Jacket and outerwear manufacturer in Bangladesh

Waterproof ratings: the test behind the number

A waterproof rating is a hydrostatic head: water is pressed against the fabric at rising pressure until it comes through. Under ISO 811:2018, which ISO last confirmed in 2025, the pressure rises at either 10 or 60 cm of water per minute, the water is at 20 °C or 27 °C, and the result is the pressure at which water appears in the third place. The standard warns that the two rates can give different results and that warmer water gives lower values, so the report must state both. AATCC TM127 is the US method for the same property, and AATCC notes that its results may not match rain or spray tests.

EN 343:2019, the European standard for protective clothing against rain, turns hydrostatic head into four classes. Class 1 needs at least 8,000 Pa on new fabric and seams. Class 4 needs 20,000 Pa on the fabric after each pre-treatment (abrasion, flexing, fuel and oil, and laundering) and on the seams after cleaning. At about 102 mm of water per 1,000 Pa, class 4 is roughly a 2,040 mm column. EN 343 is written for protective clothing, but its classes are a clear way to put a waterproof target into any jacket tech pack.

Breathability: Ret and MVTR are different numbers

Breathability is reported in different units from different tests, and a result from one test does not translate into another. Ret, the water-vapour resistance in square metre pascals per watt, comes from the sweating guarded-hotplate test in ISO 11092; a lower Ret means a more breathable fabric. ISO published a new edition, ISO 11092:2026, in May 2026, replacing the 2014 edition, and notes that its test conditions are not meant to represent particular comfort situations. The same apparatus measures thermal resistance (Rct) of fabrics and multilayer assemblies, so it can compare the warmth of two insulation builds. EN 343 uses Ret to give a breathability class from 1 to 4, with 4 the most breathable.

MVTR, the moisture vapour transmission rate, is measured with cups instead. JIS L 1099, last revised in 2021, includes a calcium chloride method (A-1) and a potassium acetate method (B-1), and ASTM E96/E96M-24a has a desiccant method and a water method. ASTM states that a result from one method, or from one set of test conditions, cannot be used to predict the result of another. A breathability figure from a mill can only be compared with another figure measured by the same method under the same conditions, so ask for the method and its letter with every number.

Down fill: fill power, composition and certification

Fill power is the volume a 30 g sample of down occupies in a cylinder under a light weighted plate, after conditioning. The International Down and Feather Bureau’s testing regulations (June 2023 version) make steam conditioning, Part 10-B, the official method, and the older tumble-dry method has been cancelled. Results are reported as a height in millimetres per 30 g and can be converted to cubic inches per 30 g (height divided by 0.252) or cubic centimetres per gram (height multiplied by 2.20). The report must also state the conditioning method and how long the sample was conditioned, which the regulations set at 48 to 72 hours. Two fill power figures are only comparable when the method and conditioning match.

In Europe, the standard for labelling the composition of down and feather fillings is EN 12934, a European Standard rather than a law. Its 2025 edition replaced the 1999 version, was due to be adopted nationally by August 2025, added a clause on fill power labelling, and raised the allowance for foreign matter from 0.5% to 2% because more recycled fillings are expected. The IDFB also publishes methods for net fill weight (Part 17) and for down given a durable water-repellent treatment (Part 18), and it recognises several down-proofness tests, which involve both the filling and the fabric, including EN 12132-1 (rubbing), EN 12132-2 (impact) and a rotating box method. Ask for fill power, composition and net fill weight on one report, from the lot that goes into your jackets.

Textile Exchange launched a broader Materials Matter Standard in December 2025, but down is not in its first version, so down claims continue under the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and Textile Exchange’s claims policy.

Water-repellent finishes and PFAS: dates for 2026 and 2027 orders

In the EU, Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 restricts PFHxA, its salts and PFHxA-related substances. From 10 October 2026, textiles in clothing and related accessories for the general public may not be placed on the market at or above 25 ppb for PFHxA and its salts, or 1,000 ppb for related substances, measured in homogeneous material; the regulation names rain jackets as an example of outdoor clothing in scope. Other consumer textiles follow from 10 October 2027, and certain category III personal protective equipment is exempt. Confirm how the date applies to your stock with your compliance adviser.

In California, Health and Safety Code section 108971 has banned the sale of new textile articles containing regulated PFAS since 1 January 2025. Regulated PFAS means PFAS intentionally added for a function, or total organic fluorine at or above 100 ppm, falling to 50 ppm from 1 January 2027. Outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions, defined as extreme-use gear such as offshore sailing and mountaineering outerwear that is not marketed for general consumer use, is exempt until 1 January 2028 but must carry the statement “Made with PFAS chemicals”, including online. Manufacturers must give sellers a signed certificate of compliance.

New York’s Environmental Conservation Law section 37-0121 has banned the sale of new apparel containing intentionally added PFAS since 1 January 2025; for outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions, the ban starts on 1 January 2028. Other states may have their own rules, so check each state you sell in with your compliance adviser.

For a jacket tech pack, that means naming a PFAS-free water-repellent finish, asking the fabric mill for a test report on the finished shell fabric against the limits of each market you sell in, and keeping any California certificate of compliance on file. Spray ratings after washing, from the table above, show whether a PFAS-free finish still performs.

Seams and zips: tests to ask for before bulk

EN 343 tests seams as well as fabric. Seams must hold 8,000 Pa for classes 1 and 2 and 13,000 Pa for class 3 before pre-treatment, and for class 4 they are tested after cleaning, at 20,000 Pa. Ask the laboratory to cut seam specimens from the pre-production sample, sealed on the same machine settings as bulk, and to wash them first if your care label allows washing.

For zips, ASTM D2061, reapproved in 2021, covers strength tests for zip chains and elements, stops, the separable unit of an open-ended zip, the slider lock and the pull; ASTM notes that no single test decides whether a zip suits an end use. In Europe, EN 16732, published in 2015 and based on the British standard BS 3084, sets performance levels for zips by end use and the test methods for them. Ask for the zip supplier’s report to one of these standards for the exact zip, size and slider in your bill of materials.

Jackets and outerwear: duty and tax by market

Duty depends on where the garment is sold, not on where it is made. Jackets, anoraks and outerwear from Bangladesh enter the UK, the EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand at 0% under each market’s scheme for least developed countries, with a tax at import that a registered business recovers. The United States gives Bangladesh no preference, so a US buyer pays the normal rate for the tariff line plus the 10% Section 301 tariff on Bangladeshi goods that applies from 24 July 2026. The table gives the position on 25 September 2026; each market page sets out the rules of origin, the paperwork and the labelling in full, with sources.

The EU keeps its 0% rate for three years after Bangladesh leaves the least developed country category, now scheduled for 24 November 2029, so to about November 2032. The tax at import (VAT or GST) is charged on the goods’ import value plus any duty, and each market sets whether freight and insurance count in that value, so cost the landed price with it. Our own orders for jackets start at 2,000 pieces per style and colour. Your quote states the shipping term (FOB, CIF or DDP), and our landed cost calculator turns it into a delivered price for your market.