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ISO 5402-1 leather flex resistance tester

Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testing Machine (Bally Flexometer)

Model: UT4076; ASTM D6182, ISO 5402-1, ISO 20344

UnitedTest is a professional manufacturer of high-precision Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testing Machine (also known as Bally leather flexing tester, leather flex fatigue tester, Bally flexometer for leather). This industrial-grade testing equipment is specially designed to evaluate the dry and wet flex resistance performance of natural leather, synthetic leather, coated leather, and leather-like flexible materials. 

It simulates repeated daily bending, folding, and flexing movements of leather products during long-term use, accurately detecting surface cracking, coating peeling, powdering, crease damage, and adhesive failure of leather samples after specified flex cycles.

Widely applied in footwear uppers, leather bags, leather garments, furniture leather, automotive interior leather, and leather accessory quality inspection, this Bally flex testing machine is an essential quality control instrument for leather factories, third-party testing laboratories, footwear manufacturing enterprises, and material research institutions worldwide.


Conform with: ISO 5402-1 — Leather: Determination of flex resistance — Part 1: Flexometer method

ASTM D6182 — Standard test method for flexibility and adhesion of finish on leather

General introduction

UnitedTest is a professional manufacturer of high-precision Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testing Machine (also known as Bally leather flexing tester, leather flex fatigue tester, Bally flexometer for leather). This industrial-grade testing equipment is specially designed to evaluate the dry and wet flex resistance performance of natural leather, synthetic leather, coated leather, and leather-like flexible materials. 

It simulates repeated daily bending, folding, and flexing movements of leather products during long-term use, accurately detecting surface cracking, coating peeling, powdering, crease damage, and adhesive failure of leather samples after specified flex cycles.

Widely applied in footwear uppers, leather bags, leather garments, furniture leather, automotive interior leather, and leather accessory quality inspection, this Bally flex testing machine is an essential quality control instrument for leather factories, third-party testing laboratories, footwear manufacturing enterprises, and material research institutions worldwide.


Conform with: ISO 5402-1 — Leather: Determination of flex resistance — Part 1: Flexometer method

ASTM D6182 — Standard test method for flexibility and adhesion of finish on leather


What Is a Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testing Machine?

A Bally Flexometer (also called Bally leather flexing tester, leather folding endurance tester, or resistance flexing machine) is a standardized laboratory instrument used to determine the wet or dry flex resistance of leather and surface finishes under repeated bending.

It simulates the creasing and folding stress a shoe upper or leather good experiences during walking or daily use. After a preset number of flex cycles, the specimen is inspected for:

Grain cracking

Finish peeling / decoating

Powdering

Color fading

Crease rupture or breaking

The machine is ideal for QC labs, leather tanneries, footwear manufacturers, handbag factories, and third-party testing laboratories.

Key Features

  • Main features
  • Test Principle
  • Standard
  • Industry Applications
  • Keywords

As a professional manufacturer of leather testing equipment, UnitedTest optimizes every detail of the Bally flex tester for commercial and laboratory scenarios:


• Full Standard Compliance: Fully meets ISO 5402-1 and ASTM D6182 test protocols, supporting third-party laboratory certification and factory quality audit;

• High Test Accuracy & Stability: Precision motor and transmission structure ensure consistent flex frequency and angle, ensuring reproducible test results;

• Multi-Sample Batch Testing: Multiple station options meet mass sample detection demands, greatly improving testing efficiency;

• Dual Dry & Wet Test Function: Simulate dry indoor use and humid environmental use conditions of leather products comprehensively;

• Intelligent Humanized Design: Automatic cycle counting, power-off data storage, over-load protection, easy operation and low maintenance cost;

• Durable Industrial Structure: High-strength metal frame, wear-resistant fixtures, long service life, suitable for long-term industrial continuous use.

A specimen of 70 mm × 45 mm (±5 mm tolerance) is folded lengthwise with the grain side inward and clamped in a movable upper grip. The free end is fixed in a stationary lower grip with the test surface outward. The upper grip reciprocates at:


Flex angle: 22.5° ± 0.5°

Flex speed: 100 ± 5 cycles/min (cpm)

Cycle counter: up to 999,999 (digital preset + auto stop)


This repeated folding creates a controlled crease line. Operators evaluate damage either at the final cycle count or at intermediate inspections.

UnitedTest Bally flex testers support both dry flex testing and wet flex testing (specimens conditioned in distilled/deionized water under vacuum per ISO 5402-1).


