Overview
ISO 22868:2021 - "Forestry and gardening machinery - Noise test code for portable hand-held machines with internal combustion engine - Engineering method (Grade 2 accuracy)" - defines a standardized noise test code for portable, hand‑held, combustion‑engine powered forest and garden machines. The standard specifies repeatable procedures to determine the common noise emission characteristics such as the A‑weighted emission sound pressure level at the operator position and the A‑weighted sound power level. It is an engineering method providing Grade 2 accuracy for noise measurement and is suitable for manufacturer declaration, product comparison and low‑noise design verification.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope covers machines including chain‑saws, brush‑cutters, grass‑trimmers, edgers, pole‑mounted powered pruners, hedge‑trimmers and garden blowers/vacuums/knapsack mist blowers.
- Measurement quantities: A‑weighted time‑averaged sound pressure levels (operator position and surface averages) and sound power levels; frequency‑band data optional.
- Test environment and setup: procedures for testing over artificial surfaces and natural ground surfaces, microphone positioning (hemisphere per ISO 3744), and requirements for surface and environmental corrections.
- Operating modes and work cycles: defined modes (idling, racing, cutting/full load where applicable) and representative duty cycles for exposure assessment (e.g., hedge‑trimmers and blowers have specified mode proportions).
- Operator simulation: for repeatability, certain tests replace human operators with fixtures or simulated loads (e.g., water‑brake on a guide bar for chain‑saw cutting simulation - Annex F).
- Reporting and declaration: required information to be reported, verification procedures and alignment with declarations under noise legislation (see Annex H for relation to EU Directive 2000/14/EC).
- Normative references and instrumentation standards: references include ISO 3744, ISO 11201, ISO 4871, IEC 61672‑1, and relevant machine‑specific ISO standards.
Practical applications
- Enables manufacturers to declare and verify noise emission values, compare models/families, and guide low‑noise design decisions.
- Used by test laboratories and conformity assessment bodies to produce reproducible measurement data with Grade 2 accuracy.
- Useful for regulators, market surveillance authorities, occupational health and safety professionals, product designers, procurement teams and employers assessing operator exposure and environmental noise.
Who should use this standard
- Machine manufacturers (R&D, product compliance)
- Acoustic test laboratories and certification bodies
- Safety regulators, market surveillance authorities and occupational health professionals
- Purchasers and fleet managers specifying quieter equipment
Related standards
ISO 22868:2021 provides a practical, repeatable engineering method for evaluating and declaring the noise performance of portable hand‑held internal‑combustion machines - a key tool for noise control at source and for compliant product communication.
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