This European Standard specifies the equipment and procedures for determining the shear behavior. It is applicable to thermal insulating products used in building applications.

The tests described in this standard do not determine pure shear behaviour, but measure the effects of applying two opposite parallel forces to the major faces of the test specimen. The application of a force tangentially to the major surface of the test specimen is considered to represent more closely the stresses imposed upon thermal insulation products in many building applications, particularly walls, than other methods of measuring shear performance, e.g. bending tests.