EN 13899:2003

Overview

EN 13899:2003 - Roller sports equipment - Roller skates - Safety requirements and test methods (CEN) defines safety requirements, test methods, marking and manufacturer information for roller skates intended for users with a body mass > 20 kg (up to 100 kg). The standard covers product design features that reduce injury risk during normal use and specifies laboratory tests to verify safety performance. EN 13899:2003 does not apply to inline skates (see EN 13843) or to skates for children < 20 kg (toy standard EN 71-1).

Key topics and requirements

• Scope and classification
  • Two classes: Class A (users >20 kg up to 100 kg) and Class B (users >20 kg up to 60 kg and foot length ≤ 260 mm). Inline skates excluded.
• Mechanical safety
  • Protruding parts & edges must be shielded or rounded so they do not cause injury; exposed parts >10 mm are restricted.
  • Axles must not protrude more than 3 mm beyond wheel edges and ends must be rounded (radius ≥ 5 mm).
  • Wheels: made of slip‑resistant material; minimum friction coefficients measured on a steel plate: Class A ≥ 0.30, Class B ≥ 0.20.
  • Bearings & rolling gear: must resist jamming, shock, continuous and static loading; dust covers must not come loose.
• Bindings & fastenings
  • Binding elements must prevent unintentional detachment (static/tensile tests up to 1 000 N for chassis‑to‑shoe attachment).
  • Self‑locking nuts and fixings must be suitable for repeated maintenance; manufacturer must warn about possible loss of self‑locking action.
• Braking/starting devices
  • Must be strong, secured against unscrewing (unscrewing torque test at 8 N·m) and maintain ≥10 mm clearance from ground.
• Dynamic tests
  • Frontal impact: specified impact energies (e.g., 90 J for Class A, 60 J for Class B) and impact velocities to simulate collisions.
  • Endurance test: raised‑section drum at 0.5 m/s to simulate repeated loading; test loads/durations specified per class.
• Environmental/test conditions
  • Conditioning at (23 ± 2) °C / RH (50 ± 5)% or (20 ± 2) °C / RH (65 ± 5) %.
• Marking & information
  • The standard requires marking and user information to reduce injury risk and support safe use and maintenance.

Applications and users

EN 13899:2003 is used by:

• Roller skate manufacturers for product design, quality control and CE/national compliance.
• Test laboratories and conformity assessors performing safety tests (grip, impact, endurance, tensile).
• Product safety engineers, retailers and procurement teams specifying safe roller skates for consumers or rental fleets.
• Standards committees and regulators referencing safety criteria for non‑inline roller skates.

Related standards

• EN 13843 - Inline skates (separate standard for inline‑type equipment)
• EN 71-1 - Safety of toys (applies to skates for users < 20 kg)
• EN 22768-1 and ISO 4649:2002 - normative references cited by EN 13899 for tolerances and abrasion testing

Keywords: EN 13899:2003, roller skates safety, test methods, CEN, roller sports equipment, wheel grip, binding elements, endurance testing.