EN ISO 15797 – Industrial laundering of workwear
In short: EN ISO 15797 specifies how workwear is tested when it is processed in an industrial laundry – not in a domestic wash. The standard describes eight industrial washing procedures and two drying procedures. A garment is considered suitable for industrial laundering once an independent test institute has verified that it retains its dimensional stability, colour and protective function under these conditions. What matters is not only whether it was tested, but by which procedure.
Status of the standard and classification
| Current edition | DIN EN ISO 15797:2018-05 |
|---|---|
| Scope of testing | Eight industrial washing procedures, two drying procedures |
| Type of standard | Test standard – it specifies procedures, not a level of protection |
| PPE relevance | No PPE category of its own |
A high-visibility jacket only remains compliant in the laundry cycle if the fabric and reflective tape are designed for exactly this stress and have been tested over a defined number of cycles – the standard calls them processing cycles, each consisting of a wash and a dry.
Reading the PRO label
Kübler marks industrially launderable workwear with a composite pictogram in accordance with the care labelling standard DIN EN ISO 30023, which carries three pieces of information at once. If you can read it, you can tell in two seconds whether a garment fits your own laundry line.
The fields of the PRO label in detail
Professional industrial laundry
The suitability of the textile for professional textile care is shown by a rectangle with the inverted capital letters “PRO”. It only appears there if an independent test institute has tested the textile in accordance with EN ISO 15797.
Washing
Each number stands for one of the eight washing procedures described in EN ISO 15797. The procedure with which the textile was tested is shown inverted – a white number on a black background. At Kübler this is consistently the 8.
Drying
The two fields on the right describe which drying procedures the textile was tested with. Filled means approved, empty means not tested.
Tumble dryer
Tumble drying is indicated by a square containing a hexagon.
Tunnel / cabinet finisher
This drying procedure is shown as a square divided into three rectangles of equal size.
The two fields on the right are where you need to look closely. If only the upper field with the hexagon is filled, the garment is approved exclusively for the tumble dryer. If both fields are filled, it may also go through the tunnel or cabinet finisher. At Kübler the 8 is consistently shown inverted – across all collections, from KÜBLER ACTIVIQ and KÜBLER REFLECTIQ to KÜBLER PROTECTIQ.
Disinfecting wash
For emergency medical services, care and food processing, clean is not enough – the clothing has to be processed with disinfection. Important to note: EN ISO 15797 itself only tests the washing and drying stress, not the disinfecting effect. The KÜBLER RESCUE collection carries its own additional verification for this: 30 industrial washes in a disinfecting wash procedure, in compliance with the RKI guideline (Robert Koch Institute), efficacy range A + B. If your tender specifies “disinfecting processing”, this is the verification that counts – not general suitability for industrial laundering.
What matters in practice
What 30 washes actually do to the garment
“Industrially launderable” is a yes/no statement – it gets interesting when you measure how much performance is lost over the cycles. Waterproofness itself is not a test criterion of EN ISO 15797 – the limit value comes from the weather protection standard EN 343, and the measurement after 30 washes is an additional KÜBLER test. Taking a KÜBLER RESCUE weather protection jacket with membrane as an example:
| Parameter | New | After 30 industrial washes | EN 343 requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water column | 20,000 mm | 18,000 mm | 2,040 mm |
The membrane loses measurably – 10 % over 30 cycles. And afterwards it is still at eight times the EN 343 requirement. It is precisely this margin that makes the difference between a garment that passes the test and one that passes it over the entire term of the contract.
Not every fabric tolerates the same temperature
Industrially launderable does not mean the same thing everywhere. For technically demanding fabrics, Kübler deliberately deviates from the standard process and documents this on the article:
- Cut protection High Vis (fabric 8203): 60 °C, drying procedure A at reduced temperature. With seven layers of cut protection fabric and polyester CORDURA®, this is the limit at which the cut protection is reliably retained.
- KÜBLER PROTECTIQ HIGH VIS (fabric 8420): reduced washing temperature of 60 °C.
