The study evaluated the performance of socks from three brands - Danskin, BCG, and Under Armour - through a series of tests. Danskin had the least shrinkage of all brands after laundering and the best wickability. Both Danskin and BCG outperformed minimum industry standards on most tests, while Under Armour performed the worst overall. Danskin was concluded to be the best overall sock for customers due to its low price of $6.97 and superior performance on key metrics like shrinkage and wickability compared to the more expensive Under Armour sock.

1. Athletic Sock Performance Test
Procedure:
The construction characteristics of three sock brands: Under Armour, Danskin, and BCG
were evaluated. Construction characteristics evaluated included fiber content, care
instructions, yarn structure, weight, thread count, and weave structure.
To test dimensional stability, one garment of each brand in the same size was set aside.
Four marks were made with thread knots in each. One set of marks were made on the
heel and the toe of the sock to measure shrinkage in the courses, and the other set of
marks were made on the top and bottom of the sock to measure shrinkage in the wales.
Following the care instructions, each sock was laundered one time, then three, and then
ten. The marks were subsequently measured after washes to evaluate shrinkage. The
appearance retention of each sock was also evaluated after the three categories of
washes. AATCC reference standards were used to rate the socks.
Crocking was tested by taking one original sock and one laundered sock in each brand
and performing the test according to the AATCC test method. The AATCC scale was used
to rate the crocking results.
Colorfastness of the socks to chlorine and non-chlorine bleach, perspiration and
laundering were tested. For the perspiration and laundering tests, the results were
rated using the AATCC gray scale for staining with 5 being the least stained and 1 being
the worst. The chlorine and non-chlorine bleach tests were rated on a pass of fail basis
with any resemblance of staining.
The ability to of the fabrics to release stains during laundering was evaluated by
applying peanut butter, applesauce, grape jelly, butter, red wine, oil, mustard, ranch
dressing, and chocolate sauce to the socks. These substances were allowed to dry on
the socks then the socks were washed. The stains were rated using the AATCC staining
scale, with 5 being the least stained and 1 being the worst.
Wickability was tested by holding the tip of a 5-inch strip of each sock in a glass of
water. Each strip was timed for 5 minutes, and then the distance that the water traveled
was measured after the time was up.
Purpose:
The Purpose of this project was to compare the performances of similar products of
three brands with varying price points based on textile properties.
Hypotheses:
H1: The Under Armour socks will wick the best, BCG second, and Danskin the poorest.
H2: The Under Armour socks will have the least shrinkage, BCG will shrink more than
Under Armour, but less than Danskin and Danskin will have the most shrinkage
Discussion:
Performance is affected by several factors including fiber content and fabric construction.
Despite the Under Armour being priced at $14.99 a package, BCG being priced at $6.99 a
package, and Danskin $6.97, BCG had the highest thread count at 25X25, followed by
Danskin and Under Armour both being 20X20. The most expensive brand and the least
expensive brand both had the same thread count.
All brands passed the chlorine bleach test and the non-chlorine bleach test. When testing
for colorfastness to perspiration, all brands had the highest possible score of 5 with no
staining, exceeding the minimum industry standard of 3. All three brands also proved
resistant to staining with a score of 5, indicating that no residue remained after laundering.
The minimum industry standard for dry crocking is a 4 and for wet crocking a 2.5. All brands
out performed the dry standard as well as the wet standard. Compared to BCG and Under
Armour, Danskin transferred the least amount of color to another due to abrasion.
When testing for dimensional stability the industry standard for a knit garment cannot
shrink more than 5%. BCG and Under Armour did not meet industry standards, Danskin
passed with shrinking 0% in the wales after 10 launderings, and 5% in the courses. Under
Armour shockingly had the greatest shrinkage after 10 washes shrining 20% in the courses,
and 0% shrinkage in the wales. Our hypothesis was that Under Armour would have the
least amount of shrinkage. Our data did not support our hypothesis. Danskin had the least
amount of shrinkage, even though we predicted it would have the most.
