ASTM D5035 Complete Guide: Fabric Strip Tensile Test Procedure, Specimens, Grips and Machines
Updated: 16 hours ago
ASTM D5035 is the strip tensile test for textile fabrics: a 25 or 50 mm wide strip is clamped across its full width and pulled to rupture, giving the breaking force of a defined width of fabric. That definition is what makes it useful for engineering, filtration, coated and technical fabrics, and it is also where most errors start. A woven strip that is cut instead of raveled reads low, jaw faces that are only as wide as the strip let the edges creep, a 50 mm result halved "to put it on a 25 mm basis" is wrong, and strong fabrics either slip or break at the jaw line. This complete guide covers the four specimen types (1R, 2R, 1C and 2C), how to ravel a strip, the jaw-face width rule, conditioning and wet testing, speed and load cell, which testing machine to use (a Mark-10 tester or a Galdabini universal testing machine), pneumatic, vise and wrap or capstan grips for strong fabrics, crosshead versus extensometer elongation, worked calculations, jaw-break rules, precision, D5035 vs. D5034 and ISO 13934-1, and a full FAQ, with videos from our lab.
For the standard reference page, see our ASTM D5035 strip test page. This article focuses on how to set up and run the test and which equipment to choose. If your specification calls for a grab test, read the companion ASTM D5034 grab tensile test complete guide.
ASTM D5035 at a glance
Full title: Standard Test Method for Breaking Force and Elongation of Textile Fabrics (Strip Method). Current edition D5035-11, reapproved 2024; the technical content has not changed since 2011.
Results: average breaking force for the strip width (N or lbf) and average apparent elongation (% of the 75 mm gauge).
Specimen types: 1R and 2R (raveled strip, for wovens) and 1C and 2C (cut strip, for nonwovens, felts and coated fabrics). The number is the width in inches.
Width: 25 mm (1 in) or 50 mm (2 in); cut strips ± 1 mm. Length: at least 150 mm (6 in), or 95 mm plus twice the jaw-face length.
Jaw faces: at least 10 mm (0.5 in) wider than the strip and at least 25 mm (1 in) long along the load.
Gauge length: 75 ± 1 mm (3 in). Speed: 300 ± 10 mm/min (12 in/min) on CRE, or a 20 ± 3 s time to break on CRT.
Specimens: 5 warp and 8 filling per laboratory sample, for each condition.
Pretension: no more than 0.5 % of full scale, only when elongation is measured. Force range: breaks between 10 % and 90 % of full scale.
Conditioning: ASTM D1776 standard atmosphere for testing textiles; wet testing optional.
What ASTM D5035 measures and who uses it
In a strip test every yarn that carries load is held in both jaws. Nothing outside the strip helps, so the result describes the strength of a known width of fabric. That makes D5035 the method of choice when a designer needs a number to put into a calculation (a filter bag, a tarpaulin, a reinforcing mesh, a conveyor or coated-fabric structure) rather than a measure of how fabric behaves at a seam. It is a tensile test, not a tear test; tear resistance has its own methods such as ASTM D2261.
The raveled strip is accepted for commercial acceptance testing of woven fabrics. The cut strip is for nonwovens, felts and dipped or coated fabrics. Typical users are woven and technical fabric mills, nonwoven and filter-media producers, coated-fabric converters and independent textile labs, and product specifications call it up; ASTM E2098 for EIFS reinforcing mesh, for example, refers to D5035. See our textile testing overview and textiles page for the methods that usually run beside it.
Not for knits or stretch fabrics with more than 11 % stretch; elastic fabrics have their own methods, such as ASTM D4964, and knits are usually burst-tested to ASTM D3787.
Not for glass fabrics, which are covered by ASTM D579 and D580.
Very strong fabrics above about 200 N per cm of width (about 114 lbf/in) may need a pin-wrap technique, covered below.
D5035 specimen types: 1R, 2R, 1C and 2C
D5035 uses a short code: the nominal width in inches (1 = 25 mm, 2 = 50 mm), R for raveled or C for cut, then a machine letter: E for constant rate of extension (CRE), L for constant rate of load or T for constant time to break. A 25 mm raveled strip on a CRE machine is 1R-E. Put the code in every report.
