What is ISO 16049‑1 about?
ISO 16049 discusses standards for air cargo equipment.
ISO 16049‑1 focuses on design criteria and testing methods for air cargo equipment.
ISO 16049‑1 is part of a series of documents that specifies the design criteria and testing methods adequate to guarantee the ultimate load and operational dependability of cargo restraint strap assemblies with a typical 22 250 N (5 000 lbf) rated ultimate tension load capability, as used by the airline industry.
These restraint straps are used in civil transport aircraft during flight for:
- Cargo loaded and tied down onto airworthiness approved air cargo pallets, themselves restrained into aircraft lower deck, main deck or upper deck cargo systems and meeting the requirements of ISO 8097 (NAS 3610) or ISO 21100
- Non unitized individual pieces of cargo or pieces of cargo placed onto an unrestrained ("floating") pallet into either lower deck, main deck, or upper deck containerized cargo compartments of an aircraft
- The same restraint strap assemblies can also be used in other applications such as non-containerized (bulk loaded) baggage and cargo compartments and to ensure cargo restraint inside airworthiness approved air cargo container
Who is ISO 16049‑1for?
ISO 16049‑1 on design criteria and testing methods for cargo restraint strap is useful to:
- Ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers
- Airlines
- Airports
- Cargo restraint strap manufacturers
- Regulatory bodies/compliance authorities
ISO 16049‑1 on design criteria and testing methods for cargo restraint strap is useful for these professionals:
- Maintenance crew for air cargo vehicles
- Design engineers
- Quality control professionals
Why should you use ISO 16049‑1?
ISO 16049‑1 provides you with the design criteria and testing methods applicable to air cargo restraint straps to be used for tie-down of unitized or non-unitized cargo on board civil transport aircraft.
As a manufacturer of cargo restraint straps, you would refer to the guidelines in ISO 16049‑1to comply with design and testing specifications.
By adopting ISO 16049‑1, you can demonstrate the reliability of your restraint straps assemblies and build trust in their use throughout the aircraft supply chain.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 16049‑1:2020 supersedes BS ISO 16049‑1:2013. BS ISO 16049‑1:2020 includes some technical changes concerning BS ISO 16049‑1:2013. These include:
- Deletion of items D5 and D6, required by TSO/ETSO-C172a, and amendment of item D2
- Updating of flammability requirement to the latest amended regulations

