Overview
EN ISO 12625-9:2015 - "Tissue paper and tissue products - Part 9: Determination of ball burst strength (ISO 12625-9:2015)" - specifies a standardized laboratory test method to measure the resistance to mechanical penetration (ball burst strength) of tissue paper and tissue products. The method uses a polished stainless-steel burst ball driven at constant speed to penetrate a clamped test piece and records the maximum bursting force. The 2015 edition aligns the clamping diameter to 50 mm (market alternatives include 89 mm) to permit measurement of all tissue sizes and maintain consistency with ISO 12625-11.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test principle: A polished stainless-steel burst ball penetrates the tissue perpendicularly while a force-measuring system records peak force (bursting force).
- Apparatus components: clamping system (two concentric annular rings), penetration/probe, drive mechanism, and force-measuring (load cell) system.
- Clamping details: rings are covered by a rubber band (typical thickness 1.0–2.0 mm) of suitable commercial rubber (e.g., polychloroprene) with an IRHD hardness of about 70–85; inner diameters are set to 50 mm in this edition.
- Test sequence: sampling, conditioning (standard atmosphere per ISO 187), preparation of test pieces, controlled penetration at constant speed, calculation of bursting force and derived values (e.g., burst index = bursting force ÷ grammage), and reporting.
- Normative references: ISO 186 (sampling), ISO 187 (conditioning), ISO 7500-1 (verification of force-measuring systems), ISO 12625-1 and ISO 12625-6 for related definitions and grammage.
- Annexes: informative precision data and adaptor details to support reproducibility.
Applications and users
This standard is used for:
- Quality control in tissue manufacturing (facial tissues, toilet paper, kitchen towels, napkins) to ensure consistent resistance to mechanical penetration.
- Product development and R&D to compare formulations, treatments, or process changes that affect mechanical performance.
- Independent testing laboratories and certification bodies conducting performance testing and comparative benchmarking.
- Purchasing and specification teams setting or verifying minimum burst strength requirements for suppliers.
Practical benefits include objective, reproducible burst-strength data for acceptance criteria, failure analysis, and competitive benchmarking.
Related standards
Keywords: EN ISO 12625-9:2015, ball burst strength, tissue paper testing, bursting force, burst index, clamping device 50 mm, tissue products, laboratory test method.
