Guide to IWA 14-1:2013 standard

IWA 14-1:2013 means an impact test standard that details a system for classifying the performance of vehicle safety barriers subjected to a single horizontal impact.

IWA 14-1:2013 is based on elements of two other major impact testing standards, PAS 68 and ASTM. This is the most common standard you'll find for HVM bollards, bollards and barriers to protect against hostile vehicles. IWA 14-1:2013 was designed to be considered the "global standard for impact testing" with contributions from the National Infrastructure Protection Center, British Standards Institute, the US Department of State and others.

The guide will provide you with a quick and easy example product rating with an explanation of each section so you can easily interpret the rating code in the future.

IWA stands for International Workshop Agreement and is overseen by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Unlike most documents controlled by ISO, IWA 14-1:2013 was developed outside of the usual committee system. This allowed key industry players to deal in an open work environment, which allowed them to shape the IWA standard. If you're viewing the code of the numbers and letters that create up the IWA Impact Test rating of 14 for the first time, it doesn't really make much sense, but once you understand what each section means, it becomes more straightforward.

For those of you who are familiar with PAS 68 or have read our manual on this British Impact Test Specification (sometimes called the standard), this code will be familiar to you. There are a few key differences though.

The best way to explain the IWA 14 rating is to break it down step by step. For this, we will use a series of three RB345-09-S anti-ram fixed bollards as an example.

VSB Reference Point is front face of VSB.
IWA standard keeps track of flying debris from the front of the blocker (blue line). This is one of the parameters that distinguish the IWA from the other standards (PAS test, for example). The red line marks the point from which it is considered zero point when measuring the level of penetration of large debris.

PAS68:2013 and ASTM F2656
IWA 14-1:2013

IWA 14-1:2013 rating does not include debris dispersal. Measurement of the main scattering of debris showed that after impact, debris weighing more than 25 kg penetrated the furthest.

This is part of the PAS 68 rating to help security engineers visualize the test. However, this has caused some confusion in the past and has therefore been removed from the IWA 14 standard.

According to ASTM, products must be installed in loosely cohesive compacted soil, while PAS 68 does not specify the type of soil for products tested under conditions that are suitable for use. The IWA 14, on the other hand, allows testing both in soil and on site.

Presently that you're familiar with IWA 14-1:2013, you can memorise more about other impact test standards you may arrive across. Two other major standards that you'll arrive across are PAS 68 and ASTM. PAS 68, which has a lot in common with IWA 14-1:2013, is a British test specification for reducing the danger of hostile vehicles and is fully explained in our detailed guide.

ASTM F2656 / F2656M is the US standard for crash testing safety products. The American Society for Testing Materials plays the same role as BSI. You may also arrive across DOS (Dept of State), which is an elderly US standard that's presently been superseded by ASTM. We'll see at this standard in a future guide.

The latest standard you can also discover is the CWA, which is a European agreement that combines the elements of PAS 68 and PAS 68. PAS 68 is a specification for the exact installation of impact certified products.

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