BS EN ISO 11890-2:2020

What is ISO 11890-2 about?  

ISO 11890 discusses paints and varnishes. ISO 11890-2 is the second part of the ISO 11890 multi-series. ISO 11890-2 guides you to determine the VOC and SVOC with an expected VOC and/or SVOC content greater than 0,01 % by mass up to 100 % by mass.  

The method given in ISO 11890-1 is used when the VOC is greater than 15 % by mass. ISO 118902 applies when the system contains VOC and SVOC as the VOC result of ISO 11890-1 can be influenced by the SVOC. For VOC content smaller than 0,1 %, the headspace method described in ISO 17895 is used as an alternative. ISO 11890-1 and ISO 17895 cannot be used for the determination of the SVOC content. 

Note 1: Some ingredients of coating materials and their raw materials can decompose during analysis and cause artificial VOC and/or SVOC signals. When determining VOC and/or SVOC for coating materials and their raw materials, these signals are artefacts of the method and are not considered. 

Note 2: If organic acids or bases and their corresponding salts are present in the coating material or its raw materials, the amount that is quantified by this method might not be accurate due to a change in the acid or base equilibrium. 

Note 3: The method defined in ISO 11890-2 is not applicable for the determination of water content. 

Who is ISO 11890-2 for? 

ISO 11890-2 on paints and varnishes is useful for: 

• Paint Manufacturers 
• Raw material suppliers for the paint industry 

Why should you use ISO 11890-2?  

The quality of raw materials influences the quality of the finished product. Gas chromatography (GC) is an analytical technique used to separate the chemical components of a sample mixture and then detect them to determine their presence or absence and/or how many are present. 

ISO 11890-2 specifies a method for the determination of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) content and the semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) content of coating materials and their raw materials.  

Using the method described in ISO 11890-2 helps you to ensure that your products are compliant with all applicable health and safety standards.

What’s changed since the last update?  

BS EN ISO 11890-2:2020 supersedes BS EN ISO 11890-2:2013, which is withdrawn. BS EN ISO 11890-2:2020 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN ISO 11890-2:2013. These include: 

• The scope has been expanded to include the determination of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) 
• The scope has been expanded to include concentration ranges from 0,01 % to 100 % 
• The specifications for the determination of semi-volatile organic compounds have been added