This document specifies the methods to be used in determining the properties of poly(vinyl alcohol), which is normally prepared by hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate) and whose composition comprises vinyl alcohol monomeric units and vinyl acetate monomeric units. This document is applicable to poly(vinyl alcohol) with a vinyl alcohol unit content (degree of hydrolysis) from 70 mol% to 100 mol%.

In addition to the designatory properties specified in ISO 15023-1 (degree of hydrolysis and viscosity of an aqueous solution), this document includes a number of other properties which are commonly used to specify PVAL materials (see Table 1).