din en 343

EN 343

Wind and weather protection

Description

DIN EN 343 is the standard for protective clothing for protection against weather conditions such as precipitation, rain, snow, fog, humidity or wind.

Protective effect

Workwear that meets the requirements of the DIN EN 343 standard protects wearers from precipitation, rain, snow, fog, moisture or wind.

Areas of application

Road construction, civil engineering
Energy suppliers
Public utilities
Electrical trades, installation of solar/wind systems, combined and grid fitters
Work in public traffic areas
Waste management
Transport companies
Supply and disposal companies, recycling companies
Logistics and production parks
Building yards

What are the relevant classes in EN 343?

Water permeation resistance or waterproofness
Water vapour transmission resistance or breathability

These two values are indicated on each garment with the help of a pictogram. The upper number on the pictogram (here "y") indicates the water transmission resistance (against water penetration from the outside):

4 = high protection
1 = low protection

The lower number (here "y") indicates the water vapour transmission resistance and thus how well the water vapour is discharged to the outside through the outer material (breathability):

4 = very good dissipation
1 = low water vapour transmission

Water permeability (waterproofness):

The water permeation resistance is determined by putting the test material under water pressure. The water permeability is given in the unit Pascal (Pa).

The level of the value determines the protection class within the standard. In this context, the term "water column" is often used.

The waterproofness of functional textiles is often stated in "mm water column". It measures the water pressure that a water column of a certain height exerts on materials without water penetrating it. The EN 343 standard requires a waterproofness of at least 1300 mm in class 3 and at least 2000 mm in the highest class 4.

class 1

class 2

class 3

class 4

Water penetration resistance

≥ 8000 Pa

≥ 13.000 Pa

≥ 20.000 Pa

1 Pa corresponds approximately to 0.1 mm water column. Some manufacturers of rain protective clothing significantly exceed this value and therefore often specify the water column (in addition to the class). It is not unusual, for example, for a 10,000 mm or 20,000 mm water column to be advertised. These values clearly exceed the minimum requirement of EN 343 and are an indication of maximum waterproofness.

Water vapour transmission resistance (breathability/ret value):

First a short explanation of the "Ret-value "(Resistance to Evaporating Heat Transfer). The Ret value defines the resistance that a fabric offers to water vapour. It is therefore used as a unit of measurement for breathability. In practice, this means: the lower the Ret value, the more breathable the material.

The following applies to water vapour transmission resistance: