Ball-impact resistant to DIN 18032-⁠3: meaning and proof

DIN 18032-⁠3 describes how ball-impact resistance is tested. The component is installed and shot at with a ball-firing machine. Afterwards neither the component nor its substructure may have lost strength, function or safety. Since the 2023 edition there are categories with different impact speeds for ceiling and wall elements.

The current edition is from July 2026. It replaces the December 2023 edition and specifies, among other things, how the results are evaluated and what the test report must state about luminaires.

The DIN 18032 series of standards applies to halls and rooms for sport and multi-purpose use. Part 3 covers all elements in the hall interior that can be hit by basketballs, faustballs, footballs, handballs, hockey balls, medicine balls, prellballs, tennis balls and volleyballs. Shot puts are excluded.

The standard concerns far more than the lighting:

• Wall and ceiling cladding
• Doors and windows
• Ventilation grilles
• Luminaires
• Switches, sockets and clocks

licht.de calls for ball-impact resistant luminaires for sports halls and for tennis, squash and ice skating halls.

DIN standards are in principle voluntary. They become binding when they become part of a contract or the legislator prescribes them. In practice, ball-impact resistance still plays a firm role: the VBG checklist for sports halls of sports clubs asks about it for the ceiling, walls, built-in components and luminaires, and so does the checklist for school sports halls in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

You should therefore state the requirement early in the tender and in the contract. That makes clear which proof must be available at acceptance.

The statement “ball-impact resistant” in a catalogue alone does not show what was tested. Ask for the test report and look out for these points:

• Standard and edition: DIN 18032-⁠3 with issue date
• Product tested: type and mounting match what is installed in your hall
• For ceiling and wall elements: the category tested
• For luminaires: the statement whether the tests under DIN EN IEC 60598-1 were carried out or must be proven separately
• Changes after the test: described in writing and documented with photos
• Test laboratory: the requirements for test laboratories are in DIN 18032-⁠301

The 2026 edition also contains an informative annex on the possible marking of tested luminaires by the manufacturer. Because it is only informative, you should not rely on a marking alone and should also require the test report.

The IK code under DIN EN 62262 classifies how well an enclosure for electrical equipment is protected against external mechanical stress. DIN 18032-⁠3, by contrast, tests installed components with balls from a ball-firing machine. These are different tests with their own proofs. An IK value therefore cannot tell you whether a luminaire has passed the test under DIN 18032-⁠3.