ISO 13934-1:2013

Overview

ISO 13934-1:2013 defines a standardized strip method to determine the maximum force and elongation at maximum force of textile fabrics. Primarily aimed at woven fabrics (including those with elastomeric fibres or stretch imparted by treatment), the standard prescribes specimen preparation, conditioning, test speeds, machine accuracy and reporting requirements for tensile testing using a constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) testing machine.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Scope and applicability
  • Applies mainly to woven textile fabrics; not normally applicable to geotextiles, nonwovens, coated fabrics, textile-glass woven fabrics, carbon-fibre fabrics or polyolefin tape-yarn fabrics.
  • Restricted to CRE tensile testing machines.
• Specimen preparation
  • Cut two sets of specimens: warp (machine) and weft (cross‑machine) directions.
  • Minimum of five specimens per set (more if higher precision is required).
  • Specimen width: 50 mm ± 0.5 mm (preferred); other widths allowed if agreed and reported.
  • Gauge length: 200 mm (can be reduced to 100 mm if elongation at maximum force > 75%).
  • Avoid selvedges, folded/creased areas, and specimens within 150 mm of sample edges.
  • Fringing: remove threads from edges to create fringes (≈5 mm or ~15 threads recommended).
• Testing machine and performance
  • CRE machines must record force and extension; accuracy to class 1 of ISO 7500-1 where possible.
  • Maximum force error ≤ ±1%; jaw separation error ≤ ±1 mm.
  • Data acquisition frequency ≥ 8 samples/second when using digital recording.
  • Required constant extension rates: 20 mm/min and 100 mm/min (accuracy ±10%).
  • Jaw design: smooth flat faces preferred; serrated/corrugated or capstan jaws permissible to prevent slippage.
• Conditioning and wet testing
  • Atmospheric conditioning per ISO 139; preconditioning in relaxed state recommended for at least 24 hours.
  • Wet-state testing uses Grade 3 water (ISO 3696) and non‑ionic wetting agent where applicable.
• Results and reporting
  • Record maximum force and elongation at maximum force; optionally force at rupture and elongation at rupture.
  • Include machine class, specimen width, gauge length, test speed, conditioning details in the test report.

Applications and Users

• Useful for textile laboratories, quality control, product development and compliance testing where tensile strength and stretch performance of woven fabrics must be quantified.
• Typical users: textile manufacturers, test laboratories, apparel and technical textile R&D teams, procurement and quality assurance professionals.

Related Standards

• ISO 139 (conditioning atmospheres)
• ISO 3696 (water for laboratory use)
• ISO 7500-1 (tensile machine verification)
• ISO 10012 (measurement management)
• ISO 13934-2 (grab method - alternative tensile test)

Keywords: ISO 13934-1, tensile properties, strip method, maximum force, elongation at maximum force, CRE testing machine, woven fabrics, specimen preparation, textile testing.