1R: cut 35 mm (1.5 in) wide, or 25 mm plus 20 yarns, whichever is wider; ravel to 25 mm.
2R: cut 65 mm (2.5 in) wide, or 50 mm plus 20 yarns, whichever is wider; ravel to 50 mm.
1C: cut to 25 ± 1 mm. 2C: cut to 50 ± 1 mm.
All types: at least 150 mm (6 in) long, with the long side parallel to the yarns being tested.
Raveled or cut: why it matters
Cutting a woven strip to width severs the yarns along both edges. Under load, those short yarn ends pull out of the weave and carry almost nothing, so a cut woven strip reads low and scatters. Raveling removes whole yarns from both edges until the exact width remains, so every load-bearing yarn runs continuously from jaw to jaw. Cut strips are for fabrics that cannot be raveled, and are not suitable for fabrics that can.
The 20-yarn rule
Raveled strips are not recommended when the width holds fewer than 20 yarns. If a 25 mm strip of an open or coarse fabric cannot hold 20 yarns, use the 50 mm (2R) strip and report the result as measured. Never halve a 2R result to put it on a 25 mm basis: edge effects do not scale with width. By agreement a strip may hold fewer than 20 yarns, or be raveled to a fixed yarn count; report the count if it is below 20.
How to ravel a strip
Cut the strip to its cut width, long axis parallel to the tested yarns, and count the yarns across it with a pick glass.
Pull yarns from both long edges with a pin or needle, taking roughly equal numbers from each side so the strip stays on its original centreline.
Stop at 25 or 50 mm and check the width with a rule at several points along the length.
Leave the short fringe of crossing yarns at each edge; it carries no load. Handle the strip by its ends and do not stretch it.
Length and where to take specimens
A note in the standard gives a minimum length of L = 95 + 2W mm, where W is the jaw-face length along the load: 145 mm for 25 mm faces (so the 150 mm minimum governs) and 195 mm for 50 mm faces. Space specimens along a diagonal of the laboratory sample so no two in one direction share tested yarns, and stay one-tenth of the fabric width from each selvage. Ribbons and narrow fabrics 50 mm wide or less are usually tested at full width.
Cutting dies for cut strips
For 1C and 2C strips the ± 1 mm width tolerance is easiest to hold with a die. A cutting die in an arbor press cuts nonwovens, felts and coated fabrics square and identical every time. Our ISO 13934-1 fabric strip die is made for the ISO strip; for D5035 1C or 2C strips, tell us the width and length you need. We make hardened and ribbon steel dies and will make free test cuts on your material.
Sampling, conditioning and wet testing
Take every roll or piece in lots of 1 to 3, four in lots of 4 to 24, five in lots of 25 to 50, and 10 % (maximum 10) above 50; cut a full-width laboratory sample 1 m (1 yd) long from each. From each laboratory sample, cut 5 warp and 8 filling specimens for each condition: conditioned, wet or both. Filling results vary more, so filling needs more specimens.
Precondition fabric that is wetter than equilibrium, then condition it in the ASTM D1776 standard atmosphere for testing textiles, nominally 21 °C (70 °F) and 65 % RH. The tolerances changed in recent editions of D1776, so take them from your current copy. Equilibrium is reached when mass changes by no more than 0.1 % between weighings at least 2 h apart; routine minimum times are 8 h for wool, other animal fibres and viscose, 6 h for cotton, 4 h for acetate and 2 h for fibres with under 5 % regain. Blends take the longest time of any component.
Wet strip testing
Soak specimens in room-temperature water until fully wet, routinely 1 h, with up to 0.05 % nonionic wetting agent. In a dispute, show that a longer soak no longer changes the strength.
Finish each test within 2 minutes of taking the specimen out of the water.
For paired results, cut double-length specimens and halve them: one half conditioned, one wet, so both come from the same yarns.
If the unsized wet strength is needed, desize first as described in ASTM D629, and report how.
Raveled strips are fragile when wet. Ravel before soaking, lift strips by the ends, and use grips that close quickly so the two-minute window is easy to meet.
ASTM D5035 test speed and machine requirements
The tester must conform to ASTM D76 and can be CRE, CRL or CRT. CRE is preferred, and almost every modern electromechanical tensile tester and universal testing machine is CRE. Results from different machine types are not comparable; when they must be compared, run at a constant time to break of 20 ± 3 s, the referee method unless the parties agree otherwise. Cut two or three extra specimens to set that speed.
