Information on the most widely used ASTM standards within the materials testing industry
ISO 13937-2 Trouser Tear Tester | Fabric Single Tear Force | UnitedTest
UnitedTest manufactures ISO 13937-2 compliant CRE tensile testing machines to measure fabric tear force using trouser-shaped specimens. Suitable for woven fabrics and selected nonwovens for textile quality control.
ISO 13937-2 Textiles – Tear properties of fabrics – Part 2: Determination of tear force of trouser-shaped test specimens (Single tear method)
ISO 13937-2 defines a laboratory test method to measure the tear force needed to propagate an initiated single tear on a rectangular trouser-shaped specimen split into two trouser legs. This standard is primarily designed for woven fabrics and can also be used for certain nonwoven materials. It excludes knitted fabrics, woven elastic fabrics, highly anisotropic fabrics and loose fabrics where tear path deviation occurs. Only constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile testing machines are allowed for this test.
UnitedTest supplies high-precision trouser tear testing machines fully conforming to ISO 13937-2 for textile material R&D and batch quality inspection.
Test Principle
A rectangular fabric specimen is slit from the middle of its short edge to create two separate “trouser legs”. One leg is clamped into each jaw of the tensile machine. The jaws pull apart along the direction of the pre‑cut slit, so the existing tear propagates through the fabric. The force‑displacement curve is recorded. Tear force is calculated from valid force peaks on the recorded trace (either manually from chart paper or via electronic data acquisition). A valid peak must show at least 10 % rise‑and‑fall of force relative to adjacent readings.
Test Specimen Info:
Standard narrow specimen (normally used)
- Size: 200 ± 2 mm (length) × 50 ± 1 mm (width).
- A 100 ± 1 mm‑long central longitudinal slit is cut inward from the mid‑point of one short edge to make two trouser legs.
- A tear‑end mark is drawn 25 ± 1 mm away from the un‑slit end.
Optional wide‑width specimen
- 200 ± 2 mm × 200 ± 2 mm, same slit length. Used for tear‑resistant, rip‑stop or loose fabrics where narrow specimens frequently fail the validity criteria.
Sampling rules
- Prepare specimens for both warp and weft directions; minimum 5 replicates per direction.
- Specimens must not be cut within 150 mm of fabric selvedges. No replicate shall share identical warp or weft threads. Avoid creased, folded or defective fabric zones.

ISO 13937-2 Trouser Method Fabric Tear Force Testing Test Equipment
| CRE tensile testing machine | CRE (constant‑rate‑of‑extension) tensile testing machine - Extension speed: 100 ± 10 mm/min - Gauge length set to 100 ± 1 mm - Force accuracy meets ISO 7500‑1 Class 1; maximum force error ≤ ±1 %; jaw‑separation error ≤ ±1 mm - Data sampling frequency ≥ 8 Hz for electronic acquisition |
| Clamps jaws | Jaw centres aligned to the pull line; jaw front edges perpendicular to pull direction. Jaw width ≥ specimen width, designed to grip without slipping or cutting samples. Preferred jaw width is 75 mm. |
| Specimen cutting tools | Hollow punch or cutting template to produce specimens of defined dimensions. |
Test Procedure Of ISO 13937-2 Trouser Method Fabric Tear Force Testing
Machine setup: Set CRE machine gauge length = 100 mm, extension rate = 100 mm/min. Prepare force‑recording system.
Mount specimen: Insert one trouser leg into each jaw; align slit along pull centre‑line; avoid initial pre‑tension.
Start test: Activate moving jaw and force recording. Let tear propagate until reaching the pre‑marked end‑of‑tear position. Record force‑extension data.
Inspect validity: Check for jaw slip, yarn pull‑out, off‑direction tear. Discard invalid specimens.
Repeat: Complete testing for all replicates in warp and weft directions.
Calculate results: Apply either manual or electronic peak‑evaluation rules.
Issue test report: Include standard reference, sample ID, number of valid / rejected specimens, tear behaviour observations, calculation method, tear‑force mean values and optional statistical parameters. Note if wide‑width specimens are used.
Test Parameters & Stipulations:
| Machine type | CRE tensile tester only |
| Gauge length | 100 ± 1 mm |
| Rate of extension | 100 ± 10 mm/min |
| Minimum replicates | 5 specimens per fabric direction (warp / weft) |
| Minimum peak fluctuation for valid peaks | 10 % force rise‑and‑fall |
| Data sampling rate (electronic) | ≥ 8 samples per second |
If ≥ 3 out of 5 specimens are rejected, the trouser‑test method is deemed unsuitable for that material. Users may test extra specimens or switch to wide‑width specimens (Annex D) or other tear test methods.
