Textiles Industry Guide for Universal Testing Machines

Written by Chris Thomas, Universal Grip Company · Reviewed by Frank Bertini · Updated October 17, 2026

Woven, knitted, nonwoven and coated fabrics are tested on the same universal testing machines as metals and plastics, but almost nothing else carries over. The specimens are wide and thin, the loads are modest, the standards fix the jaw size as carefully as the speed, and the two most common tensile methods (grab and strip) differ only in which part of the fabric the jaws hold. A lab that gets the jaws, the gauge length and the conditioning right produces results that agree with the mill, the converter and the customer; one that improvises gets jaw breaks and arguments. This guide covers the tests that matter for textiles, the grip and jaw each one needs, and how Universal Grip configures a machine to run them all with quick jaw changes.

It is written for apparel, home-furnishing, technical-textile, geotextile, protective-clothing, automotive-interior and coated-fabric labs, and for anyone specifying a textile testing machine for the first time. The standard-by-standard guides go deeper: ASTM D5034 grab, ASTM D5035 strip, ASTM D751 coated fabrics, ASTM D2261 tongue tear, ASTM D5587 trapezoid tear, ASTM D3787 and D6797 ball burst, ASTM D1683 seams, ASTM D3822 single fibres and ASTM D2256 yarns; the textile testing article walks through the main ones on a single machine.

In this guide: Who This Guide Is For · The Tests That Matter for Textiles · How to Configure a Machine for Textile Testing · Specimen Preparation · Common Mistakes in Textile Testing · Recommended Equipment Packages · FAQ

Who This Guide Is For

Textile testing on a universal testing machine covers the constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile tests, tear tests, burst and puncture tests, seam and attachment tests, and the fibre and yarn tests that feed into them. Performance textiles for protective clothing, filtration, medical, automotive, military and outdoor use are specified against these methods, and many of the specifications (ACT performance guidelines for contract fabrics, ASTM D3779 and D4154 for apparel, AASHTO M288 for geotextiles, military and automotive specs) call out minimum values from the same handful of ASTM tests.

The common thread is that every one of them is a CRE test: the crosshead moves at a constant speed, usually 300 mm/min, and the fabric is held in flat jaws whose size and face the standard defines. The machine therefore needs modest capacity, generous jaw selection and software that can average peaks, which is what the configuration advice below is built around. For most of these tests a Mark-10 tensile tester or a benchtop universal testing machine in the 1 to 5 kN range is the right size.

The Tests That Matter for Textiles

ASTM D5035 strip tensile test

ASTM D5035 pulls a strip of fabric held across its full width: a raveled strip (threads removed from each side to the test width) or a cut strip, 25 or 50 mm wide with 75 mm between the jaws, at 300 mm/min. Because the whole width is gripped, the result is the breaking force of the fabric itself and is reported in N or lbf per strip width. The vise jaws must be wider than the specimen, and the break must occur between the jaws, not against them; a break adjacent to a jaw is a jaw break and is repeated. Smooth flat jaws are the default; serrated faces only when a strong fabric slips.

ASTM D5034 grab tensile test

ASTM D5034 uses the same vise grips but different jaws: a 102 × 152 mm (4 × 6 in) specimen is held in the centre only, by a 25 × 25 mm (1 × 1 in) front jaw against a 25 × 50 mm (1 × 2 in) back jaw, 75 mm apart, at 300 mm/min, five specimens in each direction. The fabric outside the jaw width helps carry the load, so grab strength is higher than strip strength for the same fabric and the two are not interchangeable. The 1 × 1 in smooth jaw is by far the most common; some testers use a 2 in tall, 1 in wide jaw, and serrated faces are used for strong fabrics, but smooth faces are preferred to avoid tearing the specimen at the jaw. ASTM D4632 is the same grab geometry applied to geotextiles, with 100 × 200 mm specimens.

