This part of IEC 60793 is intended primarily for testing either fibres as produced by a fibre manufacturer or subsequently overcoated (tight buffered) using various polymers. The test can be performed either on fibres as produced or after exposure to various environments.

This test applies to A1, A2, A3, B and C fibres.

The object of this standard is to establish uniform requirements for the mechanical characteristic – coating strippability. This test quantifies the force required to mechanically remove the protective coating from optical fibres along their longitudinal axis.

This test is not intended as a means to maximize fibre strength after the coating is removed nor is it intended to specify the best conditions for field stripping of optical fibres.

This test is designed for optical fibres having polymeric coatings with nominal outer diameters in the range of 240 µm to 900 µm. Application of this method to fibres with outer coating diameters outside the range of 230 µm to 930 µm is not recommended.