Industry standards for wickability is for the water to move 10 inches in less than one
minute. All three brands failed to meet the industry minimum. Danskin performed the best
by moving 4.5 in in 5 minutes, however none of the brands would be considered a highly
wickable fabric. Our hypothesis was the Under Armour would wick the best however, the
data did not support our hypothesis. Actually, Danskin had the best wickability even though
we predicted it would perform the worst.
The fiber content in Danskin and BCG were both very similar causing the results in both of
these brands to be consistently the same. Danskin contained 97% polyester and 3%
spandex while BCG contained 96% polyester, 3% spandex, and 1% rubber. Under Armour
had a different fiber content containing, 80% nylon, 18% polyester, and 2% spandex. This
attributed to Under Armour performing worse than the other two brands.
Store:
Danskin
$6.97
Store:
BCG
$6.99
Store:
Under Armour
$14.99
Mininmum
Industry
Standards
Fiber Content 97% Polyester
3% Spandex
96% Polyester
3% Spandex
1% Rubber
80% Nylon
18% Polyester
Care Instructions Wash before wearing
Machine wash cold
with like colors
Do not iron or dry
clean
Use only non-chlorine
bleach when needed
Machine wash warm
with like colors
Only non-chlorine
bleach when needed
Do not dry clean
Machine wash warm
Tumble dry low
Non-chlorine bleach
No iron
Yarn Structure
Wales
Courses
Simple Single Staple Simple Single Staple Simple Single Staple
Specimen Weight
Oz/yd2
14.08 oz/yd2 18.65 oz/yd2 11.3 oz/yd2
Thread Counts (In.)
Wales
Courses
Total:
20
20
40
25
25
50
20
20
50
Weave Structure Interlock with a weft
insert
Interlock with a weft
insert
Interlock with a weft
insert
Dimensional Stability
Wales
Courses
After 1 After 3 After 10
0% 0% 0%
5% 5% 5%
After 1 After 3 After 10
8.3% 8.3% 8.3%
10% 10% 10%
After 1 After 3 After 10
20% 20% 25%
0% 0% 0% 3% Woven
Appearance Retention After 1 After 3 After
10
SA-5 SA-5 SA-5
After 1 After 3 After 10
SA-5 SA-5 SA-5
After 1 After 3 After 10
SA-5 SA-5 SA-5 SA-3
Crocking
Dry
Wet
Original Laundered
5 5
4.5 5
Original Laundered
4.5 4. 5
4.5 4.5
Original Laundered
5 4.5
5 4.5
4
2.5
Bleaching
Chlorine
Non-Chlorine
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Resistance to Staining
Peanut Butter
Applesauce
Grape Jelly
Butter
Red Wine
Oil
Mustard
Ranch Dressing
Chocolate Sauce
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
Colorfastness to Perspiration 5.0 5.0 5.0 3.0
Wickability 4.5 in / 5 min 3 in / 5 min 0 in / 5 min <1 minute
Colorfastness to Laundering
Spun Diacetate
Modacrylic (SEF)
Triacetate
Bleached Cotton
Creslan Acrylic
Dacron 54 Polyester
Dacron 64 Polyester
Nylon
Orlon 75 Acrylic
Spun Silk
Polypropylene
Rayon
Worsted Wool
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
Conclusion:
All three brands out performed the minimum industry standards except for wickibility and
Danskin was the only brand to meet dimensional stability. We concluded that Danskin was
the over all better sock for customers. The price of Danskin socks were only $6.97 which
was significantly lower than that of under Armour $14.99 that performed the worst.
Danskin proved to have the best wickability and less shrinkage than the other brands,
which is very important to customers. It also did not loose color when washed. It had
perfect resistance to staining and abrasion. Even though BCG weighed more and had
similar product performance, we believe that Danskin will have the highest customer
satisfaction.
Dankskin BCG
Under Armour
Results of Shrinkage After 10 Launderings
Measuring out marks to test
shrinkage
Testing colorfastness by soaking
fabric samples in vinegar and water
Results
Hannah Craig1, Kallie McBryde1, Charnel Smith1, Kathleen Heiden Ph.D2
1Undergraduate Students, School of Human Ecology, Louisiana Tech University
2Associate Professor, School of Human Ecology, Louisiana Tech University