In this study, 100% cotton woven fabrics having three different patterns are mercerized by chained mercerizing machine. The temperature is kept at 60 degrees C for all applications. Application types and process period are the variables of this experiment. The effects of mercerization process applied on different conditions are examined in terms of color efficiency and degree of whiteness. rics with different patterns are also compared with each other to understand whether fabric patterns are effective in whiteness and color efficiency. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 121: 202-209, 2011