In a sample inspection organized in December, the consumer rights protection department in East China's Zhejiang province randomly purchased a down coat from each of the 14 domestic or foreign brands at several big supermarkets or shopping malls in the provincial capital Hangzhou.

But testing found that six of the brands, more than 40 percent of those tested, are substandard with the main problem being that they contain less down than claimed.

The test showed that one article made by Gap claimed it had 260 grams of down on its label but the actual down content weighed only 190 grams, a gap of about 27 percent.

Goelia, a domestic manufacturer of women's clothes, claimed a product had 130 grams of down, but in fact it only contained 111 grams, a shortage of 15 percent.

Textile professionals said that the content and quality of down in winter clothes is an important way to keep warm. The national standard states that there should be a less than 5 percent gap between the actual down content and what is claimed on the label.

The consumer rights protection department offered tips on how to select quality down products. They said a premium down jacket should regain its shape quickly after being unpacked.