Overview
EN ISO 21061:2021 - Footwear: Chemical tests - General principles on the preparation of samples provides a harmonized framework for preparing and designating samples taken from footwear and footwear components for chemical testing. Published by CEN/ISO, it applies to all types of footwear and components and is intended to support consistent, repeatable footwear chemical tests and concurrent testing for multiple chemical analyses.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and purpose: Establishes general principles for sample preparation and designation to reduce inter-laboratory variability when testing for critical substances in footwear.
- Designation system: Requires clear specification of each sample’s parameters, including:
- Component parts (identified using ISO component definitions)
- Colour designation (rules provided in Annex A)
- Material classification (rules and examples in Annex C; e.g., leather, textile, polymer, rubber, foam, metal)
- Useful additional information (position, accessibility, composite/combined materials)
- Sample types and terminology: Defines terms such as accessible/inaccessible components, combined material, composite test sample and component in contact with the skin.
- Preparation procedures: Sets out general requirements for disassembling footwear, sampling, testing schedules, storage and conditioning before chemical analysis (detailed procedures in Annex B).
- Goal of harmonization: Enables concurrent chemical testing by standardizing how samples are taken, prepared and labelled to produce representative and comparable test specimens.
Applications
- Ensures reproducible sample preparation for chemical safety testing across:
- Regulatory compliance and market surveillance
- Manufacturer quality control and supplier verification
- Third‑party testing laboratories and conformity assessment bodies
- Research into material safety and product development
- Reduces testing complexity and cost by defining how to combine and designate samples for multiple concurrent analyses while maintaining representativeness.
Who should use this standard
- Footwear manufacturers and component suppliers
- Independent testing laboratories and quality-control teams
- Regulatory agencies and market surveillance authorities
- Standards writers, product safety engineers and material scientists working on footwear chemical safety
Related standards
- ISO 4044 - Leather - Chemical tests - Preparation of chemical test samples (normative reference)
- ISO 19952 - Footwear - Vocabulary (used for component definitions)
- Adopted as EN ISO 21061:2021 by CEN members for implementation across European national standards bodies.
Keywords: EN ISO 21061:2021, footwear chemical tests, sample preparation, footwear components, sample designation, chemical safety, testing laboratories.
