ISO 4649:2017 specifies two methods for the determination of the resistance of rubber to abrasion by means of a rotating cylindrical drum device.

The methods involve determination of the volume loss due to the abrasive action of rubbing a test piece over a specified grade of abrasive sheet. Method A is for a non-rotating test piece and method B is for a rotating test piece. For each method, the result can be reported as a relative volume loss or an abrasion resistance index.

These test methods are suitable for comparative testing, quality control, specification compliance testing, referee purposes and research and development work. No close relation between the results of this abrasion test and service performance can be inferred.

NOTE The abrasion loss is often more uniform using the rotating test piece because the whole surface of the test piece is in contact with the abrasive sheet over the duration of the test. However, there is considerable experience using the non-rotating test piece.