The Furniture Inspection Company are specialists in leather testing, with over 50 years’ experience supporting customers and businesses across the UK furniture sector. Our fully accredited testing and inspection services deliver accurate assessments of product quality, composition, and performance.

Leather testing provides you with clear, verifiable evidence that your furniture meets relevant standards, is fit for purpose, and matches the description you purchased. We recommend independent leather inspection and testing as essential proof for disputes, ensuring you have the documentation needed to support Section 75 claims, Chargeback requests, or legal proceedings. 

Physical leather testing

The Furniture Inspection Company provides a comprehensive range of physical leather tests to assess performance, durability, and quality, following recognised international standards:

• BS EN ISO 2589:2016 – Measurement of overall thickness
• BS EN ISO 17186:2011 – Thickness of surface finishes and coatings
• BS EN ISO 17235:2015 – Determination of softness and handle
• BS EN ISO 2420:2017 – Assessment of density
• BS EN ISO 5402‑1:2011 – Flex resistance using the flexometer (Bally flex) method
• BS EN ISO 5402‑2:2015 – Flex resistance using the vamp flex method
• BS EN ISO 4684:2005 – Determination of volatile matter and moisture content
• ASTM D6116‑00 – Standard test for surface blocking
• BS EN ISO 4045:2008 – Measurement of pH value and difference figure

Water Spotting, Water Fastness & Perspiration Testing

We test finished leather and samples to check resistance to marking, staining, and damage from moisture and body contact:

• BS EN ISO 105‑E07:2010 & BS EN ISO 15700:1999 – Resistance to water spotting
• BS EN ISO 11642:2012 – General water fastness
• BS EN ISO 105‑E04:2013 & BS EN ISO 11641:2012 – Resistance to perspiration

Leather Finish Adhesion Testing (Wet & Dry)

We verify how securely surface coatings are bonded to the material, for genuine leather, PU, PVC, and other synthetic alternatives:

• BS EN ISO 11644:2009 – Determination of finish adhesion strength

Leather Tear Strength Testing

We carry out tests to measure the material’s strength and resistance to splitting or tearing under stress:

• BS EN ISO 3376:2020 – Tensile strength and percentage extension
• BS EN ISO 3377‑1:2011 – Single‑edge tear load
• BS EN ISO 3377‑2:2016 – Double‑edge tear load (Baumann method)

Light Fastness, Colour Fastness & Colour Migration Testing

Our assessments confirm how well colours resist fading, bleeding, or transferring onto other surfaces:

• BS EN ISO 105‑B02:2014 – Resistance to fading from light exposure
• BS EN ISO 15701:2015 – Resistance to colour staining onto PVC and other materials

Rub Fastness Testing

We measure how well the surface finish and colour withstand repeated contact and friction:

• BS EN ISO 17700:2019 Parts A & B – Colour fastness to rubbing

Cold Crack Resistance Testing

Cracking of the finish is a common issue, often triggered by temperature changes. We test the material’s ability to withstand cold conditions without damage:

• BS EN ISO 17233:2017 – Resistance to cracking at low temperatures

Dry‑Cleaning & Wash Fastness Testing

For leather items that require cleaning, we assess their ability to withstand cleaning processes without deterioration, fading, or failure:

• Specialist dry‑cleaning performance tests
• BS EN ISO 105‑C06:2010 – Colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering

Abrasion Resistance Testing

We test genuine leather, PU, and synthetic alternatives to measure their ability to resist wear and surface damage over time:

• Taber Abrasion Method
• BS EN 13520:2002 + A1:2004 – Abrasion resistance using the Martindale method