ISO 22650:2018 - Footwear - Test methods for whole shoe - Heel attachment
Overview
ISO 22650:2018 specifies a laboratory method to evaluate heel attachment in women's medium and high heeled footwear. The standard defines how to measure three related wear properties of the shoe backpart under controlled mechanical loading: rigidity during simulated walking loads, permanent deformation after a higher load, and the heel attachment strength (force required to detach the heel). Tests are performed on whole shoes using a tensile-testing machine and purpose-built heel fixtures.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: Applies to women’s medium and high heeled footwear; method for whole shoe heel attachment testing.
- Measured properties:
- Rigidity: backpart deformation at a force of 200 N.
- Permanent deformation: permanent set after a force of 400 N.
- Heel attachment strength: maximum force (in newtons) required to detach the heel; record mode of failure.
- Apparatus:
- Tensile-testing machine compliant with ISO 7500-1 (force-measuring system accuracy class B) with a constant traverse speed of 100 mm/min ± 10 mm/min.
- Specialized attachments: a removable rod (6 mm) connecting link for chunky heels and a pivoting clamp for slender heels; drilling of a 6 mm or 7 mm hole in chunky heels is permitted.
- Procedure & sampling:
- Prepare shoes (cut forepart upper to insole level where specified); minimum three test pieces.
- Measure heel/forepart distance before loading, at 200 N, after release from 400 N, and record maximum failure load (up to practical limits; note guidance about not exceeding ~1 000 N when shank failure is evident).
- Express results as millimetres and as percentages relative to heel height:
% Rigidity = (mm rigidity / heel height)·100, % Deformation = (mm deformation / heel height)·100.
- Reporting: Reference ISO 22650, include measured values, heel height, and failure mode.
Applications and users
ISO 22650:2018 is used by:
- Footwear manufacturers and design engineers validating heel assembly durability.
- Quality control and test laboratories performing production or pre‑shipment testing.
- Retailers and specifiers requiring objective heel attachment data.
- Research and development teams comparing heel designs, materials, and construction methods.
Benefits include standardized repeatable data on heel stability, guidance for corrective design or material selection, and defensible test results for quality claims.
Related standards
- ISO 7500-1 - calibration and verification of static uniaxial testing machines (normative reference).
- Prepared by ISO/TC 216 (Footwear).
Keywords: ISO 22650:2018, heel attachment, footwear test methods, heel attachment strength, rigidity, permanent deformation, tensile testing machine.