IEC 63203-204-1:2023

IEC 63203-204-1 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-03
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –
Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing washing durability of
leisurewear and sportswear e-textile systems e-textile products
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IEC 63203-204-1 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-03
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –
Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing washing durability of
leisurewear and sportswear e-textile systems e-textile products
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 59.080.80; 59.080.01 ISBN 978-2-8322-6696-0
– 2 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Test method – General . 5
4.1 Checklist before washability carrying out washing durability test . 6
4.2 Washability Washing durability test conditions . 6
4.3 Check of operation before/ and after washing durability test . 6
5 Test procedure . 7
5.1 Pretreatment . 7
5.2 Washing. 7
5.3 Test after washing and drying . 7
6 Test report . 10
Annex A (informative) Result of studies – Resistance measurement . 11
A.1 Test procedure . 11
A.2 Test results . 11
Bibliography . 13

Figure 1 – Flow chart of test procedure . 9
Figure A.1 – Test results of resistance measurement after laundry test . 12

Table A.1 – Test conditions and results . 11

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing washing
durability of leisurewear and sportswear e-textile systems
e-textile products
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This redline version of the official IEC Standard allows the user to identify the changes
made to the previous edition IEC 63203-204-1:2021. A vertical bar appears in the margin
wherever a change has been made. Additions are in green text, deletions are in
strikethrough red text.
– 4 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
IEC 63203-204-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 124: Wearable electronic
devices and technologies. It is an International Standard.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2021. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Subclause 3.2 on conductive textiles has been deleted.
b) Subclause 3.3 on leisurewear and sportswear has been deleted.
c) Subclause 3.2 on washing procedure has been added.
d) Figure 1 has been updated.
e) The optional measurement of conductive tracks has been added in 4.1 to the checklist
before carrying out washing durability test.
f) Additions have been made to the list in Clause 6.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
124/214/FDIS 124/217/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement,
available at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by
IEC are described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 63203 series, published under the general title Wearable
electronic devices and technologies, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The "colour inside" logo on the cover page of this document indicates that it
contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding of its
contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.

WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing washing
durability of leisurewear and sportswear e-textile systems
e-textile products
1 Scope
This document specifies a household washing durability test method for leisurewear and
sportswear e-textile systems e-textile products. This document includes testing procedures for
leisurewear and sportswear e-textile products with electrically conductive components and
sensors to collect the data of the user.
This document does not cover safety or heat-generation test methods. Products containing
components other than those listed in this clause are not covered by this document.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition
cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
ISO 139, Textiles – Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
ISO 6330:2012, Textiles – Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing
EN 16812:2016, Textiles and textile products – Electrically conductive textiles –
Determination of the linear electrical resistance of conductive tracks
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
e-textile system product
ETS
product made from textiles and integrated electronics that together perform one or more
functions such as measuring body temperature, heart rate or electrocardiogram, etc.
3.2
conductive textile
textile with electrical conductivity

– 6 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
3.3
leisurewear and sportswear
clothing worn to enjoy leisure and sports (excluding accessories such as watches and
glasses)
3.2
washing procedure
cycle of washing action including water supplying, washing, and repeated rinsing, spinning
and water supplying and ending with spinning as predetermined on the washing machine
4 Test method – General
4.1 Checklist before washability carrying out washing durability test
Check the samples as described in the user manual and confirm that the samples are
operating properly according to the manufacturer-provided user manual. Then, measure the
resistance and mark the measurement area in accordance with EN 16812:2016, Figure 1, so
that the same area can be measured after each washability test. Since the shape of the
product varies, select the appropriate method to measure the resistance.
Check the product as described in the user manual and confirm the proper operation
according to the instructions in the manual. (Measurement of conductive tracks is optional. If
the product contains areas of non-isolated conductive textile, resistance measurement
according to EN 16812 can be conducted additionally.) Then, measure the resistance and
mark the measurement point, so that the same point can be measured after each washing
durability test. Since the shape of the product varies, select the appropriate method to
measure the resistance. The method of measuring conductive track resistance should be
decided between the manufacturer and the user.
4.2 Washability Washing durability test conditions
The washing durability test shall comply with the test procedure in ISO 6330:2012.
ISO 6330:2012 offers various test procedures. ETS leisurewear and sportswear for fitness
contains a unit that connects the modules and conductive textiles because of the nature of the
product. Therefore, the inclusion of a hand-washing condition in the procedure is considered
appropriate because it causes less damage to the product. E-textile products contain a unit
that connects the modules with conductive track because of the nature of the product.
Therefore, a hand-wash procedure is considered appropriate because it causes less damage
to the product.
Conditions for washing the ETS leisurewear and sportswear for fitness e-textile products are
given as follows in this Subclause 4.2 and in 4.3.
The type of washing machine, detergent, washing method, drying method and number of
repetitions are selected from methods standardized based on the manufacturer's designated
care label. If not specified, the washing machine type is an ISO 6330:2012 reference washing
machine Type A, the washing procedure is 4H, and the drying method is procedure A – line
dry.
If there is an agreement between the user and the supplier to apply the washing conditions as
specified in another International Standard, those alternative washing conditions shall be
applied instead of those specified in this Subclause 4.2.
4.3 Check of operation before/ and after washing durability test
It is necessary to check the operation of the e-textile system product under test after repeated
washing and drying of the product in accordance with the test conditions. According to the
procedure to check the operation status before washing in accordance with the user manual,