UnitedTest Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testers are built to comply with international and regional footwear/leather standards, including:


ISO 5402-1 — Leather: Determination of flex resistance — Part 1: Flexometer method

ASTM D6182 — Standard test method for flexibility and adhesion of finish on leather

IULTCS/IUP 20-1 — Leather flex resistance

JIS K 6545 — Flexing endurance of light leathers

BS 3144 — Physical testing of leather

DIN 53351 — Folding behavior of artificial leather

EN ISO 20344 (Section 6.6.2.8 / 6.6.3) — Footwear test methods

SATRA TM 55 — Bally flexing resistance of upper materials

GB/T 20991, QB/T 2714, EN 13512, ISO 17694, ISO 32100


A-Type and B-Type upper grips are available to match the exact clamp geometry required by the selected standard.


This ISO 5402-1 ASTM D6182 compliant Bally leather flex resistance tester is widely used for quality testing of various flexible leather materials:


• Natural genuine leather, cowhide, sheepskin, pigskin for footwear uppers

• Synthetic leather, PU leather, PVC coated leather for bags and garments

• Automotive interior leather and furniture decorative leather

• All leather materials requiring flex fatigue resistance and coating durability testing


Bally Leather Flex Resistance Testing Machine, Bally leather flex tester, leather flexometer, leather flex resistance tester, ISO 5402-1 leather flex resistance tester, ASTM D6182 Bally flex testing machine, dry wet leather flex fatigue tester, footwear leather flex resistance test equipment, multi-station Bally leather flex tester, leather coating flex durability testing machine


Main Technical Specification

Fixture (stations number)6 sets, or 12 sets
Test piece70×45mm
Bending angle22.5°
Bending speed100 ±5 cpm
CounterLCD, 0~999,999 auto stop
Machine dimensions (L×W×H)500×580×300mm
Weight69kg / 78kg
Power supply1 phase, AC220V, 50Hz, 20A


Standard

ISO 5402-1 Leather Flex Resistance Test –

ISO 5402-1 Leather — Determination of flex resistance — Part 1: Flexometer method

ISO 5402-1 specifies a flexometer (Bally-type) method for determining the dry or wet flex resistance of leather and of finishes applied to leather. It applies to all flexible leather < 3.0 mm thick. The test produces a running fold in the specimen and counts cycles until visible damage appears. Unlike ASTM D6182 (which assigns a 0–5 rank to finish only), ISO 5402-1 assesses both substrate and finish damage descriptively (cracks/fine cracks/micro-cracks, loss of adhesion, powdering, shade change, etc.).

ASTM D6182 Test Method for Flexibility and Adhesion of Leather –

ASTM D6182 Standard Test Method for Flexibility and Adhesion of Finish on Leather

ASTM D6182 evaluates the resistance of a finished leather surface coating (finish) to cracking, delamination, and discoloration when the leather is repeatedly flexed. It is a non-quantitative, visual rating test performed on dry or wet finished leather (excluding wet blue). The result is a damage rank (0–5), not a numeric mechanical value.

ISO 3380 Leather Shrinkage Temperature Test –

ISO 3380 Leather – Physical and mechanical tests – Determination of shrinkage temperature up to 100 °C

ISO 3380 defines a laboratory method to measure the shrinkage temperature (Ts) of leather—the temperature at which a leather specimen suddenly contracts when heated in water. It is the official IULTCS method IUP 16 and is aligned with European leather standardization (CEN/TC 289).

ASTM D6076 Test Method for Shrinkage Temperature of Leather –

ASTM D6076 Standard Test Method for Shrinkage Temperature of Leather

ASTM D6076 measures the shrinkage temperature (Ts) of all types of leather by gradually heating a wetted specimen in a liquid medium until hydrothermal collapse of the collagen fiber network causes sudden contraction. It is the U.S. equivalent of ISO 3380 but uses different specimen size, heating rate, tension mass, and medium rules (water ≤98 °C, glycerin-water >98 °C).

ASTM D2209 Test Method for Tensile Strength of Leather –

ASTM D2209 Standard Test Method for Tensile Strength of Leather

ASTM D2209 measuring the rupture load and tensile strength of a leather strip specimen 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) wide. It measures tensile strength only and references ASTM D2211 separately for elongation. 

ISO 3376 Tensile strength and elongation test of leather –

ISO 3376 Leather‑Physical and mechanical tests‑Determination of tensile strength and percentage elongation

ISO 3376 defines a unified laboratory test method to measure three key mechanical indexes of leather: tensile strength, percentage elongation under specified load, and percentage elongation at maximum force. This standard applies to all leather types (upper leather, lining, upholstery, automotive, etc.) and is issued in cooperation with IULTCS. 

ISO 17693 Puncture test for Footwear Uppers Resistance to damage on lasting –

ISO 17693 – Footwear — Test methods for uppers — Resistance to damage on lasting

ISO 17693 specifies a test method to determine the lastability ("resistance to damage on lasting") of uppers or complete upper assemblies, irrespective of the material, for assessing suitability for the end use.

"Resistance to damage on lasting" = the ability of a material to be stretched simultaneously in all directions (distended) without being damaged.  

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