Abstract: The dyeing behavior of cotton fabric modified with chitosan was studied in reactive dye bath. The results showed the modification treatment could improve the dye uptake by 20.58%, K /S value by 24.85% and diffusion coefficient by 7.3%, which meant the treatment was good for diffusing and dyeing. Moreover,the treatment had little impact on colour shade and fastness to rubbing.

Key words: cotton fabric; dyeing behavior; reactive dye; chitosan