BS 3502 is a series on symbols for plastics and rubber materials. Plastics and rubber materials are both made from the same families of polymers. BS 3502-3 is intended to provide unambiguous symbols for compounding ingredients used in plastics and rubbers. The types of ingredients covered are accelerators and vulcanizing agents, activators and process aids, antioxidants and antiozonants, blowing agents, plasticizers, retarders of vulcanization, and fillers and reinforcing materials for plastics.
The schedule includes, in general, only those symbols that have come into established use, and its aim is both to prevent the occurrence of more than one symbol for a given ingredient and as far as is practicable, to prevent the interpretation of more than one meaning for a given symbol. The symbols are primarily intended to be a convenient shorthand for chemical names in publications and other written matters. They are also suitable for data storage systems.
BS 3502-3 on unambiguous symbols for compounding ingredients is useful for:
The polymers are mixed with a complex blend of materials known as additives. Rubbers are elastomers, these are polymers with elastic properties. This elasticity differentiates rubbers from plastics. BS 3502-3 states that the first appearance of the symbols in texts is enclosed in parentheses and is preceded by the chemical name written in full. Only capital letters shall be used, except where otherwise shown in BS 3502-3. The list comprises the commonly used name or names for each ingredient, followed by the IUPAC2) equivalent where this is available. In cases where IUPAC nomenclature is not available due to uncertainty or ambiguity, an explanation is given in a note. Also in some instances, alternative commonly used chemical names are given where they are recognized. The preferred name is listed first. The commonly used chemical name or the IUPAC name given in BS 3502-3 is referred to when defining each symbol. Using BS 3502-3 you can provide unambiguous symbols for compounding ingredients used in plastics and rubbers.
ISO 1043-2:1988
ISO 1043-3:1988