Sanforizing: Sanforizing is a controlled compressive shrinkage process, which is applied on woven fabric to achieve shrinkage before making the garments. After sanforizing the residual shrinkage of woven fabric may be zero. In sanforizing process shrinkage is achieve by passing the cotton fabric onto a movable elastic felt blanket is released it assumes a shortened conditional. Thus the cotton fabric is forced to conform this compression.

Residual Shrinkage:
Residual Shrinkage is the latent shrinkage of a fiber ,Filament, yarn or fabric.

The shrinkage amount of fabric is dependent on:
1. The nature of fibers
2. The character of threads
3. The way of interlacing of thread in the fabric.
4. Crimp in yarn.
5. Cycle of washing no. of washing.

Sanforizing Process:
Sanforizing is a mechanical finishing process of treating textile fabrics to prevent the normal dimensional alternation of warp and weft. It is also called anti-shrinkage finishing process. It is a process of treatment used for cotton fabrics mainly and most textiles made from natural or chemical fibres, patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett (18741968) in 1930. It is a method of stretching, shrinking and fixing the woven cloth in both length and width, before cutting and producing to reduce the shrinkage which would otherwise occur after washing .

Simplified diagram of the sanforizing method of producing shrinkage

Sanforizing process is based on the principle that when a elastic felt blanket is passed around a metal roller in contact with it, its outer surface is process extended and the inner surface contracted. So the process is called controlled compressive shrinkage process.
Read more: http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2012/02/sanforizinganti-shrinkage-finishing.html#ixzz2iXwTdArc

What doesSanforization mean?The process of pre-shrinking a fabric so to a limit the residual or further shrinkage of the fabric to less than 1%. This sanforization process involves the stretching of the fabric before it is washed, which helps to prevent shrinkage. Fabric that doesnt undergo sanforization and is considered raw is likely to shrink up to 10% on the initial wash and continue to shrink up until the third wash. In the world of denim, un-sanforized denim is referred to as raw denim.Rawr Denim explainsSanforizationSanforization is a process that stabilizes the fabric before it is cut by stretching and shrinking it. Named after its inventor, Sanford Lockwood Cluett, it was patented in 1930. In 1936, Blue Bell (now Wrangler) began using the method for its Super Big Ben overalls. During the sanforization process, the material is fed into a sanforizing machine and moistened with water or steam to promote shrinkage. It is then stretched through a series of rubber belts and cylinders before it is finally compacted to its final size. Sanforizing ensures that the fabric will not shrink during production or wear.