Classification code
The code packs the barrier type, test type, mass, vehicle class, speed, angle, penetration and debris into one line. Every part changes the meaning.
Basis. The public preview stops before this clause; the page states the published structure and the public guidance. The clause number and defined terms are the standard's; the explanation is our own.
What clause 7.2 asks
Clause 7.2 gives the classification code. The NPSA guidance note of March 2024 explains the ISO 22343-1 form with a worked example: a bollard at 7 200 kg, class N3C, 48 km/h, a right angle, 2.6 m of penetration and 5.0 m of debris. The same note gives the IWA 14-1 and PAS 68 forms, which differ in how the class is marked and whether debris is included. The code is the standard's compressed record of the conditions and the result.
Why it matters
The code is useful because it is short, and dangerous for the same reason: a reader can copy it without reading the report behind it. A buyer who copies "V / 7200 / 48 / 90 : 2.6" into a specification has lost the class, the debris distance and sometimes the barrier type. A supplier who quotes a code without the edition has made the rating look more comparable than it is. The code is also where old and new standards are most often confused, because IWA 14-1 and PAS 68 codes look similar and mean different things.
What good looks like
Decode every code into a table before using it. Record the edition, the barrier type, the test type, the mass, the class, the speed, the angle, the penetration and the debris. Keep the original string exactly as the test house issued it. Where a code comes from another standard, label the standard and do not convert it.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The reviewer will read the code element by element. A missing class or a missing debris figure is a missing condition.
- Decoded rating table One row per rating with every element of the code in its own column
- Original string The code exactly as issued, with the report reference
- Edition label The standard and edition behind the code, stated next to it
- Conversion note A statement that an IWA 14-1 or PAS 68 code has not been converted into this standard
Where it commonly fails
- The code is shortened to the mass and speed, dropping the class and the debris
- An IWA 14-1 code is presented as an ISO 22343-1 code
- The barrier type is omitted, so a bollard and a gate share a row
- The code is copied from a brochure with no test report reference
What to do before the amendment publishes
Build the decoded table for every rating in the estate. Where an element is missing, ask the test house for it rather than guessing.
Read across
- 3 Terms and definitions
- 6.5 Test vehicle preparation
- 6.6 Impact speed
- 7.1 Performance rating, general
- 8 Product information
- A-06 Penetration and debris measurement