Industrial Application Fields
Apparel & workwear — durability of garments, uniforms, protective/work clothing; snag-and-tear performance
Home & contract textiles — upholstery, bedding, curtains, furniture fabrics
Automotive & EV — seat covers, interior trim, airbag fabrics, headliners
Technical / industrial textiles — coated and laminated fabrics, tarpaulins, rip-stop fabrics, man-made-fibre tear-resistant fabrics
Nonwovens (with the stated restrictions)
Geotextiles, military/protective clothing, medical textiles, luggage and outdoor equipment
Retail/brand QC, import–export compliance, third-party labs, and R&D (comparing constructions, finishes, coatings, resin treatments, batch-to-batch consistency)
Related standard:
| ISO 6383-1 | Plastics. Film and sheeting. Determination of tear resistance-Trouser tear method |
| ASTM D1922 | Propagation Tear Resistance by Pendulum (Elmendorf) Method . |
| ASTM D5587 | Trapezoid‑method tearing‑strength test for fabrics (another CRE‑based static tear test with different specimen geometry). |
| ISO 13937‑2 | Textiles‑Tear properties of fabrics‑Part 2: Determination of tear force of trouser‑shaped test specimens (single‑tear method), the ISO counterpart of ASTM D2261 tongue‑tear test, with some differences in calculation details and parameters. |
| ASTM D2261 | Standard Test Method for Tearing Strength of Fabrics by the Tongue (Single Rip) Procedure (Constant-Rate-of-Extension Tensile Testing Machine) |
| ASTM D1424 | Elmendorf falling‑pendulum dynamic tearing‑strength test (impact‑type tear measurement, different principle from tongue‑tear static tensile mode) |
| GB/T 3917.2 | Chinese national standard for trouser‑shaped (single‑rip) specimen tear‑force determination, aligned with ISO 13937‑2. |
| ASTM D2262 | tongue tear on CRT machines; withdrawn 1995; its conditions now live on as Appendix X1 of D2261. |
| JIS L 1096 test A‑1 | Japanese textile test standard, single‑tongue tear procedure |
| ISO 9073-4 | tear resistance of nonwovens. Determination of tear resistance by the trapezoid procedure |
| ASTM D1004 | Standard Test Method for Tear Resistance (Graves Tear) of Plastic Film and Sheeting |
| ISO 13937-1 | ballistic pendulum (Elmendorf) method; reports energy, needs a dedicated pendulum. Not comparable with Part 2. |
| ISO 13937-3 | wing-shaped specimen, single tear (tensile machine) |
| ISO 13937-4 | tongue-shaped specimen, double tear test (tensile machine) |
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Related products and device
Related Standard
ASTM D2261 Standard Test Method for Tearing Strength of Fabrics by the Tongue (Single Rip) Procedure (Constant-Rate-of-Extension Tensile Testing Machine)
ASTM D2261 measure fabric tearing strength via the tongue (single‑rip / trouser‑shaped) specimen approach, primarily using a Constant‑Rate‑of‑Extension (CRE) tensile tester, It evaluates the force required to propagate an existing pre‑cut tear rather than the force needed to start a brand‑new tear in intact fabric. Applies to most fabrics: woven, air bag fabrics, blankets, napped, knit, layered, pile and nonwovens — untreated, heavily sized, coated, resin-treated or otherwise treated.
ASTM D1424 Standard Test Method for Tear Strength of Fabrics by Falling-Pendulum (Elmendorf) Apparatus
ASTM D1424 specifies the procedure for determining the force required to propagate a single tear through a fabric using the Elmendorf (falling-pendulum) tester. The test method is a single-tear (tongue) test. A rectangular specimen is slit partway along its length to create two tongues. The tear propagates from the slit across the width of the specimen.
ISO 13934-2 specifies a procedure for the determination of the maximum force of textile fabrics known as the grab test. The method is mainly applicable to woven textile fabrics including fabrics which exhibit stretch characteristics imparted by the presence of an elastomeric fibre and mechanical or chemical treatment. It can be applicable to fabrics produced by other techniques.
ISO 13937-1 Textiles - Tear properties of fabrics - Part 1: Determination of tear force using ballistic pendulum method (Elmendorf)
ISO 13937‑1 is the ballistic pendulum (Elmendorf) method for measuring fabric tear force under sudden impact. It is the most widely used impact‑style tear test for woven fabrics, giving a single‑rip tear propagation force value.It is known as the single tear method.
ISO 505 specifying a universal tensile test method to quantify the tear propagation resistance of textile carcass conveyor belts, tested either at full belt thickness or stripped carcass-only condition, targeting belts prone to dangerous longitudinal splitting in service.