ASTM D751 coated fabrics

ASTM D751 is a collection of methods for fabrics with a coating (PVC, PU, rubber, silicone): grab and cut-strip breaking strength, elongation, tongue and trapezoid tear, bursting and puncture resistance, coating adhesion, seam strength, tack tear and crush resistance, with the same 102 × 152 mm grab specimen, 25 × 25 / 25 × 50 mm jaws and 300 mm/min as D5034. The current edition is D751-26, which renumbered the sections, so cite the procedure, not the section number. Conditioning is per ASTM D1776 at 21 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 2 % RH, not the 23 °C/50 % RH used for plastics. Coated fabrics are slick, so pneumatic grips with rubber-faced jaws are the usual answer to slippage.

ASTM D2261 tongue tear

ASTM D2261 measures tearing strength by the single-rip (tongue) method: a 75 × 200 mm specimen with a 75 mm slit cut in from one end forms two tongues that are clamped in opposite jaws, 75 mm apart, and pulled at 50 mm/min so the tear propagates across the fabric. The result is the average of the highest peaks in the trace, which is why the software's peak-averaging function matters. ASTM D5587 is the trapezoid tear alternative, a 75 × 150 mm trapezoid with a 15 mm cut, run at 300 mm/min with the maximum force reported; it suits nonwovens and fabrics that do not tear cleanly in a tongue test. Elmendorf tear (D1424) is a pendulum test and is not run on a universal testing machine.

ASTM D1388 fabric stiffness

ASTM D1388 is a bending test rather than a tensile test: a 25 × 200 mm strip is slid off the edge of a horizontal platform until its own weight bends it down to touch a plane inclined at 41.5°; the overhang length gives the bending length (half the overhang) and flexural rigidity. It needs the cantilever fixture, not a machine, and four readings per specimen (both ends, both faces). It is the quickest way to put a number on hand and drape.

ASTM D3787 and D6797 ball burst

The ball burst test measures bursting strength by pushing a 25.4 mm (1 in) polished steel ball through a fabric clamped in a ring with a 44.45 mm (1.75 in) opening. ASTM D3787 is the CRT (constant-rate-of-traverse) form and ASTM D6797 the CRE form run on a universal testing machine at 305 mm/min; both use the same puncture fixture, with the plunger attached to the crosshead through a clevis-pin adapter and the ring clamp to the base in the same way. Knits, which stretch in every direction and have no single "width" to pull, are tested this way rather than in grab or strip tension. Coated-fabric puncture and geotextile puncture (ASTM D4833, D6241) use the same fixture with different probes.

ASTM D1683 sewn seams

ASTM D1683 measures seam strength and seam efficiency by pulling a seamed specimen in grab-style jaws at 300 mm/min and comparing the seam's breaking force with the fabric's own grab strength; it also records how the seam failed (seam slippage, yarn breakage, sewing-thread breakage). The same vise grips and 25 × 25 mm jaws as D5034 are used, which is why most apparel labs run the two back to back.

ASTM D3822 single fibres and ASTM D2256 yarns

Fibres and yarns cannot be held in flat jaws without breaking at the jaw. ASTM D3822 tests single fibres with a winding-drum style of rope grip that wraps the fibre around a drum so the load is taken by friction over the wrap, and reports breaking force and elongation at break; it comes pre-configured on new Galdabini machines and is one of the easiest textile tests to run. ASTM D2256 tests yarns the same way with bollard grips (also used for ASTM D885 tire cord and industrial yarn), at speeds chosen to break the yarn in 20 ± 3 seconds. Both need a low-capacity load cell, typically 10 to 100 N, and a long enough stroke for high-elongation yarns.

How to Configure a Machine for Textile Testing

Textile testing is defined by jaws, not by force. Many technicians find themselves switching jaw faces several times a day between strip, grab, tear and seam tests, so the grip system is the first thing to get right.

