Protective clothing against bad weather is intended to protect the wearer against light rain, loose snow, heavy rain and wet snow. Such protective clothing complies with standard 343 for the protection of the wearer of the garment against rain, wind and temperatures below minus 5°C. The protection professionals explain what is important when it comes to weatherproof clothing and which standards should be observed when choosing the right clothing.
Weatherproof clothing according to the EN 343 standard
When it comes to weatherproof clothing, it's easy to hear terms like waterproofing, water repellency, thermal insulation, breathability, and windproofness. What is it all about? It is worth taking a closer look at the EN 343 standard. It's good to know that the standard has been changed and has been valid as EN 343:2019 since then. The main change since the change is the division into 4 classes (instead of 3 previously). In practice, you will also come across garments with a division into only 3 classes.
The marking of the protective clothing is done by a pictogram showing an umbrella in a shield. In the shield itself, 2 numerical values can be seen in a different way (X and Y), where the X value indicates waterproofness and the Y value indicates breathability (water vapour resistance).
Protective clothing according to EN 343 may be certified by the manufacturer himself (car certification) without the need for additional certification by a testing institute ("notified body"). The reason for this is the fact that getting wet does not pose a life-threatening risk to the wearer of the protective clothing.
Weatherproof clothing is waterproof and breathable
What does the X value mean?
The X-value refers to the resistance to water passage and is divided into 4 classes, from 1 to 4. Class 4 refers to the highest Watertightness, i.e. the highest resistance to hydrostatic pressure measured on the material.
What does the Y-value mean?
The Y-value denotes the Water vapour resistance and is a measure of the resistance that a textile fabric offers to water vapor and is therefore a measure of the breathability of the garment. Class 4 refers to the lowest water vapour resistance, which indicates the highest breathability (and thus higher comfort). The table below shows the classification into the 4 classes of the two parameters:
| Classification X-value |
Class 1 | Class 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 |
| Water contact resistance WP [Pa] according to EN 20811 | ≥ 8 000 without pre-treatment |
≥ 8 000 after the Pretreatment |
≥ 13 000 after the Pretreatment |
≥ 20 000 after the Pretreatment |
| Y-value
Water vapour resistance Ret [m²Pa/W] to EN 31092 |
> 40 | 20 < Ret ≤ 40 | Class 1 Class 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 ≤ 20 ≥ 8 000 without pre-treatment ≥ 8 000 after the Pre-treatment¹) ≥ 13 000 after the Pre-treatment¹) ≥ 20 000 after the Pre-treatment¹) > 40 20 < Ret ≤ 40 ≤ 20 ≤ 15 |
≤ 15 |
The pre-treatment indicated in the table concerns washing and drying 5 times (5 care cycles)
Special features and notes on the EN 343 standard
- Clothing with detachable sleeves does not comply with standard 343, as the openings do not resist any water penetration!
- In all 4 classes, wearing comfort can be improved by wearing special functional underwear.
- High-visibility clothing according to EN 20471 must also meet the requirements of the EN 343 standard. In the case of multi-standard clothing, testing according to EN 343 is carried out by the testing institute involved and not by the manufacturer of the protective clothing itself.