ASTM D5035 : Standard Test Method for Breaking Force and Elongation of Textile Fabrics (Strip Method)
ASTM D5035 is the standard test method for determining breaking force (tensile strength) and elongation at break of textile fabrics using the strip method. It defines two core procedures--raveled strip (for woven fabrics) and cut strip (for nonwovens, coated/felted fabrics)--and supports both dry and wet testing.
ISO 283 is the core tensile test standard for textile-reinforced conveyor belts. It specifies how to cut a full-thickness test piece from the belt and pull it in uniaxial tension until rupture, to determine the Full-thickness tensile strength, Elongation at break, Elongation at the reference force (load).
ISO 252 specifies two test methods (A and B) for measuring adhesion strength between the constituent layers of conveyor belts: between top/bottom covers and carcass, and between individual plies.
ASTM D5587 Standard Test Method for Tearing Strength of Fabrics by Trapezoid Procedure.
ASTM D5587 defines a trapezoid tear procedure for measuring fabric tearing strength. It measurement of the tearing strength of textile fabrics by the trapezoid procedure using a recording constant‑rate‑of‑extension (CRE) tensile testing machine. It applies to most fabrics — woven fabrics, air bag fabrics, blankets, napped fabrics, knitted fabrics, layered fabrics, pile, and nonwovens — whether untreated, heavily sized, coated, resin‑treated or otherwise treated, and it gives instructions for testing dry or wet specimens.
Two result calculations are offered: single‑peak force and the average of the five highest peak forces.
ASTM D5034 for determining the breaking strength (maximum force a fabric can withstand before rupture) and elongation (amount of stretch under tension) of textile fabrics using the grab test principle. It provides two primary procedures: the grab test and modified grab test, with provisions for both dry and wet testing conditions.
ISO 5470-1: Rubber- or plastics-coated fabrics -- Determination of abrasion resistance -- Part 1: Taber abrader.
ISO 5470-1 specifies a method for determining the abrasion resistance of rubber- or plastics-coated fabrics using the Taber abrader apparatus. This test simulates wear under controlled conditions to evaluate a material's durability.
ASTM D6797 is a standard test method for measuring the bursting strength of woven and knitted textiles using a constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) tensile tester with a ball burst fixture, providing precise, repeatable data for fabric performance evaluation, quality control, and compliance, essential for validating high-elongation textiles in real-world applications.
ASTM D6797 titled "Test Method for Bursting Strength of Fabrics Constant-Rate-of-Extension (CRE) Ball Burst Test." While similar in name to ASTM D3787, it has a distinct focus and methodology.
FAQs for ISO 13937‑2 (Trouser‑shaped Specimen Single‑Tear Test)
ISO 13937‑2 Trouser Tear Test Machine | CRE Textile Tensile Tester | UnitedTest Manufacturer
Q1. What is ISO 13937-2?
ISO 13937-2 is an International Standard titled Textiles — Tear properties of fabrics — Part 2: Determination of tear force of trouser-shaped test specimens (Single tear method). It defines how to measure the force needed to propagate an already-started tear in a fabric, using a rectangular specimen slit into two "trouser legs" that are pulled apart in a tensile testing machine. Results are reported in newtons (N), separately "across warp" and "across weft".
Q2. What does "single tear method" mean, and what is a "trouser specimen"?
A rectangular strip (200 × 50 mm) has a 100 mm slit cut from the centre of one short edge, forming two legs like a pair of trousers. One leg is clamped in each jaw; as the jaws separate, the single pre-cut tear propagates down the specimen. "Single" distinguishes it from the double tear (tongue) test in ISO 13937-4.
Q3. What exactly does the test measure — tear initiation or tear propagation?
Propagation only. The slit is already there; the standard measures the force required to continue the tear over a defined distance. This is why it is different from tensile strength (ISO 13934-1/-2), which measures resistance to a rising load before rupture.
Q3. Can one machine cover ISO 13937-2 and other textile tests?
Yes. A CRE universal testing machine with interchangeable grips covers the whole ISO 1393x family — ISO 13934-1/-2 (tensile), ISO 13935-1/-2 (seam tensile), ISO 13936 (seam slippage), ISO 13937-2/-3/-4 (tear) — plus ASTM D5034/D5035/D2261/D5587 and GB/T equivalents. This is the main reason textile labs buy one UTM rather than several dedicated instruments.
Q5. Which fabrics can be tested with ISO 13937-2?
Mainly woven textile fabrics. It may also be applied to fabrics produced by other techniques, e.g. some nonwovens, subject to the same restrictions.
Q6. Which fabrics are NOT suitable?
The method is not applicable to knitted fabrics or woven elastic fabrics, and is not suitable for highly anisotropic fabrics or loose fabrics where the tear is likely to transfer from one direction to another during the test.
