IEC 63203-201-3:2021

Wearable electronic devices and technologies - Part 201-3: Electronic textile - Determination of electrical resistance of conductive textiles under simulated microclimate

IEC 63203-201-3:2021 specifies a test method for determination of the electrical resistance of conductive fabrics under simulated microclimate within clothing. The microclimate is the climate of the small air layer between the skin and clothing having a specific temperature and humidity. This test method can be applied to conductive fabrics including multilayer assemblies for use in clothing.

Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter - Partie 201-3: Textile électronique - Détermination de la résistance électrique des textiles conducteurs sous microclimat simulé

L’IEC 63203-201-3:2021 spécifie une méthode d’essai pour la détermination de la résistance électrique des étoffes conductrices sous microclimat simulé dans les vêtements. Le microclimat est le climat de la fine couche d’air entre la peau et le vêtement qui présente une température et une humidité spécifiques. Cette méthode d’essai peut être appliquée aux étoffes conductrices, y compris aux assemblages multicouches qui sont utilisés dans les vêtements.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 06-Apr-2021
• ICS: 59.080.80 - Smart textiles
• Technical Committee: TC 124 - Wearable electronic devices and technologies
• Drafting Committee: WG 2 - TC 124/WG 2
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 07-Apr-2021
• Completion Date: 30-Apr-2021

Overview

IEC 63203-201-3:2021 is an international standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that defines a test method for measuring the electrical resistance of conductive textiles used in wearable electronic devices and technologies. Specifically, it focuses on evaluating conductive fabrics under a simulated microclimate that mimics the conditions in the small air layer between human skin and clothing, characterized by specific temperature and humidity levels. This microclimate simulation is crucial for accurately assessing the performance and reliability of electronic textiles (e-textiles) when worn.

This standard applies to conductive fabrics, including multilayer assemblies intended for integration into clothing, ensuring their electrical properties are maintained under realistic wear conditions. The publication supports the development and quality assurance of wearable electronic textiles by providing a reproducible testing framework.

Key Topics

• Electrical Resistance Measurement
  The core of IEC 63203-201-3 is a test method to determine the linear electrical resistance of textile-based electrically conductive tracks using a four-wire Kelvin measurement method with a DC current source. This allows precise resistance measurements unaffected by contact resistance or lead resistance.

• Simulated Microclimate Conditions
  The standard replicates the microclimate environment between skin and clothing through a sweating guarded-hotplate device, as specified in ISO 11092:2014, which controls temperature and humidity to mimic real wear conditions influencing fabric properties.

• Four-Electrode Setup and Sensor Integration
  A sophisticated testing device incorporating non-conductive materials and embedded temperature and humidity sensors measures the microclimate parameters within the air layer between the hotplate and textile specimen, following ISO 21232:2018 guidelines.

• Test Specimens and Conditioning
  Guidelines are provided on preparing test specimens, including dimensions, number of samples, and environmental conditioning, to ensure consistency and reproducibility across tests.

• Measurement Reporting
  The standard outlines clear requirements for documenting test results, including electrical resistance values, water-vapour resistance, and microclimate conditions, essential for comprehensive analysis of conductive textiles.

Practical Applications

• Quality Assurance of Wearable Textiles
  Manufacturers of wearable electronics and smart textiles can apply IEC 63203-201-3 to verify that conductive fabrics maintain functional electrical properties under realistic humidity and temperature conditions, ensuring product reliability during use.

• Product Development and Research
  Textile engineers and researchers developing new electronic textile materials or multilayer assemblies for clothing can use this standardized test method to evaluate performance in a controlled simulated environment before commercial deployment.

• Standardized Compliance Testing
  Regulatory bodies and certification organizations may adopt this standard as part of conformity assessment schemes for e-textiles integrated in wearable devices, promoting market confidence and consumer safety.

