On December 1, 2025, the new version of GB 19082-2023 “Medical Disposable Protective Clothing” will be officially implemented, fully replacing the 2009 version of the standard. This revision proposes higher and finer requirements for spunbond fabric, one of the core materials for manufacturing protective clothing, with the aim of comprehensively improving protective safety and wearing comfort.
The trend of changes in the main technical indicators
Protective performance
The anti synthetic blood penetration has increased from ≥ 2 to ≥ 3 levels. Add a requirement for phage penetration resistance (≥ 1 level) to enhance the barrier capability against viruses. Require materials to have a denser and more uniform structure, or adopt higher performance composite/coating processes.
Physical strength
Introducing grading requirements, the basic level requires assessment of multiple indicators such as tear strength, fracture strength, and puncture resistance. Simply pursuing thinness is no longer enough, a new balance must be struck between softness and toughness to avoid damage during use.
Safety and Comfort
The requirement for moisture permeability has been increased from ≥ 2500 g/(m ² • d) to ≥ 3500 g/(m ² • 24h), and the standard value for moisture permeability has been raised. Add biocompatibility requirements (such as skin irritation testing). The driving materials are developing towards high breathability, skin friendliness, and low allergy. Comfort has become a ‘hard indicator’.
Microbiological Index
Adjust the “microbial index” to “total microbial count” and clarify the limit value. Stricter requirements have been put forward for the cleanliness control and disinfection of the production environment.
More comprehensive protective barriers
The upgrade in protective performance of the new standard is particularly significant, directly promoting the iteration of spunbond fabric technology:
Higher liquid barrier: The resistance to synthetic blood penetration has been increased from level 2 to level 3, which means that the protective clothing material needs to be able to withstand higher liquid pressure without being penetrated. This requires spunbond fabric to either have a more precise structure or a more complete composite process with functional films.
New virus barrier testing: Introducing anti phage penetration testing (commonly known as Phi-X174 phage), which is a significant enhancement to the 2009 standard, aimed at evaluating the barrier effect of materials on smaller particles (such as viruses) and providing more reliable protection for healthcare workers in dealing with blood borne pathogens and airborne diseases.
Stronger physical defense line
The new version of the standard uses a set of “combination fist” mechanical strength indicators, replacing the previous relatively single requirements:
It introduces a grading system, which requires even basic levels to meet multiple requirements such as tear strength, fracture strength, puncture resistance, and seam strength.
This means that future spunbond fabric materials must be more durable and able to effectively cope with common physical stresses such as scratching and pulling in clinical work, greatly reducing the exposure risk caused by clothing damage.
More considerate and comfortable experience
On the premise of ensuring safety, the new national standard has also significantly improved the care for the comfort level of medical staff wearing:
The moisture permeability requirement has been increased from ≥ 2500 g/(m ² • d) in the old version to ≥ 3500 g/(m ² • 24h) in the new version. The increase in this indicator value means that the new version of the standard has higher requirements for the breathability of protective clothing materials, aiming to help medical staff sweat faster, maintain a dry and comfortable feeling, and reduce heat load when wearing for a long time.
The newly added biocompatibility requirement (according to GB/T 16886.1) requires all materials that come into direct contact with the skin to undergo skin irritation testing. This eliminates the risk of skin allergies caused by poor quality materials or chemical residues from the source, and protects the skin health of medical personnel.
Suggestions for procurement and production in response to new requirements
Faced with these changes, both buyers and manufacturers need to actively respond.
Suggestions for the purchaser
Pay attention to the new standard timeline: December 1, 2025 is a key milestone. Afterwards, it should be ensured that the purchased protective clothing meets the requirements of GB 19082-2023.
Inspection and testing report: Request the full project testing report provided by the supplier and issued by an authoritative institution, with a focus on the qualification certificates of new projects such as anti synthetic blood penetration (≥ level 3), anti phage penetration (≥ level 1), and biocompatibility.
Overall performance evaluation: Don’t just focus on price. Comfort (moisture permeability) and durability (physical strength) should be included in the comprehensive evaluation system, and products that can provide comprehensive protection for medical staff should be selected.
Suggestions for manufacturers
Material upgrade and process optimization: The core lies in the upgrade of spunbond fabric raw materials and structures. May require:
Develop or select high-performance SMS (spunbond meltblown spunbond) composite materials.
The application of more advanced non-woven fabric technologies such as two-component spunbond (relevant industry standards can refer to FZ/T 64119-2025) can better balance the strength, softness, and barrier function of materials.
Strengthening quality control: In response to stricter requirements for microbial indicators and biocompatibility, it is necessary to strengthen the management of production environment cleanliness and precise control of process parameters such as residual ethylene oxide.
Summary
Overall, the upgrade of the new version of GB 19082 national standard is aimed at promoting the transformation of medical protection from “available” to “good”. It promotes the evolution of spunbond fabric as a key material towards safer, stronger, more comfortable, and skin friendly directions. This is not only a technological advancement, but also a deeper concern for the life safety and occupational health of medical staff.
I hope the above interpretation can help you better understand the new standards. If you want to have a deeper understanding of a specific testing method or indicator, we can continue to explore.
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-30-2025