ISO 15797:2017 specifies test procedures and equipment which can be used in the evaluation of workwear (including, where appropriate, for some PPE garments) intended to be industrially laundered. They serve as a basis for testing relevant properties such as dimensional stability, colour characteristics, creasing, seam puckering, pilling and visual aspects in general.

ISO 15797:2017 does not provide instructions and specifications for the procedures and equipment to be used by industrial launderers.

As it is often not practical to reproduce industrial laundry processes (washing and drying/finishing) in a laboratory setting, this document provides an approach using defined intermediate scale equipment and exacting test procedures which can be used for the evaluation of workwear intended to be laundered industrially.

As ISO 15797:2017 reflects a simulation of real-life industrial laundry conditions, in some cases, testing of the workwear in the actual industrial laundering equipment and processes intended to be used is advisable when finally determining product and process compatibility.

It is not necessary to test using all eight washing procedures nor both drying procedures. A selection is made of the washing and drying procedure(s) that are best suited to the characteristics of the fabric or fabric composition and the intended use.