New ISO 22343 standard for vehicle impact testing: What you need to know

As of September 2023, a new standard for vehicle impact testing of vehicle security barriers has now come into effect. Following the publication of ISO 22343 by the British Standards Institution (BSI), IWA 14 and PAS 68 are no longer eligible methods for testing. 

Will IWA 14 and PAS 68 security products have to be retested? 

Moving forward, the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) will only recognise crash tests with an ISO 22343 performance rating. However, products tested to IWA 14 and PAS 68 standards before March 2024 are not expected to be retested—these will still be considered valid. 

What are the differences between ISO 22343 and IWA 14/PAS 68? 

The differences between ISO 22343 and IWA 14/PAS 68 are small but have slight variations that require updating the certification standard. These include: 

• Vehicle classification descriptions
• Additional vehicle mass classification type
• Fail conditions for excessive vehicular penetration
• Fail conditions for vehicles that are still mobile post-impact
• Additional vehicle age range available to be tested
• Dispersed debris weight reduced from 25kg to 2kg

ISO 22343 now recognises emerging attack methods, which will be addressed by other standards or test methods like the NPSA’s Vehicle Attack Delay Standard (VADS). The updated method explicitly excludes the following types of attacks:

• Slow-speed encroachment
• Slow-speed nudging and ramming
• Manual attacks involving the vehicle (multiple instances, slow speed)
• Manipulation of the Vehicle Security Barrier (VSB) and control systems

The new ISO 22343 standard 

ISO 22343 has replaced older standards like IWA 14-1 and PAS 68 to create a single global testing method for products that protect against vehicle attacks. These standards originally came about because the US Department of Defense needed ways to protect its buildings and bases around the world. 

As demands grew in the commercial market, new standards like PAS 68 and ASTM 2656 were developed to provide clear rules for testing these protective products. IWA 14-1 tried to combine the best parts of these standards into one international set of rules. Now, ISO 22343 is the latest global standard that companies use to prove their products can withstand vehicle attacks.To learn more about ISO 22343 and HVM crash-tested products, get in touch with our friendly team: https://www.heald.uk.com/get-in-touch/