ISO 13506-1-2024 PDF

Full title and description

Protective clothing against heat and flame — Part 1: Test method for complete garments — Measurement of transferred energy using an instrumented manikin. This standard specifies equipment, test setup and calculation methods for measuring heat energy transferred through complete garments (single- and multi-layer) using an instrumented full-size manikin in a controlled flame/heat-flux laboratory simulation, and provides a rating system (including transferred energy and thermal manikin protection factor) to quantify garment thermal performance.

Abstract

This test method establishes procedures to measure and sum heat-transfer data from convective and radiant exposure to a full-size instrumented manikin to obtain total transferred energy and evaluate thermal protection (TMPF). Exposure flux is limited to a nominal 84 kW/m² with prescribed exposure durations (typically 3 s to up to 20 s depending on risk assumptions). The method covers visual evaluation and documentation of garment behaviour before, during and after exposure; it does not address body movement effects and is not intended for extreme exposures such as arc flash, certain liquid/solid fuel fires or nuclear detonations. See also ISO 13506-2 for skin-burn prediction calculations.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: 12 June 2024 (ISO publication listed as June 2024; bibliographic records show 12 June 2024).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.340.10 (Protective clothing).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2024).
• Number of pages: English listing: 44 pages; French listing: 52 pages (bibliographic sources differ).

Scope

Specifies overall requirements, apparatus, calibration and calculation methods for evaluating thermal performance of complete garments or protective-ensemble combinations subjected to short-duration flame engulfment under controlled laboratory conditions. The results apply only to the specific garments/ensembles tested and the specified exposure conditions (heat flux, flame distribution, duration). The method also provides data usable for subsequent skin-burn prediction (ISO 13506-2). It is not intended to simulate very high radiant exposures (e.g., arc flash), some liquid/solid fuel fire scenarios, or nuclear exposures.

Key topics and requirements

• Use of a full-size instrumented manikin to measure convective and radiant heat transfer to garments.
• Calculation and summation of transferred energy over prescribed times to derive total transferred energy and TMPF (thermal manikin protection factor).
• Controlled exposure conditions: nominal maximum heat flux ~84 kW/m² and exposure durations typically between 3 s and 20 s (dependant on risk assessment).
• Requirements for test equipment, sensor calibration, data acquisition and documentation (visual inspection, video/stills, pre/post-test observations).
• Limitations and exclusions (no body movement modelling; not for arc-flash-level radiative intensities or some fuel-specific fire scenarios).

Typical use and users

Used by PPE/test laboratories, garment and materials manufacturers, product developers, certification/ conformity assessment bodies, occupational safety specialists and regulators to evaluate and compare thermal protection performance of protective garments against short-duration flame engulfment. Also used to produce test data that feed burn-injury prediction (ISO 13506-2) for risk assessment and product specification.

Related standards

Part of the ISO 13506 series — see ISO 13506-2:2024 (Skin burn injury prediction — calculation requirements and test cases) for injury prediction methods tied to manikin measurements. The 2024 edition of ISO 13506-1 revises and replaces earlier editions (ISO 13506:2008, ISO 13506-1:2017). Relevant complementary standards for protective clothing include ISO 11612 (clothing to protect against heat and flame) and ISO 11611 (welding protective clothing) and other ISO/TC 94/SC 13 outputs addressing design and performance requirements for thermal/protective garments.

Keywords

protective clothing; heat and flame; instrumented manikin; transferred energy; thermal manikin protection factor (TMPF); flame engulfment; test method; burn prediction; PPE; ISO 13506.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 13506-1:2024 is an international test method standard that defines how to measure energy transferred through complete garments during short-duration flame engulfment using an instrumented full-size manikin, and how to derive ratings such as transferred energy and TMPF.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers test apparatus, sensor calibration, controlled exposure conditions (convective and radiant flux), data acquisition and calculation methods to quantify transferred heat energy to the manikin and associated garment behaviour (visual recording and inspection). It specifies exposure limits and describes exclusions (e.g., arc flash, certain liquid-fuel fires).

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: PPE test laboratories, manufacturers of flame-resistant garments, product development teams, certification bodies, occupational safety specialists, and regulators use the standard to evaluate garment thermal performance and to support burn-injury prediction (in conjunction with ISO 13506-2).

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current — ISO 13506-1:2024 (Edition 2) was published in June 2024 and supersedes earlier editions (including ISO 13506-1:2017 and prior ISO 13506:2008).

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 1 of the ISO 13506 series; Part 2 (ISO 13506-2:2024) provides skin burn injury prediction calculation requirements and test cases that complement the manikin measurement method.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Key keywords include: instrumented manikin, transferred energy, thermal manikin protection factor (TMPF), flame engulfment, heat flux (84 kW/m² nominal), short-duration exposure, protective clothing, heat and flame.