• Enhancing Wearer Comfort and Safety
  By measuring electrical resistance under conditions that simulate the skin microclimate, designers can optimize materials for both electrical functionality and wearer comfort, minimizing failure risks caused by environmental factors such as sweat and temperature.

Related Standards

• ISO 11092:2014 - Textiles - Physiological effects - Measurement of thermal and water-vapour resistance under steady-state conditions (sweating guarded-hotplate test). This standard guides the design and operation of the sweating guarded-hotplate device fundamental to IEC 63203-201-3 testing.

• ISO 21232:2018 - Textiles - Determination of moisturizing effect by measurement of microclimate between textiles and simulated human skin. Defines methods for simulating and measuring microclimate conditions closely aligned with those in IEC 63203-201-3.

• EN 16812:2016 - Textiles and textile products - Electrically conductive textiles - Determination of the linear electrical resistance of conductive tracks. Provides foundational definitions and procedures for evaluating electrical resistance in conductive textiles.

Keywords

Wearable electronic devices, electronic textiles, e-textiles, conductive textiles, electrical resistance testing, microclimate simulation, sweating guarded-hotplate, four-wire Kelvin method, textile testing standards, IEC 63203-201-3, wearable technology standards, textile conditioning, temperature and humidity control, linear electrical resistance, moisture effects on textiles.

---

IEC 63203-201-3:2021 facilitates accurate evaluation of conductive fabrics’ electrical performance in wearable electronics by simulating real-life environmental conditions affecting the skin-textile interface. This testing standard underpins the development of reliable, safe, and comfortable electronic textiles for the expanding market of smart wearable technologies.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 63203-201-3 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –
Part 201-3: Electronic textile – Determination of electrical resistance of
conductive textiles under simulated microclimate

Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter –
Partie 201-3: Textile électronique – Détermination de la résistance électrique des
textiles conducteurs sous microclimat simulé

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IEC 63203-201-3 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Wearable electronic devices and technologies –

Part 201-3: Electronic textile – Determination of electrical resistance of

conductive textiles under simulated microclimate

Technologies et dispositifs électroniques prêts-à-porter –

Partie 201-3: Textile électronique – Détermination de la résistance électrique

des textiles conducteurs sous microclimat simulé

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 59.080.80 ISBN 978-2-8322-9640-0

– 2 – IEC 63203-201-3:2021  IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Principle of test . 6
5 Test equipment . 6
5.1 Sweating guarded-hotplate . 6
5.2 Device including temperature and humidity sensor with set-up of the four
electrode – four wire method . 6
5.3 Membranes . 7
5.4 Test enclosure of the sweating guarded-hotplate . 7
6 Test specimens . 8
6.1 Number of test specimens . 8
6.2 Dimension of specimens . 9
6.3 Conditioning . 9
7 Test procedure . 9
7.1 Preparation of textile-based electrically conductive track contact points for
necessary measurement stability . 9
7.2 Specimen mounting on measuring unit . 9
7.3 Determination of the apparatus constant R and measurement of water-
et0_al
vapour resistance including air layer R and RH) . 9
et_al
7.4 Determination of linear electrical resistance . 9
8 Test report . 10
Annex A (informative) Example of test results . 11
A.1 Sample . 11
A.2 R , RH and R . 11
et_al L
Bibliography . 13

Figure 1 – Sweating guarded-hotplate . 7
Figure 2 – Device including temperature and humidity sensor with set-up of four

electrode – four wire method . 8
Figure 3 – Example of textile-based electrically conductive track . 8
Figure A.1 – Conductive fabric . 11

Table A.1 – Arithmetic mean and CV % of test results . 12

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 201-3: Electronic textile – Determination of electrical resistance
of conductive textiles under simulated microclimate

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
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9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 63203-201-3 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 124:
Wearable electronic devices and technologies.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
124/136/FDIS 124/142/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in the
report on voting indicated in the above table.
This document has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts in the IEC 63203 series, published under the general title Wearable electronic
devices and technologies, can be found on the IEC website.

