This part of BS 5350 describes the method for testing adhesives using rigid adherends that can be produced to the required dimensional tolerances and that will withstand the forces applied to them. It is not normally applicable to the testing of joints between identical pieces of wood for which there are other, specific, standards, but may be used where wood is one adherend of an asymmetric assembly or where particular adhesives are not catered for by the specific standards. The method described in this part of BS 5350 is applicable to all types of adhesive. Although primarily intended for use in normal ambient conditions, the basic method is also applicable to testing under a wide range of temperature and other environmental conditions.

No account is taken of other mechanical properties of the adhesives or adherends that can affect the validity or usefulness of the test.

The use of a particular adherend to test an adhesive does not necessarily imply that adhesive is the one most suitable for the adherend.

This method of test is intended for ranking and quality control of adhesives and not for obtaining data for design purposes.