The Shrinkage Disclosure Standard: Grading Vintage Wool and Cotton for Fit Loss, Waistband Tightness, and Armhole Pucker

To disclose shrinkage when grading vintage wool sweaters, measure the garment against its original size specs (or a comparable unshrunk reference), quantify the percentage of size reduction, and note whether the shrinkage is uniform (cosmetic, affects fit only) or localized (structural, causing armhole pucker or seam distortion). Uniform shrinkage under 5% with normal drape usually stays in Good–Very Good territory; localized puckering or seam strain drops the Structural Integrity score regardless of overall size loss.

We've graded a lot of wool crewnecks that got tossed in a hot dryer once, decades ago, by someone who didn't know better. The seller's listing said