Abstract: In order to study the applicability of instrument rating methods on different types of fabrics, the spectrophotometer, colorimeter and digital image grading system were used to evaluate the color fastness of textiles with different surface characteristic in different conditions. The rating results of instruments were compared with the visual rating results. The testing conditions included color-different formulas, standard illuminants, geometric conditions, field angles and so on. The types of fabrics included uneven fabrics, coating fabrics, mesh fabrics, multicolor pattern fabrics, nap fabrics and shiny fabrics. The results show that: the color fastness of fabrics was greatly affected by the surface characteristic of fabrics; instrument rating methods were suitable for most textiles except individual textiles in some colors; different instruments were suitable to evaluate different types of fabrics; the surface characteristic of fabrics should be taken into account comprehensively when choosing suitable testing instruments and conditions to evaluate the color fastness of textiles; for the color fastness of special fabrics, instrumental methods should be combined with visual assessment to evaluate comprehensively.