Q7. My fabric keeps failing the validity check — what are my options?
If 3 or more of the 5 specimens must be rejected, the method is declared unsuitable. Options: (a) test wide-width (200 mm) trouser specimens per the normative Annex D — recommended for loose fabrics, rip-stop fabrics and man-made-fibre tear-resistant technical fabrics (coating base cloths, airbag fabrics); or (b) switch to another method such as the wing tear (ISO 13937-3) or double tongue tear (ISO 13937-4).
Q8. What counts as a valid "peak"?
A peak is a point on the force/extension curve where the gradient changes from positive to negative, and — for tear recordings — is only usable if the force rises and falls by at least 10 % of the last decreasing/increasing force value. Annex C gives a practical approximation: for medium peaks of about 85–90 N, usable peaks show rise/fall > 8 N.
Q9. Why is the trouser tear test important for a material?
Because tear resistance is not tensile strength. A fabric can pass a tensile test yet fail catastrophically once a cut, snag, stitch hole or nick exists. ISO 13937-2 measures the property that decides whether a small damage stays small or grows into product failure — it directly models snagging, cutting, stitch-hole stress concentration and mechanical damage during making-up and service.
Q10. What are the equivalent ASTM and national standards?
ASTM D2261 (tongue/single rip tear) is close in principle — both propagate a tear along a slit on a tensile machine and read force peaks — but the specimen geometry and speed differ, so results must not be pooled and a certificate should name the method actually run. ASTM D1424 is the Elmendorf equivalent; ASTM D5587 is trapezoid. National adoptions include EN ISO 13937-2 (BS/DIN/NF…) and GB/T 3917.2-2009 (identical adoption).
Q11. Can ISO 13937-2 results be compared with Elmendorf (ISO 13937-1 / ASTM D1424) results?
No. One reports force from a constant-rate tensile test, the other reports energy absorbed from a pendulum swing. The standard explicitly states results from one method should not be compared with those from another.
Q12: Why choose ISO 13937‑2 Trouser‑Method Fabric Tear‑Force Testing Machine from UnitedTest?
UnitedTest manufactures ISO 13937‑2 trouser‑shaped specimen tear‑testing machines. Compliant CRE tensile testers for fabric single‑tear force measurement, textile QC lab solutions for woven fabrics, apparel & technical textiles.
UnitedTest is a professional global manufacturer of textile physical testing instruments and universal tensile testing machines. Our CRE constant‑rate‑of‑extension tensile tester fully complies with ISO 13937‑2:2000 (trouser‑shaped specimen single‑tear test) standard for woven fabric tear‑force determination, supporting both standard 50 mm‑width and wide‑width trouser specimens according to Annex D requirementsInstron.
Designed for textile quality‑control laboratories, fabric manufacturers, garment factories, third‑party test houses and technical‑textile R&D centres, UnitedTest ISO 13937‑2 tear‑test system measures the force required to propagate a pre‑cut tear in woven fabrics and selected non‑woven materials.
Strictly CRE control: cross‑head speed adjustable including standard 100 mm/min; gauge length adjustable to 100 mm as per ISO 13937‑2 requirement. Force accuracy meets ISO 7500‑1 Class 1 requirement.
High‑frequency data acquisition ≥ 8 Hz, correctly capture valid force peaks with 10 % rise‑fall judgement for tear‑curve analysis. Support both manual‑simulated peak evaluation and full‑electronic peak calculation modes.
Dedicated trouser‑tear clamping jaws options: standard 75 mm width jaws and optional wide jaws for 200 mm Annex‑D wide trouser specimens. Jaw faces avoid slipping or cutting fabric samples.
Software pre‑loaded with ISO 13937‑2 test template: auto‑calculates mean tear‑force value, coefficient of variation, 95 % confidence limits. Output complete test reports following ISO 13937‑2 reporting requirements.
Multi‑standard compatible: besides ISO 13937‑2, the same machine platform supports ISO 13937‑1/‑3/‑4, ISO 13934‑1, ISO 13935 series and equivalent national standards for tensile, seam‑strength and other textile mechanical‑property tests.
Woven fabric mills for raw‑material incoming QC
Apparel and home‑textile manufacturers for product‑durability verification
Technical‑textile producers for rip‑stop fabrics, coating base‑materials and industrial textiles
Third‑party accredited testing laboratories performing ISO‑compliant textile certification
University & textile‑research institutes for new‑material development.
UnitedTest supplies complete solutions including main machine, trouser‑tear fixture set, specimen cutting template, standard‑atmosphere conditioning cabinet option, on‑site installation and training. Contact our engineering team to get your custom configuration and quotation for ISO 13937‑2 fabric tear‑force testing.
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