Why You Must Relax and Preshrink Fabric Before Cutting?

In garment production, fabric is not always ready for spreading and cutting immediately after a roll reaches the cutting room. Knitted fabrics, stretch materials and fabrics affected by rolling and transportation may still retain tension. If these materials are cut before reaching a more stable condition, cut parts may change in size during handling, sewing or later processing, increasing the burden of recutting and quality control.

Pre-cutting fabric preparation is therefore not simply a matter of leaving fabric to rest. Its purpose is to release tension before cutting or to improve dimensional stability through controlled steam preshrinking.

Fabric relaxing and preshrinking are related, but they are not identical processes. The suitable method depends on fabric type, shrinkage behaviour, production timing and the cutting workflow.

What Is the Difference Between Fabric Relaxing and Preshrinking?

Fabric relaxing is primarily used to release tension accumulated during rolling, transportation or previous production processes. This is particularly relevant to knitted and stretch fabrics, which may continue to recover or change shape after being opened from the roll.

Preshrinking uses controlled steam, heating and cooling processes to address dimensional change before cutting and garment processing. Its focus is not only tension release, but also the stability of the fabric dimensions during later production stages.

In simple terms, relaxing is mainly concerned with tension release, while steam preshrinking focuses more directly on shrinkage control and dimensional stability. Both take place before cutting, but they serve different processing purposes.

Why Should Fabric Tension Be Addressed Before Cutting?

From knitting or weaving through dyeing, finishing, rolling and transport, fabric may be exposed to force and compression in different directions. After a roll is opened, the material may require time or processing to recover a more natural condition.

This is particularly important for several material types.

Knitted Fabrics

Knitted structures are more extensible than many woven fabrics and can retain tension during rolling or feeding. If knitted fabric is cut while still stretched, individual parts may recover after leaving the cutting table, resulting in dimensional variation from the planned pattern.

Stretch Fabrics

Materials containing elastic fibres respond to changes in stretching and handling. Without suitable preparation before cutting, cut pieces may show unstable dimensions, curled edges or greater difficulty during sewing and assembly.

Heavy and Specialised Materials

Denim, indigo-dyed fabrics, laminated fabrics, coated textiles and composite materials may require different preparation conditions because of their roll weight, construction or finishing method.

Conventional Fabric Relaxing: Effective but Dependent on Time and Space

Many garment factories spread or lay out fabric before cutting, allowing the material to release tension naturally. This method is straightforward and remains suitable for many common fabrics.

However, as order volume and roll quantity increase, or where cutting-room space is limited, relying only on manual spreading and waiting periods can place pressure on production planning. Results may also vary according to how fabric is laid, stacked and handled by different operators.

Automatic relaxing equipment supports a more organised feeding and plaiting process for tension release. The OSHIMA UW-2/2L/2M non-steam fabric relaxing series is designed for the pre-cutting relaxation of knitted and woven fabrics. The relaxing process takes 12 to 24 hours, and the equipment includes automatic stop sensing and rewinding functions.

This type of equipment does not mean that all waiting time disappears. Its purpose is to make the fabric relaxing process easier to arrange and reduce the labour involved in manually laying out and collecting fabric.

Steam Fabric Relaxing: Reducing Pre-Cutting Relaxation Time

Where a factory needs to shorten the relaxation period before cutting, steam relaxing equipment can be used to process fabric tension.

The OSHIMA UW-2S/2LS/2MS steam relaxing series is designed for knitted and woven fabrics. Through steam treatment, the fabric relaxing time is shortened to 6 to 8 hours. The machine includes automatic stop sensing, rewinding and a fabric return mechanism for continuous pre-cutting preparation.

For factories handling wider fabric or heavier rolls, different models can be selected according to fabric width and roll weight. Steam relaxing supports shorter tension-release and initial stabilisation processes before cutting, but it does not replace shrinkage testing or finished-product quality control.

Steam Preshrinking: Addressing Dimensional Stability Before Cutting

Where the main concern is not only tension but also shrinkage and dimensional change during later processing or use, steam preshrinking equipment becomes relevant.

Steam preshrinking processes fabric through controlled steam, heating and cooling stages before cutting or forming. For cotton, silk, wool, linen, synthetic fibres and blended fabrics, equipment settings can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the material.

Open Steam Preshrinking

Open steam preshrinking equipment can be applied to regular fabrics requiring a basic steam treatment process. The OSHIMA OC-100/100L uses open steam and natural ambient-air drying, together with tension-free plaiting and mechanical length measurement after treatment.

This type of equipment supports factories seeking a basic preshrinking process for common fabrics before cutting.

Enclosed Steam Preshrinking

For factories requiring a more complete processing flow, enclosed steam preshrinking equipment provides more controlled steam, temperature and cooling conditions.

The OSHIMA OSP-2500 series uses an enclosed steam design and is suitable for cotton, silk, wool, linen, synthetic fibres and blended fabrics. Steam volume, temperature and preshrinking settings can be adjusted, while a strong air-suction cooling system helps fabric return to a more stable condition after treatment.

For coated fabrics, laminated materials, composite layers or other high-value textiles, the OSP-2000II/2000III series provides a three-stage process combining heating, steam and vacuum cooling. It also includes independent speed control for adjustment according to different material characteristics.

Why Is Cooling Important in Steam Preshrinking?

Steam and heat change the condition of fabric during processing. After heating, the material still requires suitable cooling before it enters the next production step.

If fabric is rewound or sent to cutting while it still retains heat or moisture, its condition may not yet be stable. Air-suction or vacuum cooling helps the material cool more quickly after processing and reduces the risk of dimensional variation before further production.

For steam preshrinking equipment, cooling is therefore not merely an additional feature. It is an important part of the complete treatment process.

Stable Fabric Provides a Better Basis for Cutting

Many garment factories use CAD marker planning and automatic cutting equipment to improve material utilisation and cut-part consistency. However precise the cutting equipment may be, it still depends on fabric being reasonably stable at the time of cutting.

If the material retains significant tension or potential shrinkage, cut pieces may change after leaving the cutting table, making sewing alignment and later finishing more difficult.

How Should a Factory Choose Relaxing or Preshrinking Equipment?

Not every factory needs the most complex equipment at the beginning. A practical starting point is to review the fabrics processed most frequently and the problems occurring before cutting.

Where the main purpose is to release tension from knitted or woven fabrics before cutting, and a 12 to 24-hour handling period fits the production schedule, non-steam fabric relaxing equipment can provide a suitable basic process. Where the factory aims to shorten relaxing time for general knitted or woven fabrics, steam relaxing equipment can reduce the process to 6 to 8 hours.

Conclusion

The purpose of fabric relaxing and steam preshrinking is not to eliminate every waiting period. It is to bring fabric into production in a more stable condition before cutting begins. For knitted fabrics, stretch materials and textiles affected by shrinkage, suitable pre-cutting treatment can reduce the production burden caused by dimensional variation, recutting, sewing alignment and later quality handling.

We provide non-steam fabric relaxing machines, steam relaxing machines, open steam preshrinking equipment and enclosed steam preshrinking systems for regular fabrics, knitted and woven materials, as well as coated, laminated and composite textiles.