FabricIQ
Reading the label…
01Verdict
Falls short on every axis — flimsy, synthetic-heavy, and rough on the environment.
Best for Skip if you have other options.
Material D · 51Health F · 25Eco · 35Label · moderate
Why this material grade?
This product scored 51/100 on the material-quality rubric (durability, comfort, breathability, warmth, moisture-wicking, care-ease), based on its composition of 50% Recycled Polyester, 50% Acrylic. Sustainability is scored separately as the Eco Rating. Blended from 50% Recycled Polyester, 50% Acrylic — the score is a weighted average based on each material's proportion.
D (40-54): Below-average material composition — weak on durability or comfort.
Below average — consider alternatives
This fabric scores low on quality. It may pill, wear out quickly, or not feel great against skin. And when it does wear out, it'll sit in a landfill for decades. Look for higher-rated options.
Budget pick
$105Below-typical fabric quality, but cheaper than the category median.
$2.06 per quality point Category median: $270 · grade C
Fabric value only — compares material quality to price vs other outerwear. Construction, fit, and brand aren't measured.
02Breakdown
Composition
50% Recycled Polyester, 50% Acrylic
Plastic-based, recycled — sheds microplastics in wash
Added Apr 6, 2026 · Data last updated Apr 6, 2026
Sustainability is scored separately — see the Eco Rating below.
🔬
Every wash of synthetic fabric releases up to 700,000 microplastic fibers into waterways. Use a Guppyfriend bag to catch them.
🌍
This fabric will take 200+ years to decompose. That means a shirt you buy today will still exist in the year 2226.
⚖️
Recycled Polyester (score 62) is carrying this blend. Acrylic (score 40) is pulling it down.
03Network
Cost per wear
rough estimate60¢/wear · 175 expected wears
Reasonable cost-per-wear
How we got there
Base for Outerwear: 250 expected wears.
× 0.70 for Recycled Polyester (low-durability fiber, durability 64).
= 175 expected wears. $105 ÷ 175 ≈ 60¢/wear.
Missing GSM — this is a category-level estimate, not garment-specific. Expect ±30% variance.
Real life is messier than a formula: how often you wash, how you wash, whether you wear it inside-out, dry on low — all of it shifts the number. This is the ceiling under reasonable care.
Care Guide
Decode symbolsWash
warm (40°C)
Bleach
Do not bleach
Dry
flat dry
Iron
Better Alternatives
Higher-rated outerwear products — each card shows how much better this alt scores vs your current product.
04Tradeoffs
Health Impact
Microplastic shedding · skin-contact synthetic load · likely chemical treatments
F25/100
High health impact — significant synthetic content or likely chemical treatments. For frequent skin-contact wear, consider a natural-fiber alternative.
Microplastics HIGH
600,000 fibers/wash
Skin contact MODERATE
100% synthetic
Chemicals HIGH
PFAS, Antimony
- PFAS (likely): 100% synthetic outerwear is typically treated with PFAS-based DWR (durable water repellent) for water resistance.
- Antimony (trace): Recycled polyester carries reduced (but non-zero) antimony residue from upstream PET feedstock.
100% synthetic (primarily recycled polyester). High microplastic shedding risk. Every wash releases hundreds of thousands of plastic fibers into waterways. Counter-intuitively, recycled polyester is not cleaner here: mechanically recycled PET fibers are shorter and more brittle, so they can shed as much as — or more than — virgin polyester. The recycled label improves sustainability, not microplastic shedding.
Biodegradability
Not BiodegradableMaterials will persist in the environment for decades.
Label Confidence
MODERATELabel confidence moderate — one signal suggests the composition may be incomplete or under-verified.
- ⚠Recycled-fiber claim without explicit certification (GRS, RCS). Chain-of-custody for recycled materials is hard to verify without one.
What this score doesn't measure
- ×Fiber grade. Staple length, micronaire, strength. "100% cotton" could be short-staple upland or long-staple Pima — same label, very different fabric.
- ×Yarn processing. Singles count, ply (single vs two-ply), spinning method (open-end vs ring-spun vs compact), mercerization. Invisible from any label.
- ×Knit / weave structure. Single jersey vs interlock, knit tightness. A loose knit pills; a tight knit lasts.
- ×Fabric weight (GSM). One construction signal among several — and high GSM can come from loose cheap yarn just as easily as from fine tight yarn. We have it for blank manufacturers, rarely for retail.
- ×Pre-shrink processing. Sanforized cotton shrinks ~1%; non-sanforized can shrink up to 10%. Not visible from the composition tag.
- ×Construction quality. Stitch density (SPI), seam types, collar geometry, manufacturing tolerances (AQL). These often matter more than the fiber itself.
- ×Specific chemical loads. Health Impact flags "likely PFAS / possible formaldehyde" from composition × category — we don't lab-test individual SKUs.
We rate the fabric, not the garment. Composition is the floor of what you're guaranteed to be getting — most shoppers don't have that.
05Action
