Few points to consider in Washing machine capacity.

As rightly emphasized, washing machines should be loaded based on volume rather than only weight. This is especially relevant since we process a wide range of textile materials—100% cotton, polyester–cotton blends (e.g., 66% polyester + 33% cotton), 100% polyester, wool, silk, heavy textiles, and even industrial items.

·         To begin with, it is important to understand how washing machine capacity is rated. No manufacturer can set their own standards independently; all must adhere to ISO standards. According to ISO Standard 3.1 (see attached reference), cotton is designated as the test load material.

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Further, ISO Standard 3.3 defines the ratio of cotton load to drum volume as 

1:10 kg of cotton per drum volume. Connecting these two points makes it clear that cotton is the benchmark textile for machine capacity testing.

KEY POINTS

When water interacts with different fibers, their physical properties change as follows:

·         100% Cotton: Shrinks the most in volume.

·         Polyester–Cotton (PC) blends: Shrink proportionally, depending on the cotton percentage.

·         100% Polyester: Shows negligible shrinkage.

 

We also know that effective textile cleaning is a combination of chemical action, heat, and mechanical movement. Since cotton compresses more, it requires less drum volume per kilogram, while polyester requires more drum volume per kilogram.

Conclusion:

The same drum volume corresponds to different loading capacities depending on the textile material.

 

Example:

·         A 100-liter drum may hold 10 kg of 100% cotton, but only about 7 kg of 100% polyester.

 

 Since cotton represents the maximum load with minimum volume, manufacturers logically use it as the reference point for capacity ratings. However, as industry professionals, we must understand the scientific and practical reasoning behind these standards.

 

 I would like to emphasize that this note is shared purely for knowledge-sharing and educational purposes.