ISO 10965:2011

Overview

ISO 10965:2011 specifies a laboratory method for the determination of the electrical resistance of textile floor coverings. The standard covers three measurement types - horizontal resistance, vertical resistance, and resistance to earth - and defines equipment, sampling, conditioning and test procedures. It is intended to assess a floor covering’s electrical behaviour under controlled conditions and to support evaluation for electrostatic performance and safety.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope: Laboratory method for textile floor coverings including horizontal and vertical measurements; resistance-to-earth intended for in-situ comparison.
• Test methods:
  • Test A - Horizontal resistance: surface-to-surface resistance measured with two electrodes placed diagonally (500 mm centre-to-centre) or rectilinearly when minimum path is required.
  • Test B - Vertical resistance: surface-to-back measurement using an earthed metal plate and an electrode on the specimen.
  • Test C - Resistance to earth: electrode connected to earth; typically performed in-situ or on large laboratory specimens (≥ 6 m) installed on an earthed section.
• Apparatus:
  • Calibrated high-resistance meter with selectable open-circuit voltages (100 V and 500 V) and limited short-circuit current; reading range from ~1 × 10^3 Ω to ~1 × 10^12 Ω (accuracy levels specified).
  • Two metal electrodes (stainless steel recommended): (5.0 ± 0.1) kg weight, flat circular contact area (65 ± 2) mm diameter.
  • Insulating plate (≈600 × 600 mm) and earthed metal plate (≈600 × 600 mm).
• Sampling & conditioning:
  • Specimen selection per ISO 1957; three specimens of ~500 × 500 mm.
  • Typical conditioning: 24 h at (23 ± 2) °C and (50 ± 5) % RH. Alternate test climates with longer conditioning (7 days) are defined.
• Measurement and reporting:
  • Take six readings per test type (two per specimen or at six locations), record individual values and compute the geometric mean to two significant figures.
  • Test report must reference ISO 10965, specimen ID, number of specimens, conditioning atmosphere, applied voltage, readings and geometric mean, any deviations, and date.

Applications and users

ISO 10965 is used for:

• Quality control and product development by textile floor covering manufacturers
• Independent test laboratories and certification bodies
• Specifiers, architects, facilities managers and procurement teams assessing flooring for electrostatic-sensitive environments (electronics manufacturing, cleanrooms, hospitals)
• Health & safety and compliance officers evaluating electrostatic risk and charge dissipation properties

Keywords: ISO 10965, electrical resistance, textile floor coverings, horizontal resistance, vertical resistance, resistance to earth, electrostatic, ESD flooring, conditioning, high-resistance meter.

Related standards

• ISO 1957 - Machine-made textile floor coverings: selection and cutting of specimens for physical tests (normative reference used by ISO 10965).