As a core piece of medical protective equipment, the performance of spunbond fabric, a key raw material in medical protective clothing, directly determines the protective effect and safety of use. The new national standard for medical protective clothing (based on the updated GB 19082 series) has put forward a series of more stringent requirements for spunbond fabric, which not only strengthens the reliability of the protective barrier but also takes into account the practicality and safety during use. The following is a detailed analysis from the core dimensions.
Clear Specifications for Material Structure and Combination Forms
The new standard explicitly limits the application of spunbond fabric to composite structures for the first time, no longer recognizing single spunbond fabric as the main material. The standard requires the use of composite nonwoven fabric structures such as spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) or spunbond-meltblown-meltblown-spunbond (SMMS). This requirement stems from the fact that single spunbond fabric has shortcomings in balancing barrier performance and mechanical strength, while in composite structures, spunbond fabric can fully utilize its mechanical support advantages, combined with the high-efficiency filtration performance of the meltblown layer, to form a synergistic effect of “protection + support”.
Meanwhile, the standard also provides guidance on the position and thickness ratio of the spunbond layer in the composite structure, ensuring that the spunbond fabric can effectively support the meltblown layer and maintain the overall structural stability.
Upgraded Core Physical and Mechanical Performance Indicators
The new standard significantly raises the physical and mechanical performance thresholds for spunbond fabrics, focusing on strengthening indicators directly related to the durability of protective clothing. Specifically, these include:
- Unit Area Mass: The standard explicitly requires that the unit area mass of the spunbond fabric (including the overall composite structure) be no less than 40 g/m², with a deviation controlled within ±5%. This is a 10% increase in the minimum limit compared to the old standard, while tightening the deviation range. This change aims to ensure consistent protective performance through stable material density.
- Tensile Strength and Elongation: The longitudinal tensile strength has been increased from 120 N to 150 N, and the transverse tensile strength from 80 N to 100 N. The elongation at break remains at no less than 15%, but the testing environment is more stringent (temperature 25℃±5℃, relative humidity 30%±10%). This adjustment addresses the issue of fabric stretching caused by frequent movements during high-intensity work by healthcare workers, improving the tear resistance of protective clothing.
- Seam compatibility: Although seam strength is a garment specification, the standard specifically requires spunbond fabrics to be matched with heat sealing or double-thread overlocking processes. It specifies that the bonding strength between the spunbond fabric and the seam thread and adhesive strip must meet the requirement of a seam strength of not less than 100N/50mm, indirectly imposing new requirements on the surface roughness, thermal stability, and other processing compatibility properties of the spunbond fabric.
Optimization of the Balance Between Protection and Comfort
The new standard breaks away from the traditional perception of “emphasizing protection while neglecting comfort,” doubly strengthening the protective and comfort performance of spunbond fabrics to achieve a precise balance between the two:
- Multi-dimensional Enhancement of Barrier Performance: Regarding water resistance, the spunbond composite layer is required to achieve a water penetration test level of 4 or higher according to GB/T 4745-2012. A new synthetic blood penetration resistance test is also added (conducted according to Appendix A of GB 19083-2013). Regarding filtration efficiency, it is specified that the filtration efficiency of the spunbond composite structure for non-oily particles should not be less than 70%, and the seams must maintain the same filtration level. This indicator provides effective protection in aerosol transmission scenarios.
- Mandatory Requirements for Moisture Permeability: For the first time, moisture permeability is included as a core indicator for spunbond fabrics, requiring a minimum of 2500 g/(m²·24h). The test method uniformly adopts GB/T 12704.1-2009. This change addresses the “suffocating” issue of protective clothing under the old standard by improving the breathability of the spunbond fabric’s molecular structure, ensuring the comfort of medical personnel during extended wear.
- Antistatic performance upgrade: The surface resistivity limit has been tightened from 1×10¹²Ω to 1×10¹¹Ω, and a new requirement for electrostatic attenuation performance testing has been added to prevent dust adsorption or spark generation due to static electricity, making it suitable for precision medical environments such as operating rooms and ICUs.
New Constraints on Safety and Environmental Protection Indicators
The new standard adds several safety and environmental protection indicators for spunbond fabrics, strengthening the protection of user health and the control of environmental impact:
- Hygiene and safety indicators: It clarifies that spunbond fabrics must comply with GB/T 3923.1-2013 “Hygienic Standard for Disposable Sanitary Products,” with a total bacterial count ≤200 CFU/g, a total fungal count ≤100 CFU/g, and no pathogenic bacteria detected; the use of fluorescent whitening agents is also prohibited to avoid potential skin irritation risks.
- Chemical Residue Control: New residue limits for hazardous substances such as acrylamide and formaldehyde have been added to address the use of chemical auxiliaries in the spunbond fabric production process. Specific indicators refer to the safety standards for medical-grade nonwoven fabrics to ensure that protective clothing meets biosafety requirements after sterilization.
- Flame Retardant Performance Adaptation: For protective clothing used in surgical or other scenarios with open flame risks, the spunbond composite layer is required to pass the GB/T 5455-2014 vertical burning test, with an afterflame time ≤10s and no melting or dripping, expanding the applicable scenarios for spunbond fabric.
Standardization of Testing Methods and Quality Control
To ensure the implementation of all requirements, the new standard standard unifies the testing methods and quality control procedures for spunbond fabrics:
Regarding testing methods, it clarifies the standard testing environment for each indicator (temperature 25℃±5℃, relative humidity 30%±10%) and standardizes the accuracy requirements for key equipment (such as tensile testing machines and moisture permeability meters). In terms of quality control, it requires manufacturers to conduct full-item inspections on each batch of spunbond fabric, focusing on core indicators such as unit area mass, breaking strength, and filtration efficiency, and requires accompanying inspection reports before garment production.
Summary and Application Recommendations
The upgraded requirements for spunbond fabrics in the new national standard essentially construct a full-chain quality assurance system through “structural standardization, indicator precision, and testing standardization.” For manufacturers, it is crucial to focus on optimizing the SMS/SMMS composite process, the compatibility and matching of the spunbond layer and meltblown layer, and the source control of chemical residues.
For purchasers, priority should be given to products certified under the new standard, and the inspection reports for relevant spunbond fabric indicators should be carefully reviewed. The implementation of these requirements will drive the medical protective clothing industry to transform from “qualified” to “high-quality,” further enhancing the safety and reliability of medical protection.
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.
Post time: Nov-27-2025