Speed and gauge: 300 ± 10 mm/min over 75 ± 1 mm, a nominal 400 % per minute. A fabric that breaks at 20 % elongation reaches 15 mm in about 3 seconds; most CRE strip tests last 3 to 5 seconds against about 20 for CRT, and many fibres are rate-sensitive.
Load range: every break between 10 % and 90 % of full scale. Woven apparel and light industrial fabrics typically break at about 200 N to 1.5 kN as 25 mm strips; 2R strips of heavy industrial fabric may need a 5 to 10 kN range. Check that the load cell's accuracy class holds at the bottom of the range you use.
Data rate: our advice is at least 50 to 100 points per second, for a true peak and a clean start of the curve.
Gauge setting: set the clamping lines 75 mm apart with a gauge block and zero the extension there.
System check: run the standard-fabric check in Annex A1 at least weekly and after any change to the load system or clamps, and keep it on a control chart.
Which testing machine for ASTM D5035: Mark-10 or Galdabini?
Both machine families we supply run D5035. Because the speed and gauge match D5034, the same frame runs both methods with a change of faces. The choice depends on your highest break force, especially for 2R strips, and on how much reporting you need.
Mark-10 tensile testers: basic and QC strip testing
Mark-10 F-series frames are CRE, hold speed to ±0.2 % and sample load at 5,000 Hz. 300 mm/min (12 in/min) is inside every model's standard speed range, so no speed option is needed.
300 lb (F305) and 500 lb (F505): 18 in (457 mm) of travel and speeds to 330 mm/min. The F505 (about 2.2 kN) covers most 1R and 1C strips of apparel, nonwoven and filter fabrics.
750 lb (F755) and 1,500 lb (F1505): 32 in (813 mm) of travel and 10 to 600 mm/min. The F1505 (about 6.7 kN) handles 2R strips of canvas, coated fabric and heavier industrial wovens.
The 100 lb (F105), about 450 N, suits light nonwovens and tissues only.
To report apparent elongation, the frame must record crosshead travel with force. Our adapters fit our grips to Mark-10 frames. See Mark-10 test frame vs. universal testing machine and the tensile testers page.
Galdabini universal testing machines: technical and industrial fabrics
For technical-fabric developers, certification labs and anyone testing heavy industrial wovens, webbing or geotextiles alongside D5035, a Galdabini universal testing machine is the better fit:
5 kN: dual-column with 175 mm of column clearance for wide strip faces; covers most 1R, 2R and cut strips.
10 kN: for heavy 2R strips, coated fabrics and strong nonwovens with a comfortable margin.
25 kN and 50 kN: for high-tenacity industrial fabrics, webbing to ASTM D6775 and wide-width geotextile strips.
2.5 kN Quasar: single column, up to 1,000 mm/min and 1 m stroke, for light nonwovens, films and fine fabrics.
Method software stores 1R-E, 2R-E, 1C-E and CRT referee set-ups, enforces the 5 + 8 plan, flags breaks within 5 mm of a jaw and reports each direction and condition. See the universal testing machine buyer's guide.
Choose a Mark-10 for QC breaking force on 25 mm strips and known fabrics, at a lower budget.
Choose a Galdabini UTM for 2R strips of strong fabrics, several methods on one frame, CRT referee work, video extensometry, chamber testing or full reports.
Jaw faces for the strip test: the 10 mm rule
A strip test grips the full width, so each face must be wider than the strip. Faces must be smooth, flat and parallel, of metal or another agreed surface, with matching centres, and each face must be at least 10 mm (0.5 in) wider than the specimen and at least 25 mm (1 in) long along the load.
1R and 1C (25 mm strips): faces at least 35 mm wide (1.5 in).
2R and 2C (50 mm strips): faces at least 60 mm wide (2.5 in).
Use the same face size for every specimen in a set and report it.
The extra width matters. A 25 mm face on a 25 mm strip clamps the edge yarns only partly, so they creep and break early. Faces 50 mm wide for 1R work and 75 mm wide for 2R satisfy the rule with room for alignment. A face for D5035 is the opposite of a grab face: a grab test deliberately clamps only 25 mm of a 100 mm specimen, so the two methods need different inserts on the same grip body.
