Laminate floor coverings - Determination of impact resistance with small ball

This document specifies a method of assessment of surface resistance to impact with a small ball tester and relates to the surfaces of laminate floor coverings according to EN 13329, EN 14978 or EN 15468. The test is generally carried out on parts of the laminate floor panels with suitable sizes.

Laminatfußböden - Beständigkeit gegen Stossbeanspruchung mit Kleine Kugel

Dieses Dokument legt ein Verfahren zur Bewertung der Beständigkeit der Oberfläche gegen Stoßbeanspruchung mit einem Schlagprüfgerät mit kleiner Kugel fest. Es bezieht sich auf die Oberflächen von Laminatböden nach EN 13329, EN 14978 oder EN 15468. Die Prüfung wird im Allgemeinen an Teilen von Laminatfußbodenpaneelen mit geeigneter Größe durchgeführt.

Revêtements de sol tratifié - Détermination de resistance à l'impact à la petite bille

Le présent document spécifie une méthode d’évaluation de la résistance des surfaces aux chocs engendrés par un appareil d’essai à bille de petit diamètre et concerne les surfaces des revêtements de sol stratifiés conformes à l’EN 13329, l’EN 14978 ou l’EN 15468. L’essai est généralement réalisé sur des parties de lames stratifiées de dimensions adéquates.

Laminatne talne obloge - Ugotavljanje odpornosti proti udarcem z majhno kroglo

General Information

Status
Published
Public Enquiry End Date
02-Apr-2019
Publication Date
09-Mar-2020
ICS
97.150 - Floor coverings
Technical Committee
ITEK - Textile and textile products
Current Stage
6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
Start Date
04-Mar-2020
Due Date
09-May-2020
Completion Date
10-Mar-2020
Ref Project
EN 17368:2020 - Laminate floor coverings - Determination of impact resistance with small ball

Overview

SIST EN 17368:2020 is a European standard developed by CEN that specifies a reliable method to determine the impact resistance of laminate floor coverings using a small ball tester. It applies to laminate panels compliant with standards EN 13329, EN 14978, or EN 15468. The test focuses on assessing the surface durability against impact stresses, reflecting real-world conditions where floor surfaces encounter sudden impacts.

This standardized testing method involves dropping a spherical impactor from varying heights onto the laminate surface to evaluate damage resistance. The highest drop height that does not cause visible surface damage defines the impact resistance of the laminate flooring material. By following this standard, manufacturers and testing laboratories can ensure consistent quality and durability benchmarks for laminate flooring products.

Key Topics

  • Scope and Application: Applies to laminate floor panels with surfaces based on aminoplastic thermosetting resins, acrylic layers, or resin surface layers according to referenced standards.
  • Test Setup:
    • Spherical impact head diameter: 10 mm
    • Impactor weight: 100 ± 1 g
    • Dropping height incrementally adjusted to determine damage threshold
  • Test Specimen Preparation: Requires cutting at least five test specimens from different laminate panels, conditioned at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5% relative humidity for 72 hours.
  • Testing Procedure:
    • Specimens placed on a steel plate
    • Five impacts per test height spaced at least 20 mm apart
    • Visual inspection for cracks or delamination under diffuse lighting conditions within 30 seconds after impact
  • Result Calculation: The impact resistance is the highest drop height where no visual damage (cracks or delaminations) appear in any of the five impacts. Mean values are rounded to the nearest 5 mm.
  • Reporting Requirements:
    • Include test conditions, specimen data, individual and average results, deviations, testing facility, and date.
  • Precision: Repeatability assessed by round robin tests shows an average coefficient of variation of 20%, ensuring reproducibility across laboratories.

Applications

SIST EN 17368:2020 is essential for:

  • Quality Control
    Manufacturers use this standard to verify and maintain the durability of laminate flooring surfaces against impact damage, assuring product robustness for end users.

  • Product Development
    R&D teams apply this test to optimize surface materials and treatments to improve impact resistance and extend the flooring lifespan.

  • Certification and Compliance
    Testing laboratories and certification bodies adopt EN 17368 to certify laminate floor coverings, supporting transparency and trust in product claims.

  • Comparative Analysis
    Enables objective comparison between different laminate floor products or surface treatments based on their resistance to impacts, aiding customer decision-making.

  • Safety and Performance Assessment
    Results help assess suitability for various commercial, residential, or high-traffic environments where impact resistance is critical for safety and longevity.

Related Standards

  • EN 13329
    Specifies requirements and test methods for laminate floor coverings with aminoplastic thermosetting resin surface layers.

  • EN 14978
    Covers laminate floor coverings with acrylic-based, electron beam cured surface layers.

  • EN 15468
    Addresses laminate floor coverings featuring directly applied printing and resin surface layers.

These referenced standards define the laminate floor covering types applicable for impact resistance testing under EN 17368 and provide complementary performance and specification criteria.

SIST EN 17368:2020 supports flooring professionals by establishing a consistent, practical method to evaluate laminate surfaces for impact durability. By integrating this standard into manufacturing and testing protocols, stakeholders ensure enhanced product quality, performance assurance, and customer confidence in laminate flooring solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

SIST EN 17368:2020 is a standard published by the Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST). Its full title is "Laminate floor coverings - Determination of impact resistance with small ball". This standard covers: This document specifies a method of assessment of surface resistance to impact with a small ball tester and relates to the surfaces of laminate floor coverings according to EN 13329, EN 14978 or EN 15468. The test is generally carried out on parts of the laminate floor panels with suitable sizes.

This document specifies a method of assessment of surface resistance to impact with a small ball tester and relates to the surfaces of laminate floor coverings according to EN 13329, EN 14978 or EN 15468. The test is generally carried out on parts of the laminate floor panels with suitable sizes.

SIST EN 17368:2020 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 97.150 - Floor coverings. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

SIST EN 17368:2020 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-april-2020
Laminatne talne obloge - Ugotavljanje odpornosti proti udarcem z majhno kroglo
Laminate floor coverings - Determination of impact resistance with small ball
Laminatfußböden - Beständigkeit gegen Stossbeanspruchung mit Kleine Kugel
Revêtements de sol tratifié - Détermination de resistance à l'impact à la petite bille
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 17368:2020
ICS:
97.150 Talne obloge Floor coverings
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 17368
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
February 2020
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 97.150
English Version
Laminate floor coverings - Determination of impact
resistance with small ball
Revêtements de sol stratifiés - Détermination de la Laminatböden - Bestimmung der Beständigkeit gegen
résistance aux chocs à l'aide d'une bille de petit Stoßbeanspruchung mit kleiner Kugel
diamètre
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 December 2019.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 17368:2020 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 4
4 Principle . 4
5 Apparatus . 4
6 Preparing and conditioning of test specimen . 6
7 Test procedure . 6
8 Calculation and expression of results . 7
9 Test report . 8
10 Precision . 8
Bibliography . 9

European foreword
This document (EN 17368:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 134 “Resilient,
textile and laminate floor coverings”, the secretariat of which is held by NBN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by August 2020, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by August 2020.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.
1 Scope
This document specifies a method of assessment of surface resistance to impact with a small ball tester
and relates to the surfaces of laminate floor coverings according to EN 13329, EN 14978 or EN 15468.
The test is generally carried out on parts of the laminate floor panels with suitable sizes.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/ui
3.1
test panel
laminate panel which is to be tested
3.2
test specimen
part of the test panel used for testing
3.3
test field
part of test surface affected by the impact stress and evaluated
4 Principle
The surfaces
...

Questions, Comments and Discussion

Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.

Loading comments...