Water Resistance Test

A “wet out” can ruin your day. Under some circumstances, water-resistant apparel can protect your health and even save your life. Water resistance is the fabric’s resistance to water penetration in both rain and storm. It is often used in outerwear and heavy duty-use items, e.g. bags, tarpaulins and tents.
  
Nowadays, the water-resistant performance is a commonly used feature in outerwear and sportwear in the textile market. 
  
How can you add value to your products by providing evidence of good water-resistant features?
  

• Provide evidence for the water-resistant feature that differentiates the quality level from only water repellency
• Demonstrate comfort and protective wearing experience preventing wetting out in cold weather
• Prevent damage to fabric by water as water resistance allows the fabric to repel moisture and keeps the fabric from degrading
• Demonstrate the durability enhancement of product

  
Intertek Hong Kong supports water-resistant testing in both rain tests and hydrostatic pressure tests for clients with various requirements using different methods. The requirement level for hydrostatic pressure tests is higher than for rain tests. If the product requires higher water resistance or even waterproof features, a hydrostatic pressure test should be chosen.
  
The methods for Rain Test are:
  

• AATCC 35: Rain Test

• CNS 10460 L3201

• GB/T 23321

• ISO 22958

• KS K 0593

  
The methods for Hydrostatic Pressure Test are:

• AATCC 127/ISO 811/ JIS L1092 Method A

• ASTM D751 procedure A (Mullen type tester)

• AS 1066 method 2(replaced by AS 2001.2.16 -18)

• BS 3424 part 26, method 29A - static pressure

• BS EN ISO 20811

• JIS L1092 Method A

• JIS L1092 Method B

• CAN/CGSB-4.2 NO./N° 26.3-M88

• CNS 10460 L3201

• GB/T 4744

• ISO 1420

• KS K 0591

• KS K ISO 0811

  
The Benefit You Should Know
  
As the US Customs uses the Rain Test to determine the import duty rate for coated fabrics, all manufacturers, suppliers and retailers can benefit from the lower duty rate if the product is proven to be water resistant using the rain test. This is good news for accessing the US market with a better-quality water-resistant or even waterproof product.
  
In general, waterproofing, water resistance and water repellency tests are usually carried out at the same time as breathability. Waterproof, water-resistant and water-repellent products may have a film or membrane as its watertight feature, which may affect the breathability. Therefore, these tests are usually bundled together for a comprehensive high-quality product.

Frequently Asked Question

What is the difference between waterproof, water resistance and water repellency of textiles and footwear?

• Water-repellent feature means the product is not easily penetrated by water, which is usually treated with a surface coating making it hydrophobic.
• Water-resistant feature is the ability to resist the penetration of water to some extent but it is not entirely waterproof. It is the capability of product to withstand the average hand-washing or light rain shower.
• Waterproof feature means the product is capable to be impervious to water even under heavy rain so that no water gets inside.