Face surface, the carbon-paper check and slippage marks
Smooth metal is the starting point. If specimens slip, or more than 25 % break at the jaws, you may pad the jaws, coat the fabric under the jaw area or change the face, and report the change. In our experience rubber-coated faces cure most slippage on slick synthetics and coated fabrics, while serrated faces for plastics and metals cut fabric unless padded. To check clamping, close the faces on white tissue, two carbon papers back to back and white paper; a blank corner means the faces are not parallel or the insert is worn. During testing, mark each strip at the inner jaw edges: if a mark has moved after the break, the strip slipped.
Grips for ASTM D5035: pneumatic, vise and wrap or capstan grips
Pneumatic grips
Pneumatic grips are the most common choice for fabric. Clamping force is set by air pressure and stays constant as the strip thins, so all 13 specimens per condition are gripped the same way, and the jaws close square across the full face width, which is exactly what a strip test needs. A foot pedal frees both hands to keep a limp raveled strip straight. Our compact 2.4 kN centric and 2.6 kN pneumatic grips suit most 1R, 1C and light 2R work; for stronger strips, tell us your highest break force and we will match the grip capacity and face width.
Vise grips
Manual vise grips with wide, flat faces suit lower-volume labs if they are tightened the same way every time. Quick-change inserts let you swap smooth or rubber-coated faces without removing the grip body, and the same body can run D2261 tongue tear with the right faces.
Strong fabrics: pin wrap, wrap and capstan grips
Above about 200 N/cm of width, flat jaws either slip or cut the fabric at the jaw line, and jaw breaks pile up. The standard's alternative is two stainless-steel pins 10 mm (3/8 in) in diameter and 125 mm (5 in) long, with the strip wrapped around them between the jaws, so friction takes up much of the load before it reaches the clamp; pad the pins if needed. Clamps that are too tight cause front-jaw breaks, and clamps that are too loose let the fabric slip.
Purpose-built wrap grips and capstan-style bollard grips use the same principle and are the usual choice for high-strength fabric strips, webbing, tapes and cords. They spread the grip load around a curved surface, so the specimen breaks in the free length rather than at a jaw line. Three things change when you use them: the result is a reported modification of D5035; the clamp separation no longer defines a 75 mm gauge, because fabric keeps stretching around the capstan; and crosshead elongation therefore overstates the true value. If elongation is needed on a wrapped strip, measure it optically on gauge marks. Contact us with your fabric and expected break force.
Coated fabrics
Coated fabrics tested as 1C or 2C strips are often slick, and the coating can crack at a serrated jaw line. Rubber-faced inserts and controlled air pressure solve most problems. If your specification is ASTM D751, follow its own grab and cut-strip procedures; the jaw package below is set up for it.
Our grips fit Instron, MTS, ZwickRoell, Shimadzu, Tinius Olsen and Mark-10 frames with grip adapters. See jaw breaks and specimen slippage and how to choose the right grips for tensile testing.
Elongation in D5035: crosshead vs. extensometer
D5035 reports apparent elongation: the increase in length from the start of the force-extension curve to the breaking force, divided by the 75 mm gauge and multiplied by 100. The extension is clamp separation, which on a modern machine is crosshead travel. No extensometer is required. It is "apparent" because the fabric pulls slightly out of the jaws and the yarns under the jaw edges stretch, so the true deforming length is a little longer than 75 mm.
Pretension: when elongation is measured, hang the 170 g (6 oz) auxiliary clamp, which has 100 mm (4 in) wide anvils, on the strip below the lower jaw, close the jaw, then remove the clamp. Pretension must not exceed 0.5 % of full scale. A slack strip adds a false toe and inflates elongation.
Zero: set the extension zero with the strip clamped and pretensioned.
Slippage: jaw-edge marks reveal it. A slipped strip may still give a fair peak, but its elongation is too high.
Compliance: rubber faces and pneumatic jaws add a little extension; use compliance correction where elongation is a specification limit.
