EN 343

Protective clothing – Protection  against rain

This document specifies requirements and test methods for the performance of materials and readymade garments for protection against the effects of precipitation (e.g. rain, snowflakes), fog and ground humidity.

Garments for protection against other effects than precipitation (e.g. water splashes, waves) are excluded from this standard.

The protective effects and requirements of footwear, gloves and separate headwear are excluded from the scope of this document.

The pictogram is represented as an umbrella beside which two values are listed. 

The first digit on top indicates the resistance to water penetration; according to EN 20811.

The principle is to apply an amount of water pressure on a swatch and  checked when the water penetrates through the fabric.

Class 1-4: Class 1 being the lowest and 4 the highest.

The second digit indicates the water vapour resistance (breathability)

Class 1-4: Class 1 being the lowest and 4 the highest .

For Class 1, it is advisable to wear the garment for a limited period as specified in the standard.
 

Main changes compared to the 2004 version and amendments:

In terms of design, the clothing must not contain elements that could injure the user, the pockets must not allow water to penetrate into the garment, the closure systems must not open unexpectedly; otherwise

reference is made to the EN ISO 13688 standard for innocuousness.

A new class has been added for water penetration (now from 1 to 4)
WP ≥ 20,000 Pa (class 4)

A new class has been added for evaporative resistance (now from 1 to 4) and changes to the classification values ​​for classes 2 and 3.
 

 (m².Pa/W)

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Standards can be ordered in English from BSI. (British Standard Institute).
This data is given for information only and does not engage the responsibility of Singer^® Frères.