Graphene Modified Yarn for Base Layers: Wear Trial Report

We ran a controlled wear trial on long sleeve base layers built with Graphene Modified Yarn to answer one question: does the odour-control value hold up in real use, not just in a laboratory dish?

Trial design

Twelve wearers used the same long sleeve base layers for skiing, cycling and winter training over four weeks. Every garment was worn at least twice between washes, which is the condition where smell complaints normally appear. The sweat zone for long sleeve base layers is the back and the underarm, which is where the treatment has to sit.

Odour assessment method

Three trained judges scored each garment on a five-point scale after eight hours of wear. Their scores were compared with ISO 20743 plus far-infrared emissivity carried out on the same fabric. Every lot is measured against ISO 20743 plus far-infrared emissivity before the fabric is released for cutting.

Results

The treated fabric reached bacterial reduction above 95% with far-infrared emissivity above 0.88, and the panel score stayed two points better than the untreated control at the back and the underarm. The gap widened after week two, when the control garments began to retain smell. Cost impact is a yarn premium of 12-18%, which is usually recovered through fewer returns across a season.

Wash durability

Performance was re-measured after permanent, because the additive sits inside the fibre. Because the platelets create a surface that bacteria colonise poorly while also spreading heat, the value declines gradually rather than disappearing, so the wearer notices a slow change instead of a sudden failure. Wear trials were run under skiing, cycling and winter training rather than in the laboratory alone.

Practical conclusion

Graphene Modified Yarn is worth specifying where long sleeve base layers is worn repeatedly between washes. Set the target of bacterial reduction above 95% with far-infrared emissivity above 0.88 on the tech pack and ask for ISO 20743 plus far-infrared emissivity per lot, so a good sample does not hide a weak bulk delivery. The care label states standard home laundering without bleach, and that wording is the condition behind permanent, because the additive sits inside the fibre.