Where a video extensometer adds value
Unlike a grab specimen, a strip carries load uniformly across its width, so strain measured between two gauge marks in the free length is the real strain of the fabric. That makes a non-contact video extensometer genuinely useful for strip testing, even though D5035 does not require one. Clip-on knife edges are not used on fabric: they slip on yarns and can start a break.
Wrapped and capstan-gripped strips: the only meaningful elongation measurement when the clamp no longer defines the gauge.
Modulus and design data: technical fabrics, filter media, reinforcing meshes and nonwovens are often specified by force at a set strain or by stiffness, which needs true strain.
Slippage checks: comparing video strain with crosshead travel shows whether the jaws hold.
Chamber testing: the camera sees through the chamber window.
Report video strain as a labelled supplementary result and still report apparent elongation per D5035. The UGC-VE-2109 gives 220 mm of field of view at ISO 9513 Class 0.5 (440 mm at Class 1), and the UGC-VE-2116 330 and 660 mm for very extensible nonwovens. Marking matters on fabric: see the complete guide to sample marking for video extensometers.
ASTM D5035 test procedure, step by step
Step 1: Fit faces at least 10 mm wider than the strip and at least 25 mm long; set the clamp separation to 75 ± 1 mm with a gauge block.
Step 2: Choose a range that puts every break between 10 % and 90 % of full scale, and set 300 ± 10 mm/min (or the CRT speed).
Step 3: Prepare 5 warp and 8 filling strips (raveled or cut) and condition or soak them.
Step 4: Centre the strip in the upper jaw, long axis parallel to the load, and close the jaw.
Step 5: For elongation, hang the 170 g auxiliary clamp below the lower jaw, close the lower jaw with even tension across the full width, then remove the clamp.
Step 6: Mark the strip at the inner edge of each jaw, zero the extension and run to rupture.
Step 7: Record the maximum force, the extension at maximum force, the break location and any slippage.
Step 8: Apply the jaw-break rules, replace discarded specimens from the same laboratory sample, and keep directions and conditions separate.
ASTM D5035 calculations and worked examples
Breaking force: the average maximum force of all acceptable specimens, per laboratory sample, direction and condition, in N or lbf, for the strip width tested. It is a force, not a stress.
Apparent elongation (%) = (increase in length at breaking force ÷ 75 mm) × 100, averaged. 1 lbf = 4.448 N.
Worked example 1: 1R-E, warp and filling
Warp maximum forces: 412, 398, 425, 405 and 420 N. Sum 2,060 N; average 412 N (92.6 lbf) for a 25 mm strip.
Warp extension at break averages 16.5 mm: 16.5 ÷ 75 × 100 = 22.0 %, reached in about 3.3 s at 5 mm/s.
Filling maximum forces: 338, 352, 325, 347, 360, 331, 344 and 339 N. Sum 2,736 N; average 2,736 ÷ 8 = 342 N (76.9 lbf).
Derived force per width, for comparison only: 412 N ÷ 2.5 cm = about 165 N/cm, below the 200 N/cm level where pins are suggested.
Worked example 2: 2R-E on a heavy canvas
Warp maximum forces: 1,180, 1,215, 1,150, 1,240 and 1,195 N. Sum 5,980 N; average 1,196 N (268.9 lbf) for a 50 mm strip.
Extension at break averages 24.0 mm: 24.0 ÷ 75 × 100 = 32.0 %.
Force per width is 1,196 ÷ 5.0 cm = about 239 N/cm, above 200 N/cm, so watch for jaw breaks and consider pins or wrap grips.
Report 1,196 N for 2R-E. Do not report 598 N "per 25 mm": a 2R result is never halved.
Keep or discard?
Suppose a sixth 1R warp strip broke 3 mm from the lower jaw at 190 N. Half the average of the others is 412 ÷ 2 = 206 N. The break is within 5 mm of the jaw and below 206 N, so discard it and test a replacement. A strip that broke 4 mm from the jaw at 380 N is kept: it is near the jaw but well above 50 % of the average.
Typical strip values
In ASTM's 1991 study, three reference fabrics averaged about 52 lbf (filter fabric), 89 lbf (plain weave) and 182 lbf (sateen) in the strip test.
Light nonwovens and tissues: often well under 100 N as 25 mm strips.
Woven apparel and light industrial fabrics: about 200 N to 1.5 kN as 25 mm strips.
