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What are the Common UV Testing Standards？
UV Testing Standards
Why UV Tested is need?
There are many international, national and industry specific test standards that are applicable to UV weathering of materials. A small selection of these are summarised in the table below along with a brief description of their relevance.
In general all of the test methods call up one or both of the main UV testing methods i.e. fluorescent bulb or Xenon arc type testing. The standards generally lay down the equipment type and the various control parameters. They also give either definitive or suggested test cycles or options of various cycles to be used. These will typically vary on the following parameters:
UV intensity, profile of UV spectrum, duration of UV or total energy, moisture cycle and type of application, temperature or temperature of black panel or reference panels, angle of sample relative to source and distance from source.
Often the standards do not specify the duration of the exposure or the assessment criteria for pass or fail. These are often indicated in the specific product standard or relevant industry standard. If your product or industry does not have a relevant standard then we can assist you identifying a relevant test regime.
Most European clients find ISO 4892 a suitable standard and most American clients will test in accordance with ASTM G153.
Applicable UV Testing Standards
| Standard | Description |
| ISO 4892-3 | Test for duplicating Weathering Effects |
| SAE J2020 | UV testing assesses the resistance of automotive exterior materials after an accelerated weathering |
| ISO 4892-2 | Weathering Effects on Plastic Materials |
| SAE J1960 | Accelerated Exposure of Automotive |
| ASTM G23 | Standard Practice for Operating Light-Exposure Apparatus (Carbon-Arc Type) with and without Water for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials |
| ISO 4582 | Determination of changes in colour and variations in properties after exposure to daylight under glass, natural weathering or laboratory light sources |
| ASTM G154 cycles 1-6 | Standard Practice for Operating Fluorescent Ultraviolet (UV) Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials |
| Ford DVM0067MA | Test methods for determining lightfastness at high temperature and their influence on dye and chemical recommendations |
| LUL E4156 clause 11.10 | Testing methods and associated performance requirements relating to cables |
| SAE J2527 | UV testing and Automotive testing. |
| ASTM D570 | Standard Test Method for Water Absorption of Plastics |
| ISO 4892-1 | Plastics — Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources — Part 1: General guidance |
| JIS B7754 | Light-Exposure and Light-and-Water-Exposure Apparatus (Xenon-Arc Lamp Type) |
Further Study
Ultra violet (UV) light accounts for around 5% of the sunlight received on the earth's surface (see solar irradiance spectrum below) and falls in the waveband 100-400µm. There are three UV bands (A, B and C) with wavelengths 400-320µm, 320-280µm and 100-280µm respectively. UV radiation interacts with bonds in polymers (plastics & rubbers) which can lead to degradation of the polymer chains and most damage occurs in the 290-400µm range. This degradation can lead to cracking, chalking, colour changes and loss of mechanical properties, all of which must be monitored if the polymeric material is destined for an application outside.