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Welding Certification standard

EN ISO 11611

Clothing to protect against welding hazards

Protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes, covering the wearer against small metal splashes, brief contact with flame, radiant heat from the arc, and a minor risk of electric shock from momentary contact with live conductors. EN ISO 11611 replaced the older EN 470-1 standard.

Fabrics with this certificate
EN ISO 11611 pictogram
ScopeWelding & allied processes
ExcludesGeneral heat & flame · Electric arc
ReplacesEN 470-1
Code lettersClass 1 · Class 2

The contents of this standard

The pictogram is given above. EN ISO 11611 consists of a series of tests, the most important of which are described in ISO 6942, ISO 9150, ISO 15025 and EN 1149-2. If the fabric passes all the tests, it is designated as Class 1. If the fabric receives a Class 2 rating for the ISO 6942 and ISO 9150 tests, it is designated as Class 2.

Different tests, codes

Four test methods. Overall rating rises with performance.

Code letter · classes
Test setup & description
Test method
Radiant heat
Cl.1≥ 7 seconds
Cl.2≥ 16 seconds
infrared heat on the face, temperature read on the reverse radiant panel fabric calorimeter xmtextiles.com
A fabric sample is exposed to radiant heat (infrared rays) and the temperature on the reverse (unexposed) side is registered using a calorimeter. The length of time the sample can remain exposed before its temperature rises by 24 °C is measured. This is the same test method used for EN ISO 11612’s Class C rating, but EN ISO 11611 uses only two overall classes.
ISO 6942
Molten metal droplets
Cl.1≥ 15 droplets
Cl.2≥ 25 droplets
droplets counted until the reverse side rises by 40 °C crucible fabric calorimeter droplet count → 40 °C rise xmtextiles.com
Droplets of molten metal are spattered on a vertically suspended fabric sample. The number of droplets it takes to cause a 40 °C rise on the reverse side of the sample is counted — a droplet count rather than the poured-mass method used in EN ISO 11612.
ISO 9150
Flame spread
A1Procedure A, surface ignition
A2Procedure B, edge ignition
flame does not spread beyond the marked zone fabric A1: surface A2: edge xmtextiles.com
A flame is applied to a fabric sample for 10 seconds. To pass, the after-flame & smoulder times and formation of holes must be within the standard’s tolerances. This is the same test method used for EN ISO 11612’s Class A rating.
ISO 15025
Electrostatic resistance
PassRequired on all classes
electrical resistance measured through the fabric electrode electrode MΩ meter reads surface / vertical resistance xmtextiles.com
This test method measures the electrical resistance of a fabric sample and determines whether an electrical charge passes through the sample from the outside to the inside — a safeguard against static discharge near flammable atmospheres.
EN 1149-2
The requirements set in this standard

If the fabric passes all four tests, it is designated Class 1. If it also reaches the higher radiant-heat and molten-metal-droplet thresholds, it is designated Class 2 — suitable for the more hazardous welding methods such as MMA, MAG and MIG welding, plasma cutting and gouging. XM FireLine fabrics are tested and documented against both classes so the right garment can be certified for your process.

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