These are indicative only; the specification minimum decides pass or fail.
Jaw breaks and slippage: the rules
Discard and retest strips that slip, break at or in the jaws, or fall well below the set average for a test-related reason.
A break within 5 mm (0.25 in) of a jaw is discarded if it is below 50 % of the average of the other breaks; otherwise it is kept.
Keep every other break unless the specimen is known to be faulty.
If strips slip, or more than 25 % break within 5 mm of a jaw edge, pad the jaws, coat the fabric under the jaw area or change the faces, and report it.
Precision: how big a difference is real?
The precision statement is based on a 1991 study of a cotton filter fabric, a plain weave and a sateen in three labs, two operators each. Single-operator coefficients of variation were roughly 2.5 to 6 %. For averages of five specimens at the 95 % level, critical differences were roughly 3 to 8 % for one operator and up to about 14 % between laboratories. A 5 % difference between two lots tested by one operator may be real; a 10 % gap against a customer's lab may not be. Only three labs took part, so check the exact table in your current edition. Within a lab, raveling quality, face width, air pressure and conditioning cause most scatter.
Testing fabric strips at high and low temperature
D5035 is a room-temperature method in the D1776 atmosphere. Technical-fabric specifications for automotive, hot-gas filtration, conveyor and protective applications sometimes ask for strip strength at temperature, which is a reported modification.
Use an environmental chamber; ours run from −80 to +280 °C. Use grips and faces rated for the temperature and soak strips to equilibrium.
A temperature chamber does not hold 65 % RH, so compare only results tested the same way.
Measure elongation with a video extensometer through the window if grips are inside the chamber. See the temperature chamber buyer's guide.
What to report
Standard and edition, and the specimen and machine code (for example 1R-E or 2C-T).
Strip width, yarn count if below 20, and specimens per direction and condition.
Conditioning, and for wet tests the soak time, wetting agent and any desizing.
Jaw-face size and material, and any padding, coating, pins or wrap grips.
Force range, pretension and speed (or CRT time to break).
Average breaking force and apparent elongation, separately for warp and filling and for conditioned and wet; discarded specimens and why.
Common ASTM D5035 problems and how to fix them
Cut woven strips: wovens must be raveled; cut strips read low.
Uneven raveling: pulling all the yarns from one side, or leaving damaged edge yarns, lowers results.
Faces too narrow: at least 10 mm wider than the strip.
Halving a 2R result: report it as measured.
Too few filling specimens: 5 warp and 8 filling.
Mixing directions or conditions in one average.
Slow wet tests: finish within 2 minutes of removal from the water.
Inflated elongation: slack mounting, slippage or wrap grips with crosshead elongation.
Old conditioning tolerances copied from out-of-date web pages instead of the current D1776.
ASTM D5035 vs. D5034, ISO 13934-1 and sibling methods
ASTM D5034 is the companion grab test. It shares the 75 mm gauge, 300 mm/min, 5 + 8 plan, conditioning and jaw-break rules, but grips only the centre 25 mm of a 100 mm cut specimen, so unclamped yarns help carry load. Grab results are higher: in the 1991 study behind both precision statements, grab averages were about 1.2 to 1.3 times the strip averages on the same fabrics. That ratio depends on the weave, so there is no conversion factor; use the method your specification names. See our ASTM D5034 complete guide.
ISO 13934-1 is the international strip method, but it is not equivalent. It typically uses a 50 mm strip, a 200 mm gauge length and 100 mm/min, with ISO 139 conditioning and a pretension set by fabric mass. The longer gauge and slower speed give different results; check the current ISO edition. Nonwovens tested to ISO usually follow ISO 9073-3.
ASTM D751: coated fabrics, with their own grab and cut-strip methods.
ASTM D4595: wide-width (200 mm) strip test for geotextiles; ASTM D4632 is the geotextile grab test.
ASTM D6775: webbing, tape and braided material.
ASTM D76 (textile testing machines), D1776 (conditioning) and D629 (desizing).
Related textile tests
ASTM D5034 grab test; ASTM D2261 tongue tear and ASTM D5587 trapezoid tear.
ASTM D3787 and ASTM D6797 ball burst; ASTM D2256, ASTM D885 and ASTM D3822 yarn, cord and fibre tensile.
