On the one hand, the principle of so-called ‘smooth walls’ applies. The walls must have a smooth surface and must be flat, closed and splinter-free up to a height of at least 2.70 m. This means to install flush joints and supporting structures that do not protrude into the hall (at least at the height described) already during construction. Often the walls of a sports hall are equipped with impact protection surface systems for walls. These are made of synthetic, wooden or textile materials and are primarily intended to protect the athletes from additional injuries.

There are separate specifications and standards for impact protection. Furthermore, many sports halls have elements directly built into the walls. These typically include access doors, gates to equipment and storage rooms, and wall-mounted sports equipment such as wall bars. All wall elements, as well as all installation elements in and on walls, must comply with the safety against ball throwing standard, DIN 18032-3. In addition, impact protection surface systems for walls must meet the requirements of DIN 18032-7, which also defines safety against ball throwing as a requirement.

The test procedure is always similar. The relevant wall elements are divided into categories W1-W3 (German abbreviation) according to the standard, which defines the applicable test procedure referring to the selected ball types for the test and the impact speed at which the test is carried out. A handball and, depending on the category, an additional hockey ball (W2 and W3) is or are shot at the wall element from three different angles with the help of a ball shooting machine. The strength of the shot is precisely calculated in advance based on the distance between the ball shooting machine and the wall element (4.0 m with a tolerance of half a metre), so that the impact speed is always consistently the same as the value specified in the standard. The relevant impact speed is also specified in the standard. When testing with handballs, 30 shots are fired from an angle of 90 degrees, and 12 shots are fired from an angle of 45 degrees from different directions (categories W1-W3). When testing with hockey balls, 4 shots are fired from each of the three angles (categories W2 and W3).

A wall element has been certified as safe against ball throwing if it does not show any serious damage after the ‘attack’ (and this includes even paint chipping or cracks), if neither the product nor parts of it have become loose or fallen off and if the function, safety and stability of the installation are unchanged. In case of doubt, a further series of test shots is carried out on the slightly modified areas. This would be the case with smaller dents, which would still be acceptable depending on their extent. However, it would be optimal if the test carried out was not visible on the product and if its functionality remained unchanged.

ISP GmbH will be happy to test your products, which are to be used as wall elements in a sports hall. In ISP’s certified testing laboratory, our experts will carry out the test specified in the relevant standards and provide you with a professional test report afterwards. Once this has been done and provided that the safety against ball throwing test has been successfully passed, nothing stands in the way of launching your product on the market. Our ISP experts will also be happy to test wall elements that have already been installed in your sports hall on site in accordance with the specifications for categories W1-W3.