Overview
EN ISO 12625-8:2010 (Tissue paper and tissue products - Part 8) specifies a basket-immersion test method to determine the water-absorption time and water-absorption capacity of tissue paper and tissue products. The method describes manual test procedures (the automated methods were excluded from the standard unless validated against the manual method) and gives requirements for sampling, conditioning, apparatus, procedure, calculation and reporting. This standard is used for comparative testing in trade, quality control and product development.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: Measurement of water-absorption time (time to complete wetting) and water-absorption capacity (grams water absorbed per gram of sample) using the basket-immersion technique.
- Sampling & conditioning: Follow ISO 186 for sampling and ISO 187 for conditioning/testing atmosphere. For roll products, discard the first and last six layers.
- Test pieces: Prepare five test pieces typically 76 ± 1 mm wide with mass (5.0 ± 0.2) g (other sizes may be agreed and must be reported).
- Reagent: Deionized water per ISO 14487; maintain test water temperature equal to conditioning temperature; refresh water after each five-test series.
- Apparatus:
- Cylindrical basket made from non‑corroding wire (≈0,5 mm wire) with total mass (3,0 ± 0,1) g.
- Water container with water depth 100 mm (minimum total volume ≈3 L).
- Timer accurate to ±0,01 s (range 60 s) and balance to 0,001 g.
- Drain support to hang the basket at (30 ± 3)° to the horizontal.
- Procedure (brief):
- Roll and place test piece in basket; immerse from (25 ± 5) mm above the water surface.
- Start timer on release, record time to complete wetting (absorption time).
- After wetting, continue immersion for (30 ± 1) s, remove horizontally, hang at 30° and drain for (60 ± 1) s, then weigh.
- Calculations & reporting:
- Report mean water-absorption time (to 0,1 s) and standard deviation for five replicates.
- Water-absorption capacity W = (ma − mb) / mo (grams water per gram sample) where ma = basket+wet mass, mb = basket mass, mo = dry sample mass.
- Test report must reference EN ISO 12625-8 and include conditioning, sample ID, dimensions, means and deviations, and any deviations.
Applications and users
- Quality control and acceptance testing in tissue paper production (facial tissues, toilet tissue, napkins, towels)
- R&D and product development for absorbency performance
- Independent testing laboratories and certification bodies
- Procurement and specification writers comparing products by absorbency
- Regulators and standards committees defining product claims
Keywords: EN ISO 12625-8:2010, ISO 12625-8, tissue paper standard, basket-immersion test, water-absorption time, water-absorption capacity, tissue products testing.
Related standards
- ISO 186 - Sampling to determine average quality
- ISO 187 - Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing
- ISO 14487 - Standard water for physical testing
- ISO 15755 - Detection of impurities in tissue paper and tissue products
- ISO 287 - Determination of moisture content in paper and tissue