Overview
ISO 3374:2000 - Reinforcement products - Mats and fabrics - Determination of mass per unit area specifies a standardized laboratory method to measure the mass per unit area (g/m²) of reinforcement mats and fabrics made from glass, carbon or aramid yarns. The method defines sampling, apparatus, conditioning, test procedure, calculation and reporting so results are comparable and reproducible across laboratories and suppliers.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: Applies to chopped‑strand mats, continuous‑strand mats and woven/stitched fabrics manufactured from glass, carbon or aramid fibers.
- Specimen sizes:
- Mats: square specimens of 1 000 cm² (typically three 1 000 cm² specimens per metre width).
- Fabrics: square or circular specimens of 100 cm² (typically one 100 cm² specimen per 50 cm width). Minimum two specimens.
- Apparatus: metal template, cutting tool, specimen holder (wire mesh basket), balance with specified sensitivity, ventilated drying oven, desiccator and tongs.
- Conditioning / drying: No conditioning required unless specified. If moisture > 0.2% (or unknown), dry specimens at 105 °C ± 3 °C for 1 hour, cool in desiccator and weigh immediately.
- Calculation: Mass per unit area (g/m²) = (mass in g / area in cm²) × 10 000.
- Reporting / rounding: Report the average across specimens. Round to nearest 1 g/m² for mats and for fabrics ≥ 200 g/m²; round to nearest 0.1 g/m² for fabrics