# Durability
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{{Short description|Ability of a product to continue to function}}
{{About|the physical property|the database property|Durability (database systems)|the cognitive bias|Durability bias}}
[[File:MER No.6.jpg|thumb|The [Manx Electric Railway](/source/Manx_Electric_Railway) on the [Isle of Man](/source/Isle_of_Man) still operates with its original tramcars and trailers, all of which are over one hundred years old, the latest dating from 1906.]]
'''Durability''' is the ability of a physical [product](/source/product_(business)) to remain functional, without requiring excessive [maintenance](/source/maintenance_(technical)) or repair, when faced with the challenges of normal operation over its [design lifetime](/source/design_life).[{{Cite journal|last=Cooper|first=Tim|year=1994|title=Beyond Recycling: The longer life option|url=https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24666/1/201125_7266%20Cooper%20Publisher.pdf|journal=The New Economics Foundation, Whitechapel Road, London|pages=5}}]{{rp|5}} There are several measures of durability in use, including years of life, hours of use, and number of operational cycles.[{{Cite book|title=Longer Lasting Products: alternatives to the throwaway society|last=Stahel|first=Walter|publisher=Gower|year=2010|isbn=978-0-566-08808-7|editor-last=Cooper|editor-first=Tim|location=Farnham|chapter=Durability, Function and Performance}}] In [economics](/source/economics), goods with a long [usable life](/source/service_life) are referred to as [durable good](/source/durable_good)s.
Because there is no objective measure of durability for clothing, [price](/source/price) has become an important indicator.[{{cite journal |last1=Guo |first1=Yue |last2=Morris |first2=Kate E. |last3=Sumner |first3=Mark |last4=Taylor |first4=Mark |date=March 2025 |title=A framework for measuring physical garment durability |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666784324000780 |journal=Cleaner and Responsible Consumption |volume=16 |doi=10.1016/j.clrc.2024.100245 |access-date=|doi-access=free }}]
== Requirements for product durability ==
thumb|upright|Durability test in Japan, 2010
Product durability is predicated by good [repairability](/source/repairability) and [regenerability](/source/Regenerative_design) in conjunction with [maintenance](/source/Maintenance_(technical)).[{{Cite book|author=J. Lienig|author2=H. Bruemmer|title=Fundamentals of Electronic Systems Design|pages=201–203|chapter=New Design Strategy – Product Durability|publisher=Springer International Publishing|date=2017|isbn=978-3-319-55839-4|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-55840-0}}] Every durable product must be capable of adapting to technical, technological and design developments.[ This must be accompanied by a willingness on the part of consumers to forgo having the "very latest" version of a product.
In the United Kingdom, durability as a characteristic relating to the quality of goods that can be demanded by consumers was not clearly established until an amendment of the [Sale of Goods Act 1979](/source/Sale_of_Goods_Act_1979) relating to the quality standards for supplied goods in 1994.][{{Cite book|title=Longer Lasting Products: alternatives to the throwaway society|last=Ervine|first=Cowan|publisher=Gower|year=2010|isbn=978-0-566-08808-7|editor-last=Cooper|editor-first=Tim|location=Farnham|pages=187–188|chapter=Durability and the Law}}]
[Reliability testing](/source/Reliability_testing) verifies the resistance of a product or material to [wear](/source/wear_and_tear).[{{cite web |date=22 October 2024 |title=What is Durability Testing |url=https://fdm-makers.com/en/what-is-the-durability-test/ |website=FDM Environment Makers |access-date=25 February 2025}}] Common tests evaluate fatigue, abrasion, corrosion and exposure to environmental conditions.[{{Cite journal|last=Cooper|first=Tim|year=1994|title=The durability of consumer durables|journal=Business Strategy and the Environment|volume=3|issue=1|pages=23–30|doi=10.1002/bse.3280030103|url=https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/8822/1/NPS_1086a_Cooper.pdf}}] Longer product life spans can contribute to eco-efficiency and sufficiency, thus slowing consumption in order to progress towards a sustainable level of consumption.[{{Cite journal|last=Cooper|first=Tim|year=2005|title=Slower Consumption Reflections on Product Life Spans and the "Throwaway Society"|journal=Journal of Industrial Ecology|volume=9|issue=1–2|pages=51–67|doi=10.1162/1088198054084671|url=https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/994/1/NPS_1081a_Cooper.pdf|doi-access=free|bibcode=2005JInEc...9...51C }}] Cooper (2005) proposed a model to demonstrate the crucial role of [product lifespan](/source/product_lifespan)s to [sustainable production](/source/sustainable_production) and consumption.