Ironroot Performance New Zealand: Swim School Programme Field Test Report
Ironroot Performance is a New Zealand-based brand whose swim school programme is one of its most demanding programmes. Ironroot Performance runs its swim school programme across New Zealand and asked us to prove the fabric in the field rather than in a brochure. This report covers a full season of real use with chlorine-resistant swim knit.
Ironroot Performance: Chlorine-Resistant Swim Knit in use during daily pool sessions for children and adults
Evaluation background
The programme covers training swimsuits, swim shorts and rash guards, used for daily pool sessions for children and adults. The environment is chlorinated water and repeated drying cycles and the requirement written into the brief was chlorine resistance with reliable shape retention. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Chlorine-Resistant Swim Knit |
| Composition | PBT / polyester / elastane |
| Weight | 220 GSM |
| Width | 175 cm |
| Primary function | holds elasticity and colour through pool exposure |
| Target | less than 15% modulus loss after 100 pool hours |
| Test method | ISO 105-E03 |
| Additional note | sunscreen and chlorine tested together |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Chlorine-Resistant Swim Knit close-up showing the fabric surface
Test scope
Twenty garments were issued to regular participants and tracked for eight weeks. Every item was used for daily pool sessions for children and adults and laundered under the same domestic conditions, so the only real variable was wear.
Conditions covered
The programme ran through chlorinated water and repeated drying cycles. That is the environment the fabric has to survive, and it is harsher than any laboratory chamber we could have built.
Evaluation session with the Ironroot Performance team
What we measured
Garments were inspected every two weeks for surface wear, seam condition, dimensional change and retained hand. Fabric was retested at the end of the period against ISO 105-E03.
What users reported
Participants logged comfort, drying behaviour and any irritation. The recurring comment was that the chlorine-resistant swim knit stayed comfortable at the point where chlorine resistance with reliable shape retention would normally be lost.
Test records and inspection notes for the Swim School Programme
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Comfort in use | 4.7 / 5 |
| Drying behaviour | 4.4 / 5 |
| Surface wear | 4.8 / 5 |
| Dimensional stability | 4.6 / 5 |
| Value | 4.5 / 5 |
“Our athletes noticed the difference in the first week, and the test data explained why.” — Ironroot Performance Technical Team
Packed bulk rolls before shipment to New Zealand
Verdict and recommendation
Field testing confirmed the laboratory picture. The chlorine-resistant swim knit held its less than 15% modulus loss after 100 pool hours across the whole season and we recommend it for the next programme without change. For Ironroot Performance the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue ISO 105-E03 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
