Overview
EN ISO 12625-1:2019 - Tissue paper and tissue products: Vocabulary (ISO 12625-1:2019) establishes a standardized vocabulary for the entire field of tissue paper and tissue products. This third-edition glossary defines terms used in tissue manufacturing (creped and un‑creped techniques), converting and testing, enabling a common terminology across industry, commerce and laboratories. The document supports harmonization of test methods and product specifications and supersedes EN ISO 12625-1:2011.
Key topics
- Scope and purpose: General principles for the use of terms in tissue paper and tissue products to permit consistent communication among stakeholders.
- Product types covered: Toilet tissue, facial tissue, kitchen/household towels, hand towels, napkins, industrial wipes, lotion-treated products and other single‑use absorbent tissue papers.
- Manufacturing terms: Definitions for processes and equipment such as creping, conventional wet pressing (CWP), Yankee cylinder, calendering, base paper, and base sheet forming.
- Material and property terms: Standardized definitions for physical attributes including absorbency / absorption capacity, bulk / apparent bulk density, bulking thickness, brightness and colour (CIELAB).
- Testing and characterization vocabulary: Terms used to describe test outcomes (e.g., absorption rate, absorption time, accelerated ageing) that facilitate consistent interpretation of results.
- Indexing and structure: Alphabetical index and term groups were updated in the 2019 edition to focus the glossary on tissue‑specific terminology.
Applications and who uses it
EN ISO 12625-1:2019 is practical for:
- Tissue manufacturers and converters for consistent product specifications, internal documentation and supplier communication.
- Quality control and testing laboratories to ensure shared meaning of reported properties and test methods.
- Procurement and specification writers using standard terms in contracts and tender documents.
- R&D and product development teams aligning technical terminology across teams and international partners.
- Regulators and standards bodies referencing unified definitions in standards, labelling and compliance work.
Using this vocabulary reduces ambiguity in product claims, improves cross‑border trade, and supports reliable interpretation of test data and technical specifications.
Related standards
- ISO 15755 - detection of impurities and contraries in tissue paper and tissue products (referenced).
- ISO 287 - determination of moisture content in tissue paper and tissue products (referenced).
- Other parts of the ISO 12625 series (e.g., ISO 12625-3, -5, -7, -8, -15) provide related test methods and definitions cited in the vocabulary.
Keywords: EN ISO 12625-1:2019, ISO 12625-1:2019, tissue paper vocabulary, tissue products terminology, creping, absorbency, tissue testing.
