Nonwovens Standard Procedures

What are Nonwovens Standard Procedures?

In 2005, EDANA and INDA, the leading global nonwovens associations, started to jointly publish the nonwovens standard procedures for the nonwovens and related industries.

Every 3 years a new updated version was released. In 2018 it was decided to change this periodic review into a continuous review. This allows amendments to be published directly instead of waiting till the next release. This of course is only possible through on-line publishing. As a consequence, we don’t publish a complete compilation of all methods in a single file anymore.

This resource, developed in partnership by INDA and EDANA, helps define, in a technical sense, the nonwovens industry, with specifiers for the properties, composition and specifications of its products. The NWSP offers harmonised language for the industry across the USA and Europe, and recognised by many other individual markets, while the procedures offer a way for the nonwovens industry to communicate both across the globe, and within the supply chain to ensure that product properties can be consistently described, produced and tested.

The Nonwovens Standard Procedures offer methods to test the structure and performance of nonwovens and related materials, many of which have been developed by the industry, and adopted by ISO or CEN.

How are the Nonwovens Standard Procedures classified?

The following format has been adopted:

NWSP 000.0.R0 (15) where the first three digits followed by one or two digits after the dot identify the method; the number after the R refers to the number of revisions (changes that affect the test procedure) that have occurred since the 2005 launch; the number in parenthesis refers to the year of the last review. If needed, the history of any given test method before 2005 is available from either EDANA or INDA.

In the table of content, you will find Normative References (ISO standards) next to the NWSP procedures. By highlighting the existence of an internationally recognised ISO standard, member companies can decide which procedure to apply (ISO or NWSP). Keep in mind, ISO and NWSP methods do not undergo revisions at the same time and differ in their lay-out.

How to get a copy of the Nonwovens Standard Procedures

The Nonwovens Standard Procedures are available - free of charge - to EDANA members on the EDANA member portal. In the Document module, type “actualNWSPs” in the search bar and all methods will appear. The alternative way is to download the Table of Content (with hyperlinks to directly pre-view the individual methods) by hitting the top right button on the current webpage.

For both methods, members need to have a profile on the EDANA member portal.

Non-members are invited to use the NWSP order form or to contact Marie-Josepha Peeters to purchase the complete compilation or one pr more individual methods.

Non-members purchasing the full compilation of NWSPs, at the price of €895, can afterwards also benefit from a yearly online access to the latest NWSPs updates at a cost of 349€ per year.