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Home >> Application >> By Standard >> Others >> EN 863 Puncture resistance Test of Protective clothing

EN 863 Puncture resistance Test of Protective clothing

EN 863 Protective clothing Mechanical properties Test method: Puncture resistance

EN 863 specifies a test method for determining the puncture resistance of materials used in protective clothing and their assemblies (e.g., seams). Expressed as the maximum force (in Newtons) needed to push a standard spike through specimens at a defined speed. It is a foundational mechanical test for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) compliance, widely used in industrial, medical, and occupational safety sectors.

Test principle of EN 863:

The core principle is biomimetic: it simulates the action of a sharp, pointed object (like a nail, shard of metal, or hypodermic needle) being forced through the material. It measures the maximum force (in Newtons) required to drive a standardized, stylized "finger" with a steel puncture probe through a test specimen. A higher force value indicates greater puncture resistance.

Puncture resistance is the maximum force (N) required to drive the spike through the specimen at the specified speed; the force-displacement curve captures the peak load at failure.

EN 863 Test Equipment and specimen information:

Testing Equipment required:
Universal Testing Machine	A constant-rate-of-extension (CRE) type, capable of constant speed (100 ± 10 mm/min), force accuracy ±1%, travel ≥25 mm post-contact.
Test Spike	A solid, cylindrical steel rod with a diameter of (4.5 ± 0.05) mm. Its tip is a cone with an included angle of (30 ± 1)°, truncated to a flat with a diameter of (1 ± 0.05) mm. This specific geometry is critical for reproducibility.
Clamping Device	Circular rings (≥45 mm inner diameter) to secure specimens without slippage/damage; flat, parallel, rigid surfaces.
Test Specimen information	Quantity: 4 representative specimens (minimum); more if material is anisotropic. Size: Sufficient to cover clamp inner diameter with margin; typical ~100 mm × 100 mm. Preparation: Specimens are taken from the garment or material in its as-new, unused state. If testing seams, the seam must be centered under the puncture probe.

Main application:

This test is applied to materials intended for protective clothing where mechanically sharp objects are a hazard. It is not designed for hypodermic needle puncture resistance (which has different, more specialized standards like ASTM F2878).

Industrial PPE (personal protective equipment): Cut-resistant gloves, chainmail, metalworking aprons, construction wear.

Medical PPE: Surgical gowns, drapes, protective suits (needle/ sharp instrument protection).

Laboratory & Chemical: Splash suits, hazmat clothing (against sharp debris/ contaminated objects).

General Use: Any clothing requiring resistance to sharp puncture hazards (e.g., pest control, waste management).

Assessing the weakening effect of seams on the overall puncture resistance of a garment.

EN 863 Puncture Test Procedure:

Mounting	The specimen is securely clamped in the ring fixture. Secure specimen in clamps, outer surface facing spike; ensure no slack/damage.
Alignment	The puncture probe is aligned perpendicular to and centered on the specimen surface.
Testing	The machine's crosshead moves the probe downwards at a constant speed of 100 mm/min ± 10%.
Penetration	The probe punctures the specimen completely. or Stop if no penetration after 25 mm post-contact; note in report.
Data Capture	The force-extension curve is recorded. The maximum force (Fmax) observed before the sudden drop (indicating puncture) is the puncture resistance for that specimen.
Calculation	The puncture resistance for each specimen direction is reported as the mean of the three maximum force values, expressed in Newtons (N).

Related standard:

Standard	Relationship	Key Difference
EN 388	Complementary: Abrasion, cut, tear, puncture (blunt probe)	EN 388 uses a rounded probe; EN 863 uses a sharp spike
ISO 13995	Similar scope: Puncture resistance of fabrics	EN 863 is PPE-specific; ISO 13995 is general textiles
EN 14325	Chemical PPE performance; references EN 863 for mechanical resistance	EN 14325 adds chemical barrier requirements
ASTM F1342	US equivalent: Puncture resistance of medical gloves	ASTM uses different spike geometry/speed; EN 863 is European harmonized

Importance for the Protective Clothing Industry:

Quantitative Hazard Assessment: It provides an objective, repeatable, and comparable metric (force in Newtons) to assess a material's performance against a specific and common workplace hazard. This moves beyond subjective claims.\

Informs Material & Design Choices: Manufacturers use this data to select appropriate base fabrics, reinforcements (e.g., para-aramid, UHMWPE laminates), and design features. It helps answer: "Is this material sufficient for a job involving sharp metal edges?"

