ISO 13997:2023

Overview

ISO 13997:2023 - Protective clothing - Mechanical properties - Determination of resistance to cutting by sharp objects - defines a standardized tomodynamometer cut test for evaluating cut resistance of materials and assemblies used in protective clothing, including gloves. The second edition (2023) replaces the 1999 version and provides updated blades, calibration material, specimen clamping and test ranges. The method quantifies the cutting force required for a standard blade to cut through a specimen in a 20 mm stroke, giving repeatable numerical values used for performance classification.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Scope and limitations
  • Measures resistance to cutting by sharp edges (knives, sheet metal, glass, swarf, bladed tools).
  • Not suitable for resistance to penetration by pointed objects (needles, thorns) or for chain mail/metal plates.
  • Operator safety provisions are not included in the text.
• Test principle
  • A blade is drawn across the specimen under controlled normal force; blade stroke lengths used are 5.0 mm to 50.0 mm.
  • The standard reports a calculated cutting force required to cut through in a 20.0 mm stroke.
• Specimen preparation & sampling
  • Minimum specimen size normally 25 mm × 100 mm (single cuts allowed on 25 mm × 25 mm).
  • At least 15 cuts are required (therefore a minimum of two specimens).
  • Textile specimens tested on the bias (45° ± 5°); glove palm specimens taken to represent worst‑case protection.
• Conditioning
  • Standard conditioning: (23 ± 2) °C and (50 ± 5) % RH (alternative 20 ± 2 °C / 65 ± 5 % RH); minimum 24 h.
• Apparatus & calibration
  • Specifies components: rigid frame, force application system, specimen holder and clamp, validated blades, stroke-length measurement and cutting‑motion system.
  • Calibration procedures include beam balancing, cutting speed adjustment and blade validation.
• Reporting & annexes
  • Test report requirements, calculation methods for cutting force, and annexes covering inter‑laboratory analysis and calibration materials are included.

Practical applications and users

• Who uses ISO 13997:2023
  • PPE and protective glove manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, certification bodies, safety engineers, procurement/specification teams, and standards developers.
• Use cases
  • Classifying materials for cut-resistant clothing, comparing fabric constructions and coatings, validating protective glove performance against knife hazards, and supporting product standards that cite this method for conformance testing.

Related standards

• ISO 11610 (protective clothing vocabulary)
• ISO 23388:2018 (protective gloves against mechanical risks)
• Other referenced ISO standards for specimen conditioning and rubber testing are cited within ISO 13997:2023.

Keywords: ISO 13997:2023, cut resistance, tomodynamometer cut test, cutting force, protective clothing, knife cut resistance, glove testing, cutting test method.