ASTM F2621/F2621M-22 PDF

Full title and description

ASTM F2621/F2621M-22 — Standard Practice for Evaluating Response Characteristics of Safety Products in an Electric Arc Exposure. This practice defines laboratory protocols for exposing finished protective products and components (garments, closures, interfaces, faceshields, gloves, etc.) to controlled electric arc exposures in order to evaluate response characteristics and design integrity (afterflame, melting, dripping, shrinkage, ignition, deformation, seam/closure integrity, and related effects) without establishing an arc rating.

Abstract

This standard practice provides test procedures and reporting conventions for conducting arc-exposure tests on finished protective products and certain non-arc-rated components used in systems for worker thermal protection. It is intended for use in product development, incident reenactment and training, design-comparison testing, and evaluation of interfaces (e.g., seams, closures, trim, and overlaps). The practice does not itself assign an arc rating; other ASTM test methods are used when arc ratings are required. DOI: 10.1520/F2621_F2621M-22.

General information

• Status: Active (last updated May 4, 2022).
• Publication date: January 4, 2022.
• Publisher: ASTM International.
• ICS / categories: 13.260 — Protection against electric shock / Live working.
• Edition / version: F2621/F2621M-22 (2022 edition).
• Number of pages: 9.

Key bibliographic details reported by the publisher and standards indexes.

Scope

This practice identifies protocols for conducting arc testing on finished products intended for use as thermal protection by workers who may be exposed to electric arc hazards. It covers arc exposures in a static, controlled laboratory configuration to evaluate response characteristics and design integrity (interfaces, closures, seams, trim, melting, afterflame, ignition, dripping, deformation, shrinkage, and related effects). The practice explicitly does not establish an arc rating and is intended to be used alongside ASTM test methods that do assign arc ratings (for example F1959/F1959M for materials, F2178 for face products, and F2675 for gloves). It may also be used for incident reenactment, training demonstrations, and comparative testing.

Key topics and requirements

• Defined test protocols for exposing finished PPE and selected components to electric arc energy under controlled lab conditions (static, vertical specimen orientation).
• Evaluation endpoints include afterflame time, melting, dripping, deformation, shrinkage, ignition, breakopen, seam/closure integrity, and evidence of projectile damage or other physical failure modes.
• Clarifies that the practice is not intended to produce an arc rating — separate ASTM test methods are used to establish arc ratings (e.g., F1959/F1959M, F2178, F2675).
• Guidance for testing both new and used (in-service) specimens, with cautions about wear/maintenance histories affecting results.
• Permits use for incident reenactment, training, product development, and comparative assessments; units given separately in SI and inch-pound systems.
• Safety and applicability notes: the practice does not address all hazards (e.g., fragmentation explosions, molten metal splatter beyond reporting damage) and users must establish appropriate safety and environmental controls when performing tests.

These topics are summarized from the practice’s scope and significance sections.

Typical use and users

Primary users include PPE and protective-clothing manufacturers, independent test laboratories, research and development teams, safety engineers, compliance/specification authors, and occupational safety trainers. Common uses are product development and design verification, quality-control testing of interfaces and closures, incident reenactment and training demonstrations, comparative evaluations of materials or constructions, and due-diligence testing when combining arc-rated and non–arc-rated components. Test reports assist purchasers, safety managers, and regulatory/compliance personnel in understanding product behavior under arc exposure conditions.

Related standards

ASTM F2621/F2621M-22 is intended to be used alongside other ASTM standards addressing arc rating and protective performance, including but not limited to: F1959/F1959M (arc rating of materials), F2178 (arc-rated face/eye protective products), F2675 (arc-rating of hand protection), F1506 (garment performance/specification), and F1891 (arc/flame resistant rainwear). It sits within the F18 committee series addressing protective clothing and related PPE; users often cross-reference NFPA and other workplace safety guidance when specifying protective ensembles.

Keywords

electric arc, arc exposure, arc flash, PPE, arc-rated products, thermal protection, afterflame, melting, dripping, seam integrity, closures, faceshield, arc testing, incident reenactment, ASTM F2621, arc testing practice.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ASTM F2621/F2621M-22 is a standard practice that specifies laboratory protocols for evaluating the response characteristics and design integrity of finished safety products and certain components when exposed to an electric arc under controlled conditions. It provides methods to observe and report behaviors such as ignition, afterflame, melting, dripping, deformation, shrinkage, and failure of seams or closures.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers procedures for arc-exposure testing of finished products and selected non–arc-rated components that might be used with arc-rated systems. The practice addresses test setup (static, vertical specimens), evaluation endpoints, reporting, and limitations; it is not intended to produce arc ratings. For arc ratings, separate ASTM test methods (e.g., F1959/F1959M, F2178, F2675) should be used.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: PPE manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, safety engineers, R&D teams, compliance officers, purchasers, and trainers — essentially anyone needing objective data on how finished protective products or assemblies behave when subjected to electric arc exposure.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The F2621/F2621M-22 edition (published January 4, 2022) is listed as the active 2022 edition (publisher records show last document update May 4, 2022). An earlier 2021 version is recorded as withdrawn in standards registries, with the 2022 edition being the current practice. Users should refer to the ASTM publication record for the latest status before purchase or use.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes. It is developed within ASTM Committee F18 (protective clothing and materials) and appears in Book of Standards volume covering industrial hygiene and safety standards (F18 subcommittees). It is commonly cross-referenced with other F18 standards that set arc-rating test methods and garment specifications.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: electric arc, arc flash, arc-rated, PPE, thermal protection, arc testing, afterflame, melting, dripping, seam integrity, closures, incident reenactment, ASTM F2621.