– 4 – IEC 63203-201-3:2021  IEC 2021
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to
the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES –

Part 201-3: Electronic textile – Determination of electrical resistance
of conductive textiles under simulated microclimate

1 Scope
This part of IEC 63203-201 specifies a test method for determination of the electrical resistance
of conductive fabrics under simulated microclimate within clothing. The microclimate is the
climate of the small air layer between the skin and clothing having a specific temperature and
humidity. This test method can be applied to conductive fabrics including multilayer assemblies
for use in clothing.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
ISO 139, Textiles – Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing
ISO 11092:2014, Textiles – Physiological effects – Measurement of thermal and water-vapour
resistance under steady-state conditions (sweating guarded-hotplate test)
ISO 21232:2018, Textiles – Determination of moisturizing effect of textile materials by
measurement of microclimate between textiles and simulated human skin using sweating
guarded hotplate
EN 16812:2016, Textiles and textile products – Electrically conductive textiles – Determination
of the linear electrical resistance of conductive tracks
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
textile-based electrically conductive track
electrically conductive part of the textile having a length (L) to width (W) ratio of minimum 10 to
[SOURCE: EN 16812:2016, 3.1, modified – Note 1 to entry has been deleted.]

– 6 – IEC 63203-201-3:2021  IEC 2021
3.2
linear electrical resistance
R
L
electrical resistance per unit length of a track
Note 1 to entry: Linear electrical resistance is expressed in ohm per metre.
[SOURCE: EN 16812:2016, 3.3, modified – Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.3
microclimate
climate of the small air layer (between the skin and the clothing or between textiles and sweating
guarded-hotplate)
Note 1 to entry: This microclimate has specific temperature and humidity characteristics. Simulated microclimate is
the climate of the air layer between fabric and sweating guarded-hotplate.
[SOURCE: ISO 21232:2018, 3.2, modified – A hyphen has been added to the term "sweating
guarded hotplate" and the second sentence in the note has been added.]
3.4
water-vapour resistance including air layer
R
et_al
water-vapour pressure difference between the two faces of a material (separated from each
other by 5 mm) divided by the resultant evaporative heat flux per unit area in the direction of
the gradient
Note 1 to entry: Water-vapour resistance is measured under the simulated state in which the air layer exists
between the skin and clothing.
Note 2 to entry: Water-vapour resistance including air layer is expressed in square metres pascal per watt.
[SOURCE: ISO 21232:2018, 3.3]
4 Principle of test
Clothing comfort depends on the environmental conditions (humidity, temperature) of the
microclimate between the skin and the fabrics when clothing is worn. The e-textile system made
of conductive fabrics is in direct contact with human skin so that the electrical resistance of
conductive fabrics is affected by the microclimate between human skin and fabric. Therefore,
this test method can perform the combined measurement of electrical resistance using the
measurement principle of the four-wire Kelvin method and a DC current source, under a
simulated microclimate.
5 Test equipment
5.1 Sweating guarded-hotplate
For the test device, the sweating guarded-hotplate (see Figure 1), specified in ISO 11092:2014,
is used. The upper part is a measuring unit with temperature and water supply control and the
lower part is a thermal guard with temperature control.
5.2 Device including temperature and humidity sensor with set-up of the four
electrode – four wire method
5.2.1 The device shall be made of electrically non-conductive material. The device is used
to create space for the air layer between hotplate and specimen. The sensor inside the device
measures the microclimate between hotplate and specimen, specified in ISO 21232:2018 (see
Figure 2).
5.2.2 An electrical current source, a voltage-meter and contacting electrodes measure
electrical resistance. Electrodes shall be arranged for using the set-up of the four electrode –
four wire method on the device and shall cover the whole width of the textile-based electrically
conductive track, specified in EN 16812:2016, 6.2 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3). The electrodes
shall be placed parallel to each other and they shall be movable forwards and backwards.
5.2.3 The specimen is fixed by magnets in the device. The diameter and thickness of the
magnet are (5,0 ± 0,2) mm and (3,0 ± 0,1) mm, respectively. The magnetic flux density shall be
higher than 0,3 T. The interval between magnets shall be less than 50 mm in the test device
(see Figure 2).
5.3 Membranes
A water-vapour permeable but liquid-water impermeable membrane shall meet the
requirements specified in ISO 11092:2014, 7.1.2.1 or in ISO 21232:2018, 5.4.
5.4 Test enclosure of the sweating guarded-hotplate
The requirements specified in ISO 11092:2014, 5.3 shall be met.

