ISO 20251:2016

Textile floor coverings - Water impermeability test

ISO 20251:2016 specifies a laboratory test method for determining the water impermeability of textile floor coverings. This method cannot be used to characterize a wall-to-wall installation of textile floor covering tiles.

Revêtements de sol textiles — Essai d'imperméabilité à l'eau

L'ISO 20251:2016(F) spécifie une méthode d'essai en laboratoire permettant de déterminer si les revêtements de sol textiles sont imperméables à l'eau. Cette méthode ne doit pas être utilisée pour caractériser les revêtements de sol textiles sous forme de dalles de moquette.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-Dec-2016
• ICS: 59.080.60 - Textile floor coverings
• ICS: 97.150 - Floor coverings
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 219 - Floor coverings
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 219/WG 1 - Textile floor coverings
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 06-Dec-2024
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Relations

• Consolidated By: ISO 11665-6:2020 - Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 6: Spot measurement methods of the activity concentration
• Effective Date: 06-Jun-2022
• Revised: ISO 20251:2024 - Textile floor coverings - Water impermeability test
• Effective Date: 11-Mar-2023

Overview

ISO 20251:2016 specifies a laboratory water impermeability test for textile floor coverings (wall‑to‑wall installations). The standard defines a repeatable method to determine whether water penetrates through the product backing under controlled conditions. This test is not applicable to installed textile floor covering tiles; it is intended for laboratory evaluation of specimen samples.

Key topics and requirements

• Test principle: A coloured liquid is applied in a concentrated area on the specimen; after 24 hours the underside is inspected for liquid penetration.
• Test liquid: Methylene blue solution, 1 g/L (CAS 61‑73‑4).
• Apparatus: Open‑ended, non‑permeable cylinder, 110 mm diameter × 110 mm high (e.g., PVC).
• Specimens: Select 3 specimens per sample, minimum size 350 × 350 mm (selection per ISO 1957).
• Volume applied: 100 mL of the coloured liquid poured into the cylinder placed on the specimen surface.
• Conditioning and environment: Standard atmosphere for textiles - (65 ± 4)% relative humidity and (20 ± 2) °C (ISO 139).
• Timing: Specimens remain for 24 hours in the standard atmosphere before evaluation.
• Assessment: Inspect white tissue placed beneath each specimen for evidence of water penetration through the backing.
• Result expression: Record penetration/did not penetrate for each specimen. Declare the product water-impermeable only if none of the specimens show penetration.
• Test report: Must state conformity to ISO 20251 and include date, product identification, sample history, permeability result, and any deviations from the standard.

Applications and who uses it

ISO 20251 is useful for:

• Manufacturers of carpets and textile floor coverings for quality control and product development.
• Independent testing laboratories performing standardized permeability assessments.
• Specifiers, procurement teams and architects who need documented evidence of a product’s resistance to liquid penetration.
• Flooring certification bodies and compliance officers requiring objective test data for labeling or contract requirements.

Use cases include product acceptance testing, comparative product evaluation, and documentation of backing performance for wet‑area risk assessment.

Related standards

• ISO 139 - Standard atmospheres for conditioning and testing textiles (conditioning requirements).
• ISO 2424 - Textile floor coverings - Vocabulary (terms and definitions).
• ISO 1957 - Machine made textile floor coverings - Selection and cutting of specimens for physical tests (sampling).

Keywords: ISO 20251, water impermeability test, textile floor coverings, carpet water impermeability, methylene blue solution, standard atmosphere, laboratory test, backing penetration test.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 20251
First edition
2016-12-15
Textile floor coverings — Water
impermeability test
Revêtements de sol textiles — Essai d’imperméabilité à l’eau
Reference number
©
ISO 2016
© ISO 2016, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Principle . 1
5 Materials . 1
6 Sampling and selection of specimen . 1
7 Conditioning and testing . 2
8 Procedure. 2
9 Assessment of the results . 2
10 Expression of the results . 2
11 Test report . 2
Bibliography . 3
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This d
...

DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 20251
ISO/TC 219 Secretariat: NBN
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2016-01-04 2016-04-04
Textile floor coverings — Water impermeability test
Revêtements de sol textiles — Essai d’imperméabilité à l’eau
ICS: 59.080.60
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 20251:2015(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
©
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2015

ISO/DIS 20251:2015(E)
© ISO 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

ISO 20251:2015(E)
Contents
This template allows you to work with default MS Word functions and styles. You can use these if you
want to maintain the Table of Contents automatically and apply auto-numbering if this is your
preference. Delete this Table of Contents if not required.
Foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 4
4 Principle . 4
5 Materials . 4
6 Sampling and selection of specimen . 4
7 Conditioning and testing . 4
8 Procedure. 5
9 Assessment of the results . 5
10 Expression of the results. 5
11 Test report . 5
2 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

ISO 20251:2015(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national
standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally
carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a
technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee.
International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in
the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (
...

NORME ISO
INTERNATIONALE 20251
Première édition
2016-12-15
Revêtements de sol textiles — Essai
d’imperméabilité à l’eau
Textile floor coverings — Water impermeability test
Numéro de référence
©
ISO 2016
DOCUMENT PROTÉGÉ PAR COPYRIGHT
© ISO 2016, Publié en Suisse
Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite ni utilisée
sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie, l’affichage sur
l’internet ou sur un Intranet, sans autorisation écrite préalable. Les demandes d’autorisation peuvent être adressées à l’ISO à
l’adresse ci-après ou au comité membre de l’ISO dans le pays du demandeur.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2016 – Tous droits réservés

Sommaire Page
Avant-propos .iv
1 Domaine d’application . 1
2 Références normatives . 1
3 Termes et définitions . 1
4 Principe . 1
5 Matériaux . 1
6 Échantillonnage et sélection des éprouvettes. 2
7 Conditionnement et essai . 2
8 Mode opératoire. 2
9 Évaluation des résultats . 2
10 Expression des résultats. 2
11 Rapport d’essai . 2
Bibliographie . 3
Avant-propos
L’ISO (Organisation internationale de normalisation) est une fédération mondiale d’organismes
nationaux de normalisation (comités membres de l’ISO). L’élaboration des Normes internationales est
en général confiée aux comités techniques de l’ISO. Chaque comité membre intéressé par une étude
a le droit de faire partie du comité technique créé à cet effet. Les organisations internationales,
gouvernementales et non gouvernementales, en liaison avec l’ISO participent également aux travaux.
L’ISO collabore étroitement avec la Commission électrotechnique internationale (IEC) en ce qui
concerne la normalisation électrotechnique.
Les procédures utilisées pour élaborer le présent document et celles destinées à sa mise à jour sont
décrites dans les Directives ISO/IEC, Partie 1. Il convient, en particulier de prendre note des différents
critères d’approbation requis pour les différents types de documents ISO. Le présent document a été
rédigé conformément aux règles de rédaction données dans les Directives ISO/IEC, Partie 2 (voir www.
iso.org/directives).
L’attention est appelée sur le fait que certains des éléments du présent document peuvent faire l’objet de
droits de propriété intellectuelle ou de droits analogues. L’ISO ne saurait être tenue pour responsable
de ne pas avoir identifié de tels droits de propriété et averti de leur existence. Les détails concernant
les références aux dr
...