What Sanforized Means on a Vintage Label

Sanforized means the fabric was pre-shrunk before the garment was cut, using a process patented in 1930, so it wouldn't shrink much the first time it was washed. On a vintage label it also tells you something useful: the piece was made in 1930 or later.

Before Sanforized

Cotton cloth like denim, twill and chambray shrinks when it gets wet. Untreated denim can lose around 10 percent in the first wash, which is the difference between pants that fit and pants that don't.

Who came up with it

The process came from Sanford Lockwood Cluett, of Cluett, Peabody and Co., the shirt company behind Arrow. The name comes from his first name. Cluett, Peabody filed the SANFORIZED trademark in August 1930 and it was registered that December. The process was licensed out rather than kept in-house, which is why the word turns up on labels from so many different work clothes makers: Lee, Osh Kosh B'Gosh, Big Smith and plenty of others.

How it works

The cloth is dampened, then run between a thick rubber sleeve and a heated cylinder. The sleeve squeezes the fabric and lets it relax, which shrinks it the way a wash would, but at the mill and under control. More pressure means less shrinking later. The result is cloth that holds its size through cutting, sewing and the washing machine. Most sources put the shrinkage left over at about 1 to 3 percent; some labels claimed under 1 percent.

What it tells you on a vintage piece

• A label or tag that says Sanforized means the piece was made in 1930 or later. That's a floor, not a date: the word stayed in use for decades.
• It often sits next to other clues on the same label, like a union label or a lot number. Read them together.
• Sanforized cloth keeps its measurements, so the flat measurements on a listing are close to what you'll get after washing. Unsanforized cloth is a different story.

Sanforized vs. shrink-to-fit

Some denim today is sold unsanforized on purpose, often called shrink-to-fit, because people want the old way: buy it a little big, soak it, and let it shrink to you. On vintage, it mostly matters for sizing. If a piece is Sanforized, trust the tape.

Archive Workwear sells vintage workwear, outdoor, ivy, military and true vintage from Denver, Colorado. See vintage workwear, or follow new finds on Instagram at @archiveworkwear.