Materials Department

• Tensile strength, ISO 13934-1
• Elmendorf tear strength, ISO 13937-1
• Bursting strength 5 cm², 10 cm², 50 cm², ISO 13938-2
• Water column, hydrostatic pressure, ISO 811
• Pilling resistance, ISO 12945-1 (box) or ISO 12945-2 (Martindale)
• Color fastness
  • to washing ISO 105-C06
  • to perspiration ISO 105-E04
  • to rubbing ISO 105-X12
  • to dry cleaning ISO 105-D01
  • to artificial light, ISO 105-B02
• Dimensional stability, ISO 5077/6330/3759
• Fiber composition, ISO 1833

and many others…

Find our ISO 17025-BELAC accreditation scope: https://ng3.economie.fgov.be/NI/belac/labotesting/applic/..%5Cscope_pdf/136-TEST.pdf

• Tensile strength
• Edge crush test (ECT)
• Ring crush test (RCT)
• Flat crush test (FCT)
• Puncture resistance
• Tear resistance
• Kodak stiffness

The Materials department works on various types of packaging and can characterize:

• Box compression resistance (BCT)
• Gas barrier properties (O2, CO2, water vapor)
• Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
• Leak resistance and detection
• Drop test resistance
• Food contact suitability

and many others!

Measurement of oxygen transmission rate O2, CO2 & water vapor according to standards

ASTM D3985, ASTM F 1927, ASTM F1307, ASTM F1249

Characterization of surface properties

• Smoothness, according to the Bekk method
• Roughness, according to the Bendtsen method
• Coefficient of friction, according to the ISO 8295 method
• Surface energy, by contact angle measurement with a goniometer

Measurement of tensile and tear strength

Measurement of optical properties (opacity, haze)

We offer characterizations using dry-process particle analyzers:

• Occhio Nano 500: This instrument is dedicated to the characterization of extremely fine particles. It allows for precise analysis of morphology and size at a submicron scale, providing essential resolution for nanomaterials and high-tech powders.

• Occhio Zephyr: Designed for dry-process analysis, the Zephyr excels in characterizing large volumes of powders or aggregates. Thanks to its vibrating hopper system, it guarantees a fast and representative measurement of particle size distribution and shape (circularity, elongation, roughness). Ideal for flax and hemp shives and short natural fibers.

• Occhio Scan: This versatile tool is ideal for the analysis of larger particles or for specific needs in scanning and characterizing complex shapes on a flat support, ensuring visual traceability of each measurement.

For liquid phase analyses, we use the Mastersizer 3000+, the world reference in laser diffraction.

The precise determination of the nature and proportion of fibers is an essential step to guarantee regulatory labeling and the compliance of your textile products. We perform quantitative composition analyses on a wide range of blends (binary or ternary, etc.), whether they are natural, artificial, or synthetic fibers.

Our experts rely on the ISO 1833 series of standards, the international reference in this field, to carry out selective chemical separations:

• Identification of constituents: confirmation of the nature of the fibers present in the blend;

• Quantification by dissolution: selective removal of certain components to determine the exact mass proportion of each fiber;

• Regulatory compliance: technical support for drafting your composition labels according to European requirements.

We determine the thermal phenomena of a material using our DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) device, according to various standardized methods:

• Tg: Glass transition temperature (D3418 & E1356)
• Tf & Tc: Melting and crystallization temperature (E794)
• Enthalpy of melting and crystallization (E793)
• Specific heat capacity (E1269)

And other analyses specific to your products and materials.

We can analyze the recyclability of your fiber-based materials in conventional and specialized (UBC) recycling plants, according to the CEPI-4Evergreen protocols, to whose development we contributed.

Our expertise, validated by CEPI and recognized by clients worldwide, evaluates in particular the ability to be repulped without rejecting undesirable elements (plastics, metallization, etc.) in excessive quantities, to guarantee optimal quality of the final recycled paper.

Need a fast & reliable analysis? Our experts support you step by step.

In collaboration with Valipac and Fost Plus, we offer comprehensive packaging diagnostics in Belgium to analyze the environmental impact of existing solutions and identify concrete areas for improvement. These analyses are part of a global approach aimed at reducing the ecological footprint of packaging while preserving its functionality, safety, and commercial appeal.

In parallel, we are actively involved in dedicated research projects for the development of innovative and sustainable solutions. This work focuses on the development of bio-based alternatives for the design of materials intended for various applications, such as packaging, textiles, agriculture, construction, and cosmetics. The department particularly explores the modification of bio-based building blocks using green chemistry processes and mechanical treatments, in order to confer specific properties to the materials such as superhydrophobicity, resistance to grease, fire, and oils, or antibacterial properties.

This dual expertise, both operational through diagnostics and prospective through research, allows us to effectively support companies in their transition to a more circular and sustainable economy, by promoting the emergence of concrete and innovative solutions adapted to current environmental challenges.

Our services include metal analysis to verify compliance with limits for harmful constituents, disintegration analysis to validate the breakdown of materials, and phytotoxicity analysis to assess the quality of the final compost. These tests ensure that your materials break down without harming the environment.

Recognized expertise: our involvement within CEPI-CTS

CELABOR laboratory is proud to be among the partner institutes and users of CEPI-CTS, the leading European service for interlaboratory comparative testing in the paper and cardboard industry.

This involvement is a guarantee of high-level technical mastery and results in:

• Guaranteed reliability: By regularly participating in these round-robin testing campaigns (Round Robin Tests), we compare our methods and results with those of the best European laboratories. This ensures our clients constant precision and optimal repeatability for every measurement.

• Mastery of harmonized methods: CELABOR is officially recognized for its ability to implement the CEPI recyclability test method. This expertise allows us to evaluate the recyclability of your packaging according to the latest harmonized standards of the cellulosic industry.

• Reference calibration: The use of certified reference materials from CEPI-CTS allows us to continuously validate the performance of our equipment (tensile, burst, ECT, etc.) and guarantee that your test reports are recognized by the entire value chain, from papermakers to processors. We also market these reference materials. For any request: cepi@celabor.be

In collaboration with Valipac and Fost Plus, we offer comprehensive packaging diagnostics to analyze the environmental impact of existing solutions and identify concrete areas for improvement. These analyses are part of a global approach aimed at reducing the ecological footprint of packaging while preserving its functionality, safety, and commercial appeal.

We are equipped to perform characterization tests for household and selective sorting garbage bags according to the EN 13592 standard:

• Useful dimensions;
• Opacity;
• Thickness (direct or gravimetric measurement);
• Impact resistance by drop test;
• Leak resistance.