The effects of various carriers on the color yield of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) filaments in a disperse dyeing system were investigated. The dyeability of disperse dyes on PVC fiber was improved using appropriate carriers. The enhancement of dye uptake imparted by carriers coincided with the reduction in glass-transition temperature, which in turn coincided approximately with the similarity of the inorganic/organic ratio values between PVC fibers and carriers. The results clearly demonstrate that hydrophobic carriers function as diluents of PVC fiber, facilitating dye diffusion by increasing segmental mobility of the fiber. The dyed PVC filaments with disperse dyes showed reasonable levels of build-up and color fastness properties in the carrier-assisted dyeing. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.