This work describes some new procedures that can be used to identify the nature and extent of instability present in pre-shrunk cotton fabrics so as to control the dimensions of the relaxed garments by providing appropriate margins in the cutting and sewing operations. The effectiveness of each method/procedure was evaluated using pre-shrunk denim fabrics that represented different degrees of longitudinal stability. Results showed that the procedures based on load cycling and energy recovery measurement are less reliable compared to those that related stability to the change in dimensions of the wet relaxed fabrics. Thus procedures based on the measurement of the relaxed dimensions of the fabric subsequent to quick relaxation in the presence of heat and moisture were found to be the most useful and practical procedures to predict the stability of pre-shrunk fabrics.