FAQs

YKK was founded in Japan as a zipper manufacturing company in 1934 by Tadao (pronounced in English as Tah-dah-o) Yoshida. In the early years, Mr. Yoshida’s company carried his name; it was called Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha–or “YKK” for short. (That long Japanese name translates roughly into English as “Yoshida Company Limited.”) Over the years, the letters “YKK” were stamped onto the zippers’ pullers, and thus YKK became known as the Company’s trademark.

Aside from zippers, YKK also makes other fastening products–like hook & loop self-closing tape fastening systems, webbings, snaps, buttons, metal and plastic notions and buckles. YKK AP produces aluminum building products — like window and entrance systems for low, medium and high rise applications, as well as vinyl windows and doors for homes.

Mr. Yoshida called his philosophy the CYCLE OF GOODNESS®. It means that “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others.” According to his philosophy, Mr. Yoshida believed he must manufacture only useful, high quality zippers that would benefit, or enhance, the end-use goods in which they were installed. Since his product was a component in his customers’ products, and the critical moving part, he believed it would have to perform perfectly over a long period of time so that those end-use goods would last longer and perform better than others on the market. When they did, all involved would benefit. Because of this guiding principle, YKK became involved in vertical manufacturing. This means that YKK not only produces the zippers, but also the machines that make the zippers–and even many of the raw materials that go into the zippers–like the polyester and brass that make up the tape, teeth and sliders. Learn more about YKK’s corporate philosophy.

When applying an iron to the zipper, be sure to cover it with a cloth. Be cautious of the zipper’s heat tolerance (and the heat tolerance of the product itself). Please refer to “precautions on zippers use”

Please avoid bundling with rubber band for prolonged storage.

• When sewing, if the stitching is too close to the elements, the slider will not have enough space to move, impeding its operation. Be careful to allow enough space.
• If the zipper catches because the fabric used is too thin or soft, you should put in a stitch or core to reinforce it.

Please refer to “precautions on zippers use”

Please avoid using DP sliders where sharp points may cause injury. DP sliders are especially not recommended for use in babies’ and kids’ products.

Special products/features, such as plastic stops, are available for babies’ and kids’ products. Contact YKK representatives for more details.

For zippers that go through stone/enzyme washes, YZiP® with GS and GA sliders are generally preferable compared to the standard-type metal zippers.

• Metal parts may corrode depending on their storage conditions. There is a risk of the corroded parts staining the product, so products should be kept at low humidity, avoiding hermetically sealed storage in plastic bags or cardboard boxes and allowing some breathability in storage. (Please also be aware of the effects of NOX.) 
• The use of cleaning products containing fluorine, or contact with fabric on which such cleaning products have been used, causes metal parts to become discolored. Please be cautious of this.

Wool and feathered products are susceptible to residual chemicals such as bleach, causing the metal part of the zipper to react and become discolored or corroded in storage. Neutralize adequately, and select items not easily susceptible to the effects of residual chemicals such as VISLON® zippers and coated sliders.

Repeated dry cleaning or high-temperature drying without closing the zipper will cause it to bend. Be sure to close the zipper before washing, drying or dry cleaning.

D65 is the standard light source for all standard colors of the YKK Color Card. Please match your fabric color with the YKK color card under the D65 light source of the light box. The selection of light sources other than D65 for color matching with standard colors (YKK Color Card) may result in a color difference problem between the dyed zipper and garment fabric due to metamerism– an obvious change in color of material subjected to different lighting.

Aluminum alloy zippers are used in some applications because they are light-weight,
but special care should be taken due to its nature. Below are the main 3 reasons.

1. Elements Dissolving
Jackets and pants are frequently subject to washing at their finishing process.
Aluminum is weak to alkaline and it is reported that strong alkaline solvents may melt the elements of aluminum.
Extra attention should be paid when chemicals as acids are used.
Also make sure to rinse out those chemicals thoroughly and immediately.

2. Migration and Staining
Since aluminum is vulnerable to friction, metal dust is scraped off when operating zippers, which may stain the garment.
Extra attention should be paid when aluminum alloy zippers are used for the light colored fabrics to prevent migration and staining.

3. Elements Wearing Out
Since the friction of the element occurs even when the slider is opened and closed, it cannot be used in combination with copper alloy sliders such as GA or GS which hardness is higher than zinc alloy sliders such as DA.
It is recommended to use the item “YAN”, which is an anodized aluminum alloy zippers with improved durability.

More in detail, Please observe on precautions for proper use of the aluminum alloy zippers, which are introduced in YKK Zipper Usage Instruction Manual P.25.

The best foundation is two plies of fabric plus one ply of interlining.

If the interlining is not sewn to the base fabric, the fabric around the snap fasteners may tear after several ON/OFF usages. Make sure that the interlining and fabric are stitched together, especially on the back placket.

Attachment to an uneven thickness may result in snap fasteners detachment, weak ON/OFF actions, or fabric tearing. Snaps cannot be attached to significant uneven thicknesses.

Snap fasteners may rotate if the fabric is too thin at the attaching point. Packing is required in this case.

Try to pluck if off with your fingertip or nail.

Make sure to attach inside the stitch line. Snap fasteners should not be attached to fabrics of uneven thickness or beyond the stitching.

Do not place the iron directly on snap fasteners. It may cause scratches or deformation of the metallic snaps, and breakage or distortion of the plastic snaps. Place a cloth over the snap fasteners before ironing them.

Problems such as deformation, breakage, stiffness or lost open/close actions may occur if the pressure is too strong.

Plastic snaps are less resistant to deformation, discoloration, and scratches under high temperature.

Accessories on the garment are positioned to enter the gate one at a time.

Learn more about precautions for using plastic hardware.

A common misconception is that ANY hook and ANY loop configuration will work for a particular product or device. The fact of the matter is that deciding what hook and loop configuration to best fit into a product is much more complex. Directionality plays a major role in fastener performance and ultimately final product performance.

Learn the best way to attach hook and loop fasteners with YKK Americas

Considerations include sewing thread and stitch length as well as needle size in order to prevent tears.

Learn the best practices for sewing extruded plastic hook fasteners with YKK Americas

Napped loop consists of woven fibers that are randomly disoriented, which allow for hooks of many types and good penetration, provides high peel and shear strengths, as well as excellent cycle life. Unnapped woven loop consists of a series of unbroken loops, which allow the loop to last longer over time and is used in applications which don’t require a high peel strength. This loop can provide a cycle life of over 20,000 and has a high quality “clean” appearance, as well as quick drying properties.

Learn more about the difference between napped and unnapped woven loop fasteners