Clothing Insulation Testing | The CLO Value

As the Northern Hemisphere embraces frost, snow, and ice, people eagerly retrieve their insulated jackets, gloves, and boots to shield themselves from the cold and ensure warmth. Hence, Clothing Insulation Testing and the terms CLO Value, TOG, and the GSM are really important during these cold months. Today, Contract Laboratory received a laboratory test request from a sleeping bags manufacturer. They needed help with the outsourcing of a laboratory to measure the CLO Value and GSM. So, we thought we would explain them.

CLO Value and GSM are terms that help evaluate and compare the thermal insulation of clothing.

CLO Value is the amount of insulation that allows a person at rest to maintain thermal equilibrium in an environment at 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  There are many ways to determine the CLO value. One way is placing the clothing items on manikins which can heat to human body temperature and can move around.  CLO is a measure in GSM which is the Mass of material per m2, g/m2.  Sometimes the value TOG is used instead of CLO.  Posture and activity are important variables to consider in measuring CLO. 

See more CLO Value testing and Apparel testing.

If your company manufactures clothing or other outdoor gear and needs a third-party independent laboratory for measuring the CLO value of its gloves, sweaters, jackets, snowpants, socks or boots, let us help you! Submit a free test request on our website or call us toll free at 1-855-377-6821.