BS EN 319 identifies the perpendicular tensile strength properties of chipboard, fiberboard, and particle board, which are engineered materials made by gluing wood chips or wood particles together with an adhesive under high pressure. The perpendicular tensile strength test serves to measure the strength of the internal bonding within the material.  This testing is especially important considering many of these materials are formed through the adhesion of multiple layers of material.

In principle, the test involves bonding specimen blocks to the top and bottom surfaces of the test specimen with a suitable adhesive. The upper loading fixture should be self-aligning, and the specimen blocks should be 50 mm square and made from steel or aluminum alloy.  The standard dictates that both grips should be self-aligned, necessitating the use of a flexible tension coupling.  The loading fixtures, which grip the specimen blocks, are attached to the test machine and tension is applied perpendicular to specimen surface until the specimen fails. The only calculation required is for the tensile strength.