Standard DIN 18032-1 ‘Sports halls – Halls and rooms for sports and multi-purpose use – Part 1: Principles for planning’ provides general planning principles for gyms and sports halls as well as indoor sports floors. The focus is on the basic equipment of the halls. The associated further standards are listed for all individual components. Specifications for changing rooms, spectator areas, sanitary facilities, storage and equipment rooms, lighting, heating and ventilation are described in a concise and general manner. Standard DIN 18032-1 summarises all areas of sports hall construction and provides an overview of what needs to be considered for the individual sub-areas and where further specifications can be found. Safety against ball throwing is only mentioned initially as a general requirement and then again specifically in relation to walls, luminaires and sockets.

Standard DIN 18032-3 ‘Sports halls – Halls and rooms for sports and multi-purpose use – Part 3: Testing for safety against ball throwing’ then deals specifically with the requirements and the test procedures. Whereby safety against ball throwing is not specifically about technical measurements, but rather about the individual components to be tested that are exposed to a special load and must be able to bear it. ‘Bear’ means that they may only show slight changes or none at all. The standard differentiates between tests for ceilings, walls and installation elements. They are carried out with different balls (handball, hockey ball), which are shot by ball shooting devices in such a way that they hit the element to be tested at a specific speed. Wall and ceiling elements are tested in different categories, which affects the test procedure with regard to the selection of the balls and the impact speed. For wall elements, there are the categories W1, W2 and W3, and for ceiling elements, there are the categories D1 and D2 (D=German abbreviation). These standards regulate the exact procedures and sequences of the tests. The specifications under “installation elements” apply to all permanent installations in the sports hall, which must meet all of those specifications. Each element is assigned to one of the categories mentioned and tested according to the specifications for that category.

Standard DIN 18032-7 ‘Halls and rooms for sports and multi-purpose use – Part 7: Impact protection surface systems for walls; requirements, testing’ specifies requirements for impact protection surface systems for walls. It also refers to standard DIN 18032-3, as impact protection surface systems for walls must also meet the requirements for safety against ball throwing.