Overview
ISO 20870:2017 - "Footwear - Ageing conditioning" specifies laboratory procedures to reproduce and quantify the effects of natural ageing on footwear materials. The standard defines how to expose test pieces to controlled heat ageing and humidity ageing treatments, measure physical properties before and after exposure, and express the change as a percentage. It is intended to help compare material durability and support quality control, R&D and compliance testing in the footwear sector.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope: Laboratory procedures that imitate naturally occurring reactions; any physical property of the material can be examined.
- Sampling and conditioning: Sample selection, size and preparation follow ISO 17709; test pieces must be appropriate for the property under examination.
- Ageing treatments:
- Heat ageing: oven with forced circulation capable of maintaining 70 °C ± 2 °C.
- Humidity ageing: ageing chamber sized so test pieces occupy ≤10% of free air space; or a glass vessel at 100% relative humidity heated (water bath or drying oven) to 70 °C ± 2 °C. Test pieces must be free of strain and not exposed to light.
- Duration: Both heat and humidity ageing treatments are 168 h ± 2 h.
- Post-ageing conditioning: After ageing, condition test pieces for 24 h according to ISO 18454 before testing.
- Results: Measure the relevant physical property before and after treatment and report the percentage change (formula provided in Clause 7 of the standard).
- Test report: Must reference ISO 20870, identify samples, specify method and whether heat or humidity ageing was used, list properties with values before and after ageing (and percentage change where applicable), date of testing, and standard atmospheric conditions observed.
Applications and users
ISO 20870 is used by:
- Footwear manufacturers for material selection and design validation.
- Independent testing laboratories conducting durability and ageing tests.
- Quality assurance teams for production control and batch verification.
- R&D groups evaluating new polymers, adhesives, coatings and components.
- Procurement and specification writers who require standardized ageing data for supplier evaluation.
Practical benefits include reproducible comparisons of material performance, documented evidence for claims about durability, and a standardized basis for interpreting how heat and humidity affect footwear components.
Related standards
- ISO 17709 - Footwear: sampling location, preparation and duration of conditioning of samples and test pieces.
- ISO 18454 - Footwear: standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing of footwear and components.
Keywords: ISO 20870, footwear ageing, ageing conditioning, heat ageing, humidity ageing, footwear testing, material durability, laboratory procedures.