods and laboratory test devices have been developed to determine the tendency of fabric to grow. Three of these devices stand out:

• ICI Pilling Box Test
• Random Tumble Pilling Tester
• Martindale Tester

These devices are generally compatible with each other, but the most optimistic results are the ICI Pilling Box tester. The device that gives the most pessimistic results is the Martindale tester. Among these methods, ICI Method is the most preferred method by laboratories.

Especially in knitted fabrics, the problem of pilling is a known problem. Pilling is a large number of small and complex fiber clusters that give the fabric an undesirable appearance and adhere to the garment surface. It is actually a surface deterioration problem in the fabric. This formation, referred to as pilling, occurs by the appearance of fluffs on the surface of the fabric and the collection thereof.

The pilling of the fabric leads to a formation that extends to the complete wear and tear and damage of the fabric. The factors that cause hair growth are basically two types:

• Intense interaction force caused by friction when wearing a garment
• Hydrodynamic forces during garment washing

However, there are also factors affecting hairiness during the production of yarns. These can be listed as: raw material, yarn twisting, the conditions of the production plant and spinning elements.

The ICI Method test method, which is applied by accredited laboratories, is based on these standards:

• TS EN ISO 12945-1 / T1 Textiles - Determination of surface feathering and pilling tendency in fabrics - Part 1: Pilling box method
• BS 5811 Pill testing box method for the determination of resistance to perforation of woven fabrics
• EKOTEKS 25