Testing & Quality Control
Every rig, and the standard it runs to.
Most sole factories tell you they have testing equipment. That is not the useful sentence. The useful sentence is which standard each machine certifies against, because that is what decides whether our numbers match the ones your laboratory produces.
| Property | Equipment on site | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Abrasion resistance | DIN abrasion tester | ISO 4649 method A · DIN EN 12770 · SATRA TM174 |
| Footwear slip resistance | Slip resistance tester | SATRA TM144 · ISO 13287 · ASTM F2913 |
| Tensile strength & elongation | Tensile tester | ISO 37 · SATRA TM410 series |
| Density | Density tester | ISO 2781 |
| Hardness | Durometer | SATRA TM205 (Shore A / Shore C) |
| Cure characteristics | Rheometer | ISO 6502 |
| Thermal ageing & low temperature | Constant-temperature chamber | Conditioning per customer protocol |
| Non-marking / scuff | Scuff-mark tester | Referenced to SATRA TM223 |
| Shrinkage & yellowing | Shrinkage & yellowing tester | No single common standard; run to brand protocol |
Sent to an external laboratory
Not every test belongs in a sole factory. These we book with an accredited lab and return with the report, rather than claim in-house.
Certification
Scope certificate GRC06675, valid to 24 June 2027, covering recycled-content handling and chain of custody. Scope certificates expire, so we send the current one rather than a logo. No public register link here yet: we have not been able to locate this certificate in a scheme register, so ask us for the original and check it with the issuing body.
Original on request
Certificate ESTS-COC-260974, licence code FSC-C230627, issued by ESTS and valid 21 July 2026 to 20 July 2031. The scope covers manufacturing and sales of footwear (FSC product category N7.1.4) as FSC Mix, under FSC-STD-40-004, covering traceability for certified natural rubber through to the finished sole.
Verify in the public register →Independent laboratory test reports issued per programme. Current reports available on request.
Original on request
Questions buyers ask about this
What can you test on site, and what goes to a laboratory?
Eight rigs on site cover DIN abrasion, footwear slip resistance, tensile and tear, density, vulcanisation cure, scuff marking, shrinkage and yellowing, and conditioned thermal ageing. Ross flex, outsole-to-midsole peel, EN ISO 20345 safety footwear work and chemical compliance are booked with an accredited external laboratory and come back as reports.
Do you hold ISO 9001?
No. Hongcheng holds FSC Chain of Custody (certificate ESTS-COC-260974, licence code FSC-C230627, valid to 2031-07-20, checkable in the FSC public register) and GRS 4.0 (scope certificate GRC06675, valid to 2027-06-24), and does not hold an ISO 9001 certificate. We would rather state that plainly than let a supplier questionnaire discover it.
Is safety footwear still marked SRA, SRB or SRC?
No. EN ISO 20345:2022 withdrew those markings. Basic slip resistance became a mandatory requirement for all safety footwear, and SR now marks the enhanced test. Supplier sites still advertising "SRC rated" soles are quoting a superseded scheme.
Need the test data for a specific compound?
Tell us the sole system and the standard you certify to. We send the in-house data and book anything else with an accredited laboratory.