The Laws of Shatnez, part 2 vol.3 no.15
Armed with practical guidelines and an idea of how prevalent the shatnez problem may be, the Jewish consumer can avoid transgressing the prohibition of shatnez.
Shatnez can be found in many types of garments and in many places within the garments. A typical men’s suit labeled 100% wool may contain shatnez in as many as sixty areas, such as the collar, the shoulder, the waistband, the button threads, and the sleeve heads.
Woolen sweaters may contain linen threads for added strength. There is a possibility of finding shatnez in women’s 100% woolen sweaters from Hong Kong as well as sweaters made from wool, rayon and other fibers made in Korea. Any garment with hidden layers should be tested since these materials are not necessarily included in the content label.
Even if one has bought the same brand of suit several times before and had them all checked and permitted by a shatnez lab, one cannot necessarily rely on this status quo for the next suit he buys. The manufacturer can change many aspects of the production or distribution of their suits and therefore shatnez may creep in to their suits.
One should not necessarily rely on the store owner’s guarantee of shatnez-free merchandise, unless it was tested by an expert who can distinguish and search out all the places that shatnez might be hiding.
Shatnez can be found in some garments in which one might be surprised that a problem could exist. Shatnez has be found by AFTA Shatnez Lab of Chicago in: boots- in the removable woolen liner (Canadian Sorell brand) baseball mitts-Regent brand skirts- bought in resale shops (made of reprocessed wool)
Suits made from polyester, plain woolen pants or skirts made in America do not need to be shatnez tested.
Most sizable Jewish communities have a shatnez lab or individuals trained in shatnez detection. If one needs information for finding a place to check clothing for shatnez he should contact a local Orthodox Rabbi or Halacha-On Line and we will try to help.