Key
1 water dosing device 4 measuring table
2 measuring unit 5 hotplate duct
3 thermal guard 6 air velocity sensor

Figure 1 – Sweating guarded-hotplate

– 8 – IEC 63203-201-3:2021  IEC 2021

Key
1 upper frame
2 electrodes
3 lower frame
4 magnets for fixing specimens
5 grid
6 temperature and humidity sensor
Figure 2 – Device including temperature and humidity sensor
with set-up of four electrode – four wire method

[SOURCE: ISO 8388:1998, 3.1.2 and 3.5.2]
Figure 3 – Example of textile-based electrically conductive track
6 Test specimens
6.1 Number of test specimens
Test three specimens per sample and then calculate the arithmetic mean and the percentage
coefficient of variation (CV %). If the CV % is greater than 5 %, test two more specimens and
then calculate the arithmetic mean and the CV %.
___________
Reproduced (from ISO 8388:1998, 3.1.2 and 3.5.2), with the permission of ISO.

6.2 Dimension of specimens
The specimen shall be large enough to completely cover the surfaces of the measuring unit and
the thermal guard.
6.3 Conditioning
Before testing, condition the specimens for at least 24 h at (20 ± 2) °C and (65 ± 4) % relative
humidity (RH) in accordance with ISO 139.
7 Test procedure
7.1 Preparation of textile-based electrically conductive track contact points for
necessary measurement stability
The preparation of textile-based electrically conductive track points as defined in
EN 16812:2016 shall be applied.
7.2 Specimen mounting on measuring unit
7.2.1 Cover the measuring unit (5.1) with a membrane (5.3).
7.2.2 The specimen shall be flat and straight on the grid of lower frame. Fix the specimen
by using magnets between the lower and the upper frames of the device (5.2). Establish a tight
contact between the electrode and the textile-based electrically conductive track in order to
reduce contact resistance.
7.2.3 Place the specimen-mounted device on the covered measuring unit. The device shall
fit tightly into the measuring table.
7.3 Determination of the apparatus constant R and measurement of water-vapour
et0_al
resistance including air layer R and RH)
et_al
The R and RH measurement of the test specimen by the sweating guarded-hotplate shall
et_al
conform to testing conditions and procedures of ISO 21232:2018. See Annex A for an example
of test results.
7.4 Determination of linear electrical resistance
7.4.1 Determine the distance (d) between the voltage measurement electrodes (see
Figure 2).
7.4.2 Measurement of the linear electrical resistance shall conform to procedures of
EN 16812:2016. Apply a suitable current (I), and measure the resistance (R) continuously until
R reaches steady-state and R becomes stable.
et_al
7.4.3 The calculation of R of EN 16812:2016, 8.5.1 shall be followed.
L
7.4.4 Perform the same measurements for the other two specimens.
7.4.5 Calculate the arithmetic mean of R and the standard deviation for the sample, to three
L
significant digits. See Annex A for an example of test results.

– 10 – IEC 63203-201-3:2021  IEC 2021
8 Test report
The test report shall include the following information:
a) the number and date of this document;
b) identification of the test lab;
c) identification of the sample and material including the direction of the track with respect to
the fabric structure, if applicable;
d) nu
...