TAPPI T 489 om-15 covers a procedure used to measure the resistance to bending of paper and paperboard.

This test method is used to determine the bending moment required to deflect the free end of a 38 mm (1.5 in.) wide vertically clamped specimen 15° from its center line when the load is applied 50 mm (1.97 in.) away from the clamp. The resistance to bending is calculated from the bending moment.

TAPPI T 566 "Bending Resistance (Stiffness) of Paper (Taber-Type Tester in 0 to 10 Taber Stiffness Unit Configuration)"describes a modification of the instrument described in this test method for measurements in the 0 to 10 Taber stiffness range only, and which requires a smaller test specimen. The modified procedure may be recommended for papers which are low in grammage, highly flexible, or both.

Test results obtained using modifications of the basic Taber-type instrument such as that described in TAPPI T 566 "Bending Resistance (Stiffness) of Paper (Taber-Type Tester in 0 to 10 Taber Stiffness Unit Configuration)"have been reported to be as much as 40% different from those obtained using this test method, and such modifications must not be used when this test method is specified.

Other procedures for measuring bending resistance include TAPPI T 535 "Stiffness of Paperboard (Resonance Length Method)" and TAPPI T 543 "Bending Resistance (Stiffness) of Paper (Gurley-Type Stiffness Tester)." The latter method has been classified as Classical.