- Fabric 8430: 60 °C and reduced drying temperature.
If a supplier writes a blanket “industrially launderable” across the whole collection without differentiating by fabric, that is not a sign of quality, but a missing detail.
Design details made for textile service
- Loops for hanging in the tunnel finisher – built into the design of the KÜBLER ICONIQ PRO trousers (styles 2345, 2545, 2445, 3145).
- Leasing yoke – an additional fabric panel, usually on the inside at the neck, which holds the wearer's identification. After washing, every garment can be clearly assigned again. Without this panel, a rental laundry cycle with personalised workwear is practically unworkable.
- Repairability – minor damage can be repaired instead of withdrawing the garment from service. In rental laundry, this determines the number of cycles and therefore the unit cost per wear.
Two pitfalls from practice
- Red and black bleed. These fabrics release excess dye and stain light-coloured fabrics. Test the wet rub fastness before use – especially if light-coloured garments run in the same batch.
- Determine sizes on washed garments. Textiles change in the first wash. Talk to us before the initial issue – we will work out with you which sample garments you need for the sizing survey and how the wash test is set up with your textile service.
Do you need industrially launderable workwear?
| Your situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Employees wash at home themselves | Tested garments are worthwhile here too – as a durability reserve, because the domestic wash is considerably gentler than the industrial test procedures. Domestic washing itself is not covered by the standard. |
| Textile service / rental laundry via a service provider | Tested garments are mandatory. Check beforehand whether your laundry runs a tunnel finisher – if so, choose garments with tunnel approval. |
| Own commercial laundry | Tested garments plus your own wash tests with your chemicals – the standard test itself uses reference detergents, and your real process may differ. Compare the procedure on the care label with your programme. |
| Clothing with a protective function | Not optional. Without testing, it is unclear after the first cycle whether the protection standard is still met. |
Interaction with the protection standards
EN ISO 15797 never stands alone. It is the condition for these standards holding up in the laundry cycle:
- EN ISO 20471 – High visibility: Luminance and reflective values are the most sensitive parameters. They determine when a garment has to be withdrawn from service.
- EN ISO 11612 – Heat and flame: For cotton fabrics with a flame-retardant finish, the finish determines whether the protection survives the washes.
- EN 1149-5 – Electrostatics: The dissipative threads must remain mechanically intact.
- EN 13034 – Chemical protection type 6: Liquid-repellent finishes are sensitive to washing and drying.
Frequently asked questions
What does the number in the PRO label mean?
It identifies the washing procedure with which the textile was tested. The standard describes eight procedures; the number shown inverted is the one tested. Kübler consistently tests in accordance with procedure 8.
Is industrially launderable clothing also suitable for domestic washing?
As a rule, yes – industrial laundering is by far the harsher stress. Pay attention to the care symbols on the individual garment, because some fabrics specify reduced temperatures.
Why do some articles state 60 °C instead of the standard temperature?
Because the fabric or the finish requires it. With multi-layer cut protection or certain high-vis fabrics, the higher temperature would impair the protective effect or the dimensional stability. The deviation is stated on the article.
Does high-visibility clothing lose its certification through industrial laundering?
Not the certification, but possibly the protective effect. The standard for high-visibility clothing defines a minimum luminance; if it falls below this, the garment must be withdrawn from service. That is why every rental laundry contract should include a defined replacement cycle.
Do I have to carry out my own wash tests if the garments have been tested?
Yes. The standard test represents a standard process, not the chemicals, water hardness and programme times of your laundry. Without your own tests, behaviour in the real cycle cannot be predicted.
Collections for industrial laundering
96 styles from our collections are tested in accordance with EN ISO 15797. Which one suits you depends on what your people need to be protected against – and whether a protective function is required at all.
Advice on textile service and rental laundry
We find the workwear
your laundry can't wear out.
We go through with you which washing procedures your service provider runs, which articles suit them and how to set up the wash test before the initial issue – including the sample garments for the sizing survey.
Last updated: July 2026