ISO 20942:2019

Overview

ISO 20942:2019 - Leather - Full chrome upper leather - Specification and test methods defines requirements, sampling and test methods for full chrome upper leather used in a wide range of footwear (general purpose sports, school, casual, men’s and women’s town, cold weather, fashion, infants’ and indoor footwear). The standard sets physical and chemical performance criteria and references the established ISO test methods laboratories and manufacturers use for quality control and compliance.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Physical characteristics: Specifies required properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, flex resistance, distension at crack, grain crack load, seam strength, colour fastness to rubbing and water, and water vapour permeability/coefficient. Values vary by footwear type (e.g., sports vs. town vs. infants’ footwear).
• Chemical characteristics and limits:
  • Chromium(III) (Cr2O3): ≥ 2.5% (ISO 5398-1)
  • Chromium(VI): < 3 mg/kg (ISO 17075-1 / 17075-2)
  • Soluble matter in dichloromethane: 2.5–7% (ISO 4048)
  • Formaldehyde: ≤ 150 mg/kg (ISO 17226-1)
  • Azo colorants: ≤ 30 mg/kg (ISO 17234 series)
  • Total chlorinated phenols: < 0.1% (ISO 17070)
  • pH and ΔpH requirements (ISO 4045): if pH < 4 then ΔpH ≤ 0.7
• Sampling and test piece location: Sampling rules per ISO 2588 and test-piece locations per ISO 2418.
• Packaging and marking: Leather must be packaged to protect from humidity, heat and light; the flesh side must be marked with area, manufacturer ID, month/year of tanning and a reference to ISO 20942.

Practical applications and users

ISO 20942:2019 is used by:

• Footwear manufacturers for material specification, incoming quality control and product design decisions.
• Leather tanneries to certify full chrome upper leather meets industry requirements.
• Testing laboratories for performing standardised test methods and issuing compliance reports.
• Procurement teams and brand quality managers to define supplier contracts and accept/reject criteria.
• Regulatory and compliance professionals ensuring chemical and performance limits (e.g., chromium VI, formaldehyde, azo dyes) are met for market access.

Using ISO 20942 helps reduce product failures, improve consumer safety and ensure consistent leather quality across footwear applications.

Related standards

Key referenced standards include ISO 3376, ISO 3377-2, ISO 3379, ISO 4045, ISO 4048, ISO 5398-1, ISO 11640, ISO 11642, ISO 5402-1, ISO 14268, ISO 17070, ISO 17075 (parts 1 and 2), ISO 17226-1, ISO 17229 and ISO 17234 (parts 1 and 2). These define the specific test methods cited by ISO 20942:2019.