TS EN ISO 20537

TS EN ISO 20537 is a vocabulary standard for the terminology used to identify defects seen during visual inspection of footwear. It brings together the common names for surface and structural defects that may arise during manufacture, storage, or use, helping the industry apply the same terms consistently when assessing finished products.

How the defect terminology is organised

The standard defines the most common defect terms that can be determined by visual examination of the end product. In general technical context, visual inspection means checking external characteristics such as appearance, alignment, surface regularity, stitching, bonding traces, and similar observable features. Because this is a vocabulary document, its role is terminology harmonisation rather than setting acceptance limits or prescribing a test method.

Examples, not an exhaustive catalogue

The photographs included in the standard are illustrative examples intended to support understanding of the definitions; they do not represent every possible defect instance. This makes the document useful for manufacturers, suppliers, laboratories, and quality teams that need a shared language for appearance-related nonconformities. Its focus remains on defects visible on the finished footwear, not on directly judging material durability, performance, or fitness for use.

• Provides a common naming system for defects linked to manufacture, storage, and use.
• Covers defect terms that can be recognised through visual inspection of finished footwear.
• Uses photographs as explanatory examples rather than an exhaustive defect catalogue.