Climate Class 1

All ESD shoes are certified in keeping with EN61340-4-3, climate class 1. The climate classes generally stand for the electrostatic behaviour of the shoes.

The classification is based on electrical measurements performed under precisely defined conditions that we have listed for you in the table below.

h = duration in hours, °C = temperature, % RH = relative humidity

The differences between the various climate classes 1, 2 and 3 are mainly based on the relative air humidity of the test environment, with the air humidity affecting the tested shoes‘ electrostatic discharge behaviour. This is why shoes are tested in an environment with 50 % air humidity to establish their suitability for climate calls 3, and at an air humidity of 25 % for climate class 2. Inclusion in climate class 1 is achieved by successfully passing the test at 12% air humidity. All the tests are meanwhile applied at a temperature of 23°C.

As a general rule, the higher the air humidity is in the environment, the greater will the shoes‘ discharge capacity be. Accordingly, a shoe certified as climate class 1 is best suited for discharging electrostatic charges to the earth ground potential. These shoes even possess the discharge capacity required to avoid electrostatic discharges in very low air humidity and with dry materials. All the other environmental factors capable of affecting electrostatic discharges, such as an insulating floor or insulating deposits on the outer soles of the shoes, should also be taken into account, however.