All methods on our tensile testing and tear testing pages.
Complete ASTM D5035 equipment packages
Basic QC strip-test station
Mark-10 F505, or F1505 for 2R strips of heavy fabric
Pneumatic grips with foot pedal, or vise grips, with faces at least 35 mm wide (60 mm for 2R), smooth and rubber-coated
A raveling needle and pick glass, or a cutting die and arbor press for cut strips
A 75 mm gauge block and a 170 g pretension clamp
Advanced technical-fabric laboratory
Galdabini 10 kN UTM, or 25 kN for webbing and high-tenacity fabrics, with method software
Pneumatic grips with interchangeable strip and grab faces, so one frame runs D5035, D5034 and D2261
Wrap grips or bollard grips for strong strips and webbing
UGC-VE-2109 video extensometer for true strain and modulus, and an environmental chamber
ASTM D5035 FAQ
What is ASTM D5035?
The ASTM strip tensile test for textile fabrics. A 25 or 50 mm strip is gripped across its full width, 75 mm between jaws, and pulled at 300 mm/min to rupture. It reports breaking force for that width and apparent elongation. The current edition is D5035-11 (reapproved 2024).
What do 1R, 2R, 1C and 2C mean?
The number is the strip width in inches (1 = 25 mm, 2 = 50 mm); R is a raveled strip for wovens and C a cut strip for nonwovens, felts and coated fabrics. A machine letter follows, such as 1R-E for CRE.
What is the difference between a raveled and a cut strip?
A raveled strip is cut wider, then yarns are pulled from both edges until exactly 25 or 50 mm remains, so no cut yarn ends carry load. A cut strip is cut straight to 25 or 50 ± 1 mm and is used only for fabrics that cannot be raveled.
How wide are raveled strips cut before raveling?
1R strips are cut 35 mm wide, or 25 mm plus 20 yarns; 2R strips 65 mm wide, or 50 mm plus 20 yarns, whichever is wider.
What test speed and gauge length does D5035 use?
75 ± 1 mm between the clamps and 300 ± 10 mm/min (12 in/min) on a CRE machine, or a CRT set-up giving a 20 ± 3 s break, which is the referee method.
How many specimens does ASTM D5035 require?
Five warp and eight filling per laboratory sample and condition. Five or three per direction does not meet the method.
What jaw faces does the strip test need?
Smooth, flat, parallel faces at least 10 mm wider than the strip and at least 25 mm long: at least 35 mm wide for 25 mm strips and 60 mm wide for 50 mm strips.
How is apparent elongation calculated in D5035?
Extension at the breaking force divided by the 75 mm gauge, times 100. For example, 16.5 mm gives 22.0 %. It is "apparent" because the fabric pulls slightly out of the jaws.
Do I need an extensometer for ASTM D5035?
No. Elongation is measured from clamp separation (crosshead travel). A video extensometer adds true strain and modulus for technical fabrics and is the only valid elongation measurement on wrapped or capstan-gripped strips.
Can I halve a 50 mm strip result to compare with 25 mm strips?
No. The standard says to report the 2R result as measured. Edge effects and yarn counts do not scale with width.
What grips are used for strong fabrics?
Above about 200 N/cm, use the standard's pin-wrap technique or wrap or capstan grips, report the modification, and measure elongation optically because the clamp no longer defines the gauge.
Strip test or grab test: which should I use?
The one your specification names. The strip test gives the force for a defined width; the grab test gives an effective strength with yarn assistance and reads about 1.2 to 1.3 times higher, with no conversion factor.
Is ASTM D5035 the same as ISO 13934-1?
No. ISO 13934-1 typically uses a 50 mm strip, a 200 mm gauge and 100 mm/min, so results are not interchangeable.
Related reading
Get a complete ASTM D5035 system
Universal Grip supplies everything for ASTM D5035: pneumatic and vise grips with wide strip faces, wrap and bollard grips for strong fabrics and webbing, cutting dies and arbor presses for cut strips, video extensometers, environmental chambers, adapters for your frame, and machines from a Mark-10 tensile tester to a Galdabini universal testing machine. Tell us your fabrics, strip widths, break forces and standards, and we will configure and quote a strip-test system. Contact us
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