Basis for Certification & Compliance: As a core part of EN 388 for gloves and referenced in other standards, it is essential for CE marking and PPE Type Certification. Products cannot legally be sold in the EU/UK as certified PPE without passing tests like these.

Quality Control & Benchmarking: The test serves as a quality assurance tool for both manufacturers (batch-to-batch consistency) and buyers (comparing products from different suppliers).

Enhances User Safety: Ultimately, by ensuring clothing meets a minimum performance threshold, the standard helps protect end-users from painful injuries, infections, or more severe trauma caused by puncture wounds, contributing to a safer working environment.

Related products and device

EN 863 Puncture Testing Universal Testing Machine

WDW Series Computer Control Electronic Universal Testing Machine made by UNITEDTEST range from 100N to 600KN load capacity with various models like single columns, table type, door frame type etc., is used to perform tension, compression, flexure/bending, shearing, peeling etc., test for metal and nonmetal specimens. Matched with UNITEDTEST design and produced various test fixture, like peel, flexure, puncture, tear, pneumatic grip, belt tension etc., this UTM can be used to almost all materials include but not limited to steel rod, rubber, steel wire, plastic, seat belt, textile, wood, panel etc., mechanical performance inspection.

EN 863 Puncture Test Fixture

EN 863 Puncture Test Fixture is a standardized attachment for constant-rate-of-traverse (CRT) tensile testing machines, used to determine the bursting strength of textile fabrics by forcing a polished steel ball through a clamped specimen at a constant rate until rupture.

Related Standard

ASTM D6797: Ball Burst Puncture Test for Bursting Strength of Nonwoven Barrier Fabrics –

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.

ASTM D3787 Textile Ball Burst Constant Rate Traverse CRT Test –

ASTM D3787 Standard Test Method for Bursting Strength of Textiles;Constant-Rate-of-Traverse (CRT) Ball Burst Test.

ASTM D3787 is a standard test method for measuring the bursting strength of high-elongation textiles via a constant-rate-of-traverse (CRT) ball burst setup, providing repeatable data for material selection, quality control, and compliance, critical for ensuring fabric performance in end-use scenarios.

ISO 12236 Static Puncture Test (CBR test) for Geosynthetics –

ISO 12236 puncture test (CBR test) is the principal international standard for measuring the static puncture resistance of geosynthetics using a 50-mm plunger. Its results are a key indicator of a material's performance in applications requiring resistance to localized, sustained pressure.

ASTM D4595 Tensile Test of Geotextiles by the Wide-Width Strip –

ASTM D4595 Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Geotextiles by the Wide-Width Method

ASTM D4595 covers the measurement of tensile properties of geotextiles using a wide-width strip specimen tensile method. This test method is applicable to most geotextiles that include woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, layered fabrics, knit fabrics, and felts that are used for geotextile application.

ASTM D4533 Trapezoid Tearing Strength Test of Geotextiles –

ASTM D4533 test used to measure the force required to continue or propagate tearing in woven or non-woven geotextiles, using the trapezoidal method for testing. The trapezoidal tearing method is a test that generates tension along a reasonably defined path, allowing the tear to propagate across the width of the specimen. The trapezoidal tear strength of woven fabrics is mainly determined by the characteristics of the yarns clamped in the fixture.

ISO 10319 Geotextile Wide Width Strip tensile testing –

ISO 10319: Geosynthetics -- Wide-width tensile test

ISO 10319 describes an index test method for the determination of the tensile properties of geosynthetics (polymeric, glass, and metallic), using a wide-width strip. It is applicable to most geosynthetics, including woven geotextiles, nonwoven geotextiles, geocomposites, knitted geotextiles, geonets, geomats, and metallic products. It is also applicable to geogrids and similar open-structure geotextiles, but specimen dimensions might need to be altered. It is not applicable to polymeric or bituminous geosynthetic barriers, while it is applicable to clay geosynthetic barriers.

ISO 10319 specifies a tensile test method that covers the measurement of load elongation characteristics and includes procedures for the calculation of secant stiffness, maximum load per unit width and strain at maximum load. Singular points on the load-extension curve are also indicated.

ISO 13426-1 Geotextiles Strength of internal structural junctions –

ISO 13426-1:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Strength of internal structural junctions — Part 1: Geocells

ISO 13426-1 test describes index test methods for the determination of the strength of internal structural junctions of geocells under different loading conditions.

