This method is used to investigate the tear resistance of plastic films or sheets, less than 1 mm thick, in the form of a standard trouser-shaped test specimen.
The ISO 6383-1 test method is suitable for use with:

Film and sheeting of both flexible and rigid materials, provided that the material is not so rigid that a brittle fracture occurs during the test.

In principle, the test specimen is carefully clamped and aligned with the specimen legs in the grips so that the major axis coincides with an imaginary line joining the center of the grips. This is pulled apart until failure at a constant rate of displacement. The load is recorded as the tear propagates through the entire unslitlength of the specimen. The average force required to tear the specimen completely along its length is used to calculate the tear resistance of the material.