double-check the operation status after washing and measure the resistance of the
conductive textile to determine whether there is any disconnection (see Annex A).
5 Test procedure
5.1 Pretreatment
The specimens shall be stored for at least 24 h in standard atmosphere conditions
((20,0 ± 2,0) °C and (65,0 ± 5,0 4,0) % relative humidity (RH) in accordance with ISO 139).
Start operating the product in the manner specified in the user manual. The product shall be
checked to ensure it is operating normally, and that it functions in accordance with the user
manual. If the features do not work as described in the user manual, report record malfunction
in the test report. All detachable components (e.g. connection module or batteries) shall be
detached before washing. All embedded components shall remain on the product during wash
testing the washing durability test.
5.2 Washing
Wash and dry the specimens in accordance with one of the procedures specified in
ISO 6330:2012, following the manufacturer's designated care label.
5.3 Test after washing and drying
After the ETS leisurewear and sportswear for fitness has e-textile products have been
processed with washing and drying, prepare to check the performance of the product. Check
the operation status and function of the product according to the specified order in the user
manual (see example in Figure 1).

– 8 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023

Figure 1 – Flow chart of test procedure
The number of repetitions, K, is determined by the agreement between the manufacturer and
the user. Unless otherwise agreed, K = 0.
J is the number of repetitions until one of the following conditions is reached

– 10 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
a) when the function of the e-textile product is lost in the operation check;
a) when the conductive track is broken;
b) when the number of washing and drying procedures agreed in advance between the
manufacturer and the user is reached.
6 Test report
The test reports of every test based on this document shall contain the following information:
a) number and year of publication of this document (i.e., "IEC 63203-204-1:2023");
b) product, intended use and type of (detachable) components in the test report;
c) operation status of the product in accordance with the user manual;
d) care label instructions (if applicable);
e) washing and drying method, the number of washes, number of repetitions, K;
f) electrical resistance after washing laundering (if applicable);
g) electrical resistance, measurement dimensions and measurement method;
h) operation status of the product in accordance with the user manual after the product has
been washed;
i) number of repetitions, J.
Annex A
(informative)
Result of studies – Resistance measurement
A.1 Test procedure
1) Prepare the test specimen, except for electrical components incorporated with batteries for
the test pieces provided by the manufacturer.
2) Set measurement points at 100 mm each to the right and left of the centre of conductive
areas, and measure the resistance three times at each point.
3) Pretreat the specimen in accordance with ISO 6330:2012. Make sure the pretreatment
conditions comply with washing procedures: 6B 9B, standard reference detergent 1
without optical brightener, and procedure C – flat dry.
4) Line dry the pretreated specimen for 8 h, and measure the resistance at the points
mentioned in list item 2) above, three times.
5) Repeat testing 10 times to measure resistance values at each cycle.
A.2 Test results
After 19 washing procedures under extreme washing conditions, disconnections have been
observed. For other products, resistance values before and after 10 washing procedures were
slightly increased (see Table A.1 and Figure A.1). It is predictable that the higher the number
of washing procedures, the greater the impact on the product's operability, therefore
resistance measurement needs to shall be factored into performance assessment. By testing
e-textiles with optimal washing conditions which guarantee the lifespan and performance of
the product, some possible defects of e-textiles could can be proactively detected.
Table A.1 – Test conditions and results
Test method – Conditions taken from Table D.1,
Samples Type Results
Annex D of ISO 6330:2012
After 19 times -> sample
9B-flat dry, laundry test carried out 20 times, and operation severed iterations of the
A E-textile
check of each laundry test test procedure, sample
is damaged
9B-flat dry, laundry test carried out 10 times,
Normal operation,
B E-textile operation check of each laundry test, electrical resistance
resistance increased
measurement
E-textile 9B-flat dry, laundry test carried out 20 times, and operation
C Normal operation
shirt check for each laundry test

– 12 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 RLV © IEC 2023

Key
X Resistance after number of laundry tests
X Number of laundry tests
Y Electrical resistance (Ω)
Figure A.1 – Test results of resistance measurement after laundry test

Bibliography
EN 16812:2016, Textiles and textile products – Electrically conductive textiles –
Determination of the linear electrical resistance of conductive tracks

___________
IEC 63203-204-1 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –
Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing washing durability of
e-textile products
Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter –
Partie 204-1: Textile électronique – Méthode d'essai pour l'évaluation de la
durabilité au lavage des produits e-textiles

– 2 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Test method – General . 5
4.1 Checklist before carrying out washing durability test . 5
4.2 Washing durability test conditions . 6
4.3 Check of operation before and after washing durability test . 6
5 Test procedure . 6
5.1 Pretreatment . 6
5.2 Washing. 6
5.3 Test after washing and drying . 6
6 Test report . 8
Annex A (informative) Result of studies – Resistance measurement . 9
A.1 Test procedure . 9
A.2 Test results . 9
Bibliography . 11

Figure 1 – Flow chart of test procedure . 7
Figure A.1 – Test results of resistance measurement after laundry test . 10

Table A.1 – Test conditions and results . 9

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 204-1: Electronic textile – Test method for assessing
washing durability of e-textile products

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 63203-204-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 124: Wearable electronic
devices and technologies. It is an International Standard.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2021. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Subclause 3.2 on conductive textiles has been deleted.
b) Subclause 3.3 on leisurewear and sportswear has been deleted.
c) Subclause 3.2 on washing procedure has been added.
d) Figure 1 has been updated.
– 4 – IEC 63203-204-1:2023 © IEC 2023
e) The optional measurement of conductive tracks has been added in 4.1 to the checklist
before carrying out washing durability test.
f) Additions have been made to the list in Clause 6.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
124/214/FDIS 124/217/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/I
...