What is Lab Dip?
Also known as: lab-dip, dye submission
A small fabric sample dyed by the mill to match a colour standard, sent to the buyer for approval before bulk dyeing.
How does a lab dip get approved?
Before dyeing a full production run, a dye house prepares lab dips: small swatches of the actual fabric dyed to match the buyer's colour standard. Several variants are often submitted side by side, labelled A, B and C. The buyer's colour team compares each dip with the standard in a light booth and with a spectrophotometer, judging the difference in Delta E and checking for metamerism. Approved dips become the reference for bulk production; rejected ones go back with comments such as 'too red' or 'slightly dull'. Specifying the target colour with Lab values, not just a screen RGB, shortens this loop because the dye house can aim at a measurable number.
What do comments on a rejected lab dip look like?
A buyer receives dips A, B and C for a coral colourway. B measures Delta E 0.8 from the standard and holds under all three booth lights, so it is approved; A is returned as 'too yellow' at Delta E 2.6.