Grips and jaws: Universal Grip's vise grips with the quick-change carrier let the operator swap jaw faces in seconds without tools: 25 × 25 mm and 25 × 50 mm smooth faces for grab and seam tests, 50 mm (or wider) smooth faces for strip tests, 25 × 50 mm faces for tongue tear, serrated faces for strong technical fabrics, and rubber faces for slick coated fabrics. Pneumatic grips with the same face sizes give a constant, repeatable clamping force across operators and are the production-lab choice for coated fabrics and nonwovens.
Capacity: apparel and home fabrics break at 100 to 1,500 N in grab, technical fabrics and geotextiles at 1 to 5 kN, and yarns and fibres at a few newtons. A 2.5 or 5 kN frame with a 1 kN and a 5 kN load cell covers almost every textile lab; fibre work adds a 10 to 50 N cell. Choose cells so the break falls between 15 and 85 % of range.
Speed and travel: 300 mm/min is the textile default (D5034, D5035, D751, D4632, D5587, D1683), with 50 mm/min for D2261 and 305 mm/min for ball burst. Knits and elastic fabrics elongate 100 to 300 %, so 500 mm or more of stroke is worth having.
Fixtures: a ball burst and puncture fixture with the 25.4 mm ball and 44.45 mm ring plus interchangeable probes, a D1388 cantilever stiffness tester, bollard grips and winding-drum grips for yarn and fibre, and a peel fixture for coating adhesion and laminate peel.
Elongation: fabric elongation is normally taken from crosshead travel with the jaws at the standard separation, which the methods allow; for low-strain technical fabrics and composites a video extensometer measures strain without touching the specimen.
Software: Galdabini's Graphwork 6, supplied by Universal Grip, ships unlocked with an extensive library of standard methods and handles everything from a basic CRE pull to tear tests where the average of the highest peaks must be computed automatically. Universal Grip pre-programs any method not already in the library, and setting up a new test takes about 10 minutes for an experienced user and 20 for a beginner. See software.
Conditioning: textiles are conditioned and tested at 21 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 2 % RH per ASTM D1776, a different atmosphere from plastics; an environmental chamber is only needed for hot or cold performance testing.

Specimen Preparation

Cut specimens with their long axis parallel to the warp (machine) or filling (cross) direction as the method requires, and test the number per direction the standard calls for (usually five). Report the direction; warp and fill results differ.
Take specimens from the full width of the sample, avoiding selvages and the same set of warp yarns, so that a weak yarn does not appear in every specimen.
Ravel strips to width for D5035 raveled-strip tests by removing yarns from both edges; cut strips for coated and nonwoven fabrics with a sharp blade or a die and die press, which also gives clean 75 × 200 mm tear specimens and trapezoids.
Precondition and condition per D1776 (bring to equilibrium from the dry side) before cutting if the standard requires it; moisture changes strength and elongation measurably on cellulosic fabrics.
Mark the gauge distance on strip specimens when elongation is reported, and set the jaw separation (75 mm for grab and strip) with a gauge block rather than by eye.

Common Mistakes in Textile Testing

Grab results compared with strip results, or either compared with ISO 13934 values run at a different gauge and speed.
The wrong jaw: a 25 mm jaw on a strip test (strip jaws must cover the full specimen width) or a full-width jaw on a grab test.
Jaw breaks counted as results: a break at or within a few millimetres of the jaw is repeated, and persistent jaw breaks mean the jaw faces or clamping pressure need changing.
Serrated faces used by default; they cut knits and thin fabrics, and smooth faces are the standard choice.
Conditioning at 23 °C/50 % RH (the plastics atmosphere) instead of 21 °C/65 % RH.
Tear strength read as the maximum force on a tongue tear instead of the average of the highest peaks.
Load cell too large for yarns and fibres, so the break sits at 1 % of range.
Elmendorf tear expected from a universal testing machine; D1424 is a pendulum test.
Specimens cut along the selvage or from the same warp yarns.

Recommended Equipment Packages

Three configurations cover the range from a QC bench to a full textile laboratory. All grips and fixtures are supplied in the adapters for your frame and fit Instron, MTS, ZwickRoell, Shimadzu, Tinius Olsen, Mark-10 and Galdabini machines if you already have one.

