Overview
EN ISO 5084:1996 - Textiles: Determination of thickness of textiles and textile products (ISO 5084:1996) specifies a laboratory method to measure the thickness of textile materials under a defined pressure. Published as a CEN-adopted ISO method (second edition, 1996), it replaces the first edition and defines apparatus, conditioning, sampling and test procedure for repeatable textile thickness measurement. The standard is not applicable to textile floor coverings, nonwovens, geotextiles or coated fabrics (see Annex B for alternatives).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Principle: Thickness = perpendicular distance between a reference plate and a parallel circular presser-foot under a specified pressure.
- Conditioning: Samples must be conditioned in the standard atmosphere for textiles (ISO 139) before testing.
- Apparatus: Requirements include a thickness tester with
- interchangeable presser-feet (recommended area 2000 ± 20 mm² - circular presser-foot diameter 50.5 ± 0.2 mm),
- reference plate (plane surface, diameter ≥ presser-foot + 50 mm),
- thickness gauge capable of 0.01 mm accuracy,
- means to apply and maintain specified pressures.
- Applied pressure: Recommended pressure is (1 ± 0.01) kPa; an alternative lower pressure (0.1 ± 0.001) kPa may be used for raised-pile or loop fabrics.
- Test procedure:
- Clean and zero the tester; place specimen relaxed and free of creases.
- Lower presser-foot and read thickness after (30 ± 5) s.
- Take at least five measurements on a sample or five specimens.
- Results and reporting:
- Report arithmetic mean to 0.01 mm, coefficient of variation (%) and 95% confidence limits (to 0.01 mm).
- Test report must state the standard reference, fabric description, presser-foot area used, applied pressure, number of tests and any deviations from the procedure.
- Annexes:
- Annex A (normative) covers test area positions and alternative presser-foot areas for narrow or sensitive fabrics.
- Annex B (informative) lists related standards (e.g., ISO 1765, ISO 9073-2, ISO 9863).
Applications and practical value
- Ensures consistent, repeatable measurement of fabric thickness for quality control, specification compliance and material comparison.
- Used in:
- textile manufacturing QA/QC,
- laboratory testing and certification,
- product development and material selection,
- compliance testing for apparel, technical textiles (except listed exclusions).
- Useful for determining thickness parameters that affect insulation, drape, compressibility, layering, and end-use performance.
Who should use this standard
- Textile test laboratories, manufacturers, R&D and quality engineers, suppliers and specifiers who require a standardized method for thickness measurement and reporting.
Related standards
Keywords: EN ISO 5084:1996, determination of thickness, textile thickness measurement, thickness tester, presser-foot, standard atmosphere, textile testing.