Barriers near overhead lines (25 kV AC) must be earthed and tested for stray current corrosion. EN 17168 references EN 50122-1 for railway earthing.
Grooves can trap chemicals. EN 17168 requires testing with 24 specific substances (red wine, coffee, olive oil, acetone) but with a twist: the test liquid is forced into the groove using a vacuum or weighted blotter. The standard requires no visible change after 24 hours of contact on both the peak and the groove interior. en 17168
Many buyers mistakenly assume that any laminate floor automatically passes EN 13329. Here is a direct comparison: Barriers near overhead lines (25 kV AC) must
| Feature | EN 13329 (Standard Laminate) | EN 17168 (Micro-Grooved Laminate) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Surface | Flat, smooth | Machined micro-grooves (<2mm deep) | | Wear test | Abrasion wheels run flat | Modified test with forced groove wear | | Stain test | Surface application | Vacuum-assisted into groove | | Light fastness | Blue Wool 5 | Blue Wool 6 (stricter) | | Edge swelling | 24h test | 48h test (grooves trap moisture) | | Typical Use Class | AC3, AC4, AC5 | Primarily AC3 and AC4 (AC5 is rare due to groove stress) | EN 17168 requires testing with 24 specific substances
Critical takeaway: A micro-grooved laminate that passes EN 13329 may still fail prematurely because EN 13329 does not test the groove's vulnerability to wear, liquid ingress, or edge chipping. Always look for EN 17168 on the technical datasheet.
A 50mm steel ball is dropped from increasing heights. For standard laminates, a dent is measured by diameter. For EN 17168, the assessment looks for cracking at the groove root. The requirement is a minimum of 20 cm drop height without structural failure at the groove corner.