National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO 25245:2026.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee STI/33, Electrodeposited and related coatings.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 30 September 2026.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 107, Metallic and other inorganic coatings.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

Metallic coatings on plastic substrates are widely used across many industries.

This document describes a quantitative peel test method and associated test apparatus for evaluating the adhesion of metallic coatings to plastics under controlled temperatures. The method is intended for use across a broad range of sectors where metal‑coated plastics are employed, including, but not limited to:

automotive and transport (electrical connectors, decorative and functional coatings);
electronics and electrical equipment (semiconductor chip packages, printed wiring boards, components, housings, electromagnetic interference shielding);
consumer goods and appliances (decorative plating, functional metallization);
telecommunications and information technology (connector housings, shielding components);
industrial equipment and machinery (protective and functional coatings on plastic parts);
medical devices and instrumentation (metalized surfaces on plastic components where adhesion is critical);
aerospace (functional and protective metal coatings on polymer components);
renewable energy (components for solar, wind and related systems where metallized plastics are used).

The examples given in the annexes illustrate the method applied to a variety of coating systems and specimen types and are informative only; they do not limit the scope of application of this method.

Monitoring of the adhesion performance of these coatings is essential for product reliability and quality assurance. Conventional methods for evaluating adhesion, such as thermal cycle testing (as specified in ISO 4525 and JIS H 8630), cross-cut tests and tape peel tests, are commonly used. However, these methods generally yield qualitative or semi-quantitative results and do not provide direct numerical values of bond strength.

In contrast, peel testing provides quantitative and reproducible data directly related to the interfacial bond strength. It is specified in several national and industry standards, such as JIS H 8630, ASTM B533, and IPC‑TM‑650 Method 2.4.8, and is widely applied for characterizing adhesion of metallic coatings on plastic substrates and copper-clad laminates.

Of particular importance is the application of peel testing to multilayer metallic coatings (e.g. Cu/Ni/Cr), where the adhesion of the upper layers is influenced by the condition of the underlying copper layer. Peel testing is thus essential not only for process development (e.g. surface roughening or pretreatment optimization), but also for evaluating the mechanical integrity of the full coating system.

Although thermal cycle tests remain suitable for evaluating environmental durability and detecting defects such as blistering, they serve a different purpose from peel tests. The two test methods are complementary and may be used together depending on the evaluation objective.

However, existing standards define peel test procedures only at room temperature, despite the fact that coated plastic components are often used in wide temperature ranges, including conditions below 0 °C and above 100 °C, particularly in automotive and electronics applications.

Therefore, there is a need for a standardized method for conducting peel tests under controlled temperature conditions, to enable consistent and reliable evaluation of adhesion strength across relevant temperature ranges.

This document specifies a quantitative peel test method for evaluating the adhesion of metallic coatings on plastic substrates under defined temperature conditions. It contributes to the global harmonization of test methods for metallic coatings on plastics.

1 Scope

This document specifies the method of the peel test using a tensile testing machine to evaluate the adhesion strength of metallic coatings on plastic substrates under controlled temperatures. It also specifies the designations of the peel test results. The designation consists of the adhesion of metallic coatings to the substrate and test temperature, as well as the substrate material and the principal component, manufacturing process and thickness of the metallic coatings.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Test method

4.1 General

4.2 Apparatus

4.3 Specimen

4.4 Procedures

4.5 Data analysis

5 Designation

5.1 General

5.2 Test temperature

5.3 Substrate materials

5.4 Metallic coatings

6 Test report

6.1 Minimum information to be included in the test report

6.2 Example of designation

Bibliography