QC tensile and seam bench (D5034, D5035, D1683): a Mark-10 tensile tester with a 1 kN or 2.5 kN cell, vise grips with the quick-change carrier and a set of 25 × 25, 25 × 50 and 50 mm smooth faces, plus serrated faces for technical fabrics.
Apparel and home-textile lab (adds tear, burst, stiffness): a benchtop universal testing machine with 1 kN and 5 kN cells, pneumatic grips with rubber and smooth faces, the ball burst fixture, a D1388 cantilever tester, cutting dies for tear specimens and Graphwork 6 with the textile methods loaded.
Technical textiles, geotextiles and coated fabrics (adds yarn, fibre, puncture, peel): the lab above with a 5 kN or 10 kN frame, bollard grips and a winding-drum fibre grip with a 50 N cell, geotextile puncture probes for D4833 and D6241, a peel fixture for coating adhesion, and an environmental chamber for performance testing.

The tensile grips overview compares every grip type we make, the tear testing and puncture testing pages compare the methods by material, and the elastomers and plastics industry pages cover coated-fabric substrates and films.

Textile Testing FAQ

What tests are run on textiles with a universal testing machine?

Grab (ASTM D5034) and strip (D5035) tensile, the D751 coated-fabric series, tongue (D2261) and trapezoid (D5587) tear, ball burst (D6797/D3787) and puncture, seam strength (D1683), and single-fibre (D3822) and yarn (D2256) tensile. Fabric stiffness (D1388) uses a separate cantilever fixture.

What is the difference between a grab test and a strip test?

A strip test (D5035) grips the full width of a 25 or 50 mm strip, so it measures the fabric's own breaking force. A grab test (D5034) grips only the 25 mm centre of a 102 mm wide specimen with 25 × 25 mm front and 25 × 50 mm back jaws, so the surrounding fabric helps carry the load and the result is higher. The two are not interchangeable.

What jaw size is used for ASTM D5034?

A 25 × 25 mm (1 × 1 in) front jaw and a 25 × 50 mm (1 × 2 in) back jaw, usually smooth, set 75 mm apart. Serrated faces are used only for strong fabrics that slip; smooth faces avoid tearing the specimen at the jaw.

What speed do textile tensile tests run at?

300 mm/min for grab, strip, coated-fabric, geotextile grab, trapezoid tear and seam tests; 50 mm/min for tongue tear per D2261; 305 mm/min for ball burst per D6797; yarn tests are set to break the specimen in 20 ± 3 seconds.

How are textiles conditioned before testing?

Per ASTM D1776 at 21 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 2 % relative humidity, brought to equilibrium from the dry side. This differs from the 23 °C/50 % RH used for plastics; coated fabrics under D751 use the textile atmosphere.

What capacity testing machine do I need for fabrics?

Most apparel and home fabrics break between 100 and 1,500 N in grab and technical fabrics and geotextiles at 1 to 5 kN, so a 2.5 to 5 kN frame with 1 kN and 5 kN load cells covers nearly every textile lab. Yarns and fibres need a 10 to 50 N cell.

How do I stop fabric slipping or breaking at the jaws?

Match the jaw to the test (full-width smooth faces for strip, 25 mm faces for grab), use rubber-faced or pneumatic grips for slick coated fabrics, clamp evenly with the specimen square to the jaws, and treat any break at the jaw line as a jaw break to be repeated.

What grips are used for yarns and single fibres?

Bollard (capstan) grips for yarns and cords per ASTM D2256 and D885, and a winding-drum style grip for single fibres per ASTM D3822; both take the load through friction over a wrap so the fibre does not break at a jaw edge.

Is Elmendorf tear run on a universal testing machine?

No. ASTM D1424 Elmendorf tear uses a falling pendulum. The tear tests run on a universal testing machine are tongue tear (D2261, D751) and trapezoid tear (D5587, D4533, D751).

Can one machine run tensile, tear, burst and seam tests?

Yes. A 5 kN benchtop universal testing machine or a Mark-10 tester with quick-change vise or pneumatic grips, a set of jaw faces, a ball burst and puncture fixture and peak-averaging software runs the whole CRE textile suite; stiffness (D1388) and Elmendorf tear use their own instruments.

Specifying a textile testing machine or adding a method? Contact Universal Grip with the standards you run, your fabric types and your machine (or the capacity you need) and we will quote the grips, jaw faces, fixtures and frame as one package.