SIST EN ISO 17231:2017 PDF

Overview

EN ISO 17231:2017 - Leather - Determination of water repellency of garment leather (ISO 17231:2017) specifies a standardized spray test to assess the surface wetting (water repellency) of leathers intended for clothing. Prepared by IULTCS/IUP and adopted by CEN, the method measures how much of the leather surface becomes wetted when a controlled volume of distilled/deionized water is sprayed onto a mounted test piece. Importantly, the standard does not measure resistance to water penetration through the leather.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope: Applicable to all garment leathers for assessing surface wetting (spray repellency), not penetration resistance.
• Test principle: A fixed volume of water is sprayed onto a test piece mounted at a 45° angle; the wetting appearance is compared to descriptive/photographic standards and water uptake is measured gravimetrically.
• Apparatus & conditions:
  • Funnel diameter ≈ 150 mm; nozzle assembly with a metal spray nozzle having 19 holes (≈ 0.9 mm each).
  • Test piece centre positioned 150 mm ± 2 mm below nozzle; specimen held at 45.0° ± 2.5°.
  • Water volume: 250 ml ± 5 ml of distilled/deionized water (ISO 3696 Grade 3); flow duration ~27.5 s ± 2.5 s.
  • Test piece size: three square samples, 182 mm ± 2 mm side; balance accuracy 0.001 g.
• Rating system:
  • Spray rating scale 1–5 (ISO descriptive and photographic scale, Annex A).
    • 1 = wetting of whole sprayed surface; ... 5 = no wetting and no adherence of drops.
• Results reported:
  • Spray rating, mass of water absorbed (g), percentage water absorbed, conditioning atmosphere (per ISO 2419), and any deviations.

Applications and users

• Practical uses:
  • Quality control for garment leather manufacturers and tanners to monitor surface repellency after processing or finishing.
  • Specification testing for buyers, brands, and technical teams evaluating leather performance for outerwear, jackets, gloves and fashion garments.
  • R&D labs assessing finishing treatments (e.g., hydrophobic coatings) or comparing supplier lots.
• Who uses this standard:
  • Leather technologists, laboratory technicians, quality assurance teams, product developers, and procurement/specification engineers in footwear/garment supply chains.

Related standards

• ISO 2418 - Sampling location for leather tests
• ISO 2419 - Sample preparation and conditioning
• ISO 3696 - Water for analytical laboratory use (Grade 3) EN ISO 17231:2017 supersedes EN ISO 17231:2011 and is the CEN-endorsed version of ISO 17231:2017.

This standard provides a repeatable, internationally recognized method for assessing leather surface wetting-essential for consistent product quality and formulation decisions in the leather and apparel industries.