New EN Fill Power Standard
In 2018, the EN Fill Power standard EN 12130:1998 was updated. EN 12130:2018 now includes three conditioning options:
- Method A – Steam Conditioning (similar to IDFB 10-B)
- Method B – Tumble Dry – (similar to PASS 1003:1999)
- Method C – Box Conditioning (as per 12130:1998)
This allows products in Europe to be tested and labeled with any of the three options listed above. The major change is that 30g of material is used to measure Fill Power. The old EN method required 20g of material.
Has the tumble dry method changed?
The tumble dry fill power test method incorporates the same method as found in PAS 1003:1999. Fill Power can still be tested, reported and labeled using the tumble dry method.
What is the EN steam test method?
Down and feathers are steamed prior to being conditioned in a climate room. Steaming simulates consumer use of a product and reflects original fill power and fill power after consumer laundering.
This change follows a global trend that requires steam conditioning of fill power material prior to testing. China, Japan, Korea, USA and Canada all use steam fill power test methods.
What is the difference between the EN and the IDFB steam test methods?
The EN and IDFB methods are similar. The minor differences are mentioned in detailed text of the test methods.
What is the difference in the box conditioning method between 1998 and the 2018 versions?
The box conditioning method has some slight changes. Please review the actual test method text for these changes.
Can the EN tumble dry test results be converted to the EN steam test results?
No, it is impossible to convert a tumble dry test value into a steam test value. Conversion charts are inaccurate and misleading.
Identical material can have different tumble dry fill power results depending on how the material has been compressed, shipped and stored before testing. Steamed material minimizes these differences by providing a more consistent result regardless of how the material was handled before arriving at the test lab.
Can other non-down fillings be tested for fill power?
The fill power systems of IDFB, EN, China, Japan and other markets are designed only for down and feather material.
IDFL has developed a series of tests that are similar to fill power testing. These tests methods are called FIBER POWER.
Please contact IDFL for information about Fiber Power testing of polyester filling and other synthetic and natural filling material.
NEW IDFL Information System
We are pleased to announce the implementation of a new and upgraded internal software system which allows IDFL to be more adaptive and flexible in our internal processes and in delivering information to our clients.
As part of our system upgrade, changes have been made to our client deliverable documents, such as confirmations, reports, and invoices.
If you have any questions or concerns about the changes, please let us know and we will be happy to help.
