Home

Textile Dyeing Technician

Do you want to become a Textile Dyeing Technician? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Bookmark or recommend this article:

Textile dyeing technicians develop and prepare dyes and apply them to fibres, yarns and fabrics. They might also be involved in printing, bleaching, waterproofing and applying other finishes to textiles. Often the dyeing process is computer controlled.

Textile dyeing technicians have to:

• check the details of the final colour required by the customer
• work out a suitable colour recipe, taking into account the type of textile
• measure and mix enough chemicals in a liquid or powder form to test-dye a piece of the fabric
• use analytical instruments and computers to do quality control tests on the samples to see how colour fast, flameproof or waterproof they are
• supervise the dyeing process.

Hours of work vary between 37 and 40 hours a week. Some companies operate shifts and overtime is often available.

Dyeing technicians split their time between carrying out detailed tests in laboratories, supervising the work in the processing area, and sitting at a computer recording details of tests or writing reports.

Salaries range from around £14,000 up to £25,000 a year.

Textile dyeing technicians need:

• perfect colour vision
• scientific and technical knowledge
• a logical, analytical approach
• to be interested in chemistry.

The focus for the textile industry has moved to developing countries, but there are still opportunities in the areas traditionally associated with textile production: the East Midlands, the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Textile dying technicians enter the profession by various routes. These include Apprenticeships leading to an NVQ/SVQ Level 3, HNCs/HNDs, and textile-related degrees. There is no upper age limit and adults are welcome to train in this profession.

The Society of Dyers and Colourists ( SDC) and the Textile Institute run a range of professional courses.

Gaining the SDC qualifications can help gain promotion into the fields of management, marketing, and research and development.

More Useful Resources - Textile Dyeing Technician:

Do you know of a useful and relevant website that would be helpful to our users? Tell us about it by emailing