Splitting test procedure:

All test methods are performed at a constant strain rate of 20 mm/min.

At the beginning of the test, adjust the distance between the jaws to ±3mm of the required specimen length.

The specimen is mounted in the center of the jaws. Note that the length of the specimen should be parallel to the direction of the force.

Start the pull machine and continue until the sample is destroyed. Stop the device, record and report the maximum load with an accuracy of 2% of the full-scale reading. Reports the corresponding displacement in millimeters, with one decimal place reserved.

ISO 12956 Wet-sieving method geotextile opening size test –

ISO 12956:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Determination of the characteristic opening size

ISO 12956 specifies a method for the determination of the characteristic size of the openings of a single layer of a geotextile or geotextile-related product using the wet-sieving principle.

ISO 12956 wet-sieving method geotextile opening size test machine Test principle: With the untensioned single-layer geotextile and its related product samples as a screen, under the specified vibration frequency and amplitude, the sample and graded granular material are sprayed with water, so that the granular graded material passes through the sample. The effective pore size of the specimen is indicated by the passing particle material and the specific particle size.

ISO 11058 Geotextile water permeability test –

ISO 11058 test specifies two test methods for the water permeability characteristics of a single layer of geotextile or geotextile-related product normal to the plane: the constant head method; and the falling head method.

ISO 11058:2019 Geotextiles and geotextile-related products — Determination of water permeability characteristics normal to the plane, without load.

Water Flow through a Geotextile: Measuring Perpendicular Water Flow and Permittivity

FAQs: EN 863 Puncture Resistance Test for Protective Clothing

Q1: How is EN 863 related to the EN 388 glove standard?

A: This is a crucial link. EN 388 (Gloves against mechanical risks) directly incorporates the EN 863 test method. The puncture resistance performance level (marked as Letter 'P' on the glove pictogram) is determined by taking the mean force from the EN 863 test and assigning a Level 1 through 4 based on a defined scale (e.g., Level 4 requires ≥ 150 N). For anyone buying or specifying safety gloves, the "P" rating comes from EN 863.

Q2: We have a fabric that is very stretchy. Can EN 863 still be used?

A: The standard tensile machine method may not be ideal for highly elastic materials, as they can stretch significantly and "tent" into the clamp aperture, affecting results. EN 863 does note an optional "burst test" method (using a diaphragm) for such materials. However, the applicability and correlation should be carefully evaluated, and the test method used must always be reported.

Q3: What is a "good" or "passing" result on the EN 863 test?

A: EN 863 itself is a test method, not a performance standard. It doesn't set pass/fail thresholds. The result (e.g., "Mean Puncture Force: 85 N") must be evaluated against the requirements of an application standard (like EN 388, or a specific corporate or procurement specification). For example, a glove manufacturer must achieve ≥ 60 N to claim a Level 2 (P2) under EN 388.

Q4: If my material has a high EN 863 rating, does it also mean it has good cut or abrasion resistance?

A: Not necessarily. Puncture resistance is a distinct property. A material can be excellent at stopping a pinpoint force (e.g., a tightly woven fabric with high-modulus fibers) but poor against a slicing blade (cut resistance) or surface wear (abrasion resistance). This is why full protective clothing assessment requires a battery of tests (EN 530 for abrasion, EN ISO 13997 for cut, etc.) to cover different hazard modes.

Q5: What if the spike does not fully penetrate the sample?

A: If penetration does not occur within 25 mm travel after initial contact:

1), Stop the test.

2), Record the maximum force reached.

3), Clearly state in the report that full puncture did not occur under test conditions.

Q6: Can EN 863 be used for medical protective clothing / gloves?

A: It can be used for protective clothing materials (gowns, drapes, coveralls) exposed to sharp hazards.

For medical gloves, Europe often uses EN 455 series; the US uses ASTM F1342. EN 863 is not the primary glove standard but may be used for material qualification.

Q7: Can seams, zips, or reinforcements be tested with EN 863?

A: Yes, if the application requires it. The standard allows testing critical areas (seams, overlaps, reinforced zones) as separate specimens to check real-world performance.

Q8: What is EN 863 actually testing?

A: EN 863 measures the quasi-static puncture resistance of protective clothing materials using a sharp, conical spike. It determines the maximum force (in Newtons) needed to pierce the material under controlled speed and clamping.

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