ISO 14145-2:1998

Overview

ISO 14145-2:1998 defines minimum quality requirements and test methods for roller ball pens and refills intended for documentary use (DOC). This part of ISO 14145 complements ISO 14145-1 (general use) by adding requirements aimed at ensuring legibility, long-term handling and storage of records, and resistance to attempts at modification or falsification. The standard is intended for manufacturers, test laboratories, archives and procurement specialists seeking pens and refills suitable for evidentiary and archival documents.

Key Topics

• Scope and purpose: Establishes minimum quality and specific performance requirements for documentary roller ball pens and refills. Basic general-use requirements are covered in ISO 14145-1.

• Resistance tests: The standard requires written lines to remain visible after a series of challenge tests. Tests included are:

  • Erasure resistance - surface damage must appear before a written line is rendered invisible.
  • Ethanol resistance - immersion in 50 % aqueous ethanol.
  • Hydrochloric acid resistance - immersion in 10 % aqueous HCl.
  • Ammonium hydroxide resistance - immersion in 10 % aqueous ammonium hydroxide.
  • Bleaching resistance - immersion in a freshly made 3 % aqueous chloramin T solution.
  • Water resistance - extended immersion in distilled or de‑ionized water.
  • Light resistance - exposure compared with blue wool references (ISO 105-B02 and ISO 105-A02).

• Test procedures and conditions: The document references ISO 14145-1 for general sampling, climatic conditions and many apparatus requirements. Specific immersion times and post‑treatment rinses are specified for each additional test.

• Designation and marking: Product designation must include the description block, the part number (ISO 14145-2), type/tip classification and the DOC indicator. Example: Roller ball pen [ISO 14145-2](/search?q=ISO%2014145-2) M DOC. Marking must identify manufacturer/trademark, designation and manufacturing date or batch number.

• Test reporting: Required report elements include reference to ISO 14145-2, test date/place, sample identification, variable test conditions, results, any deviations and tester signature.

Applications

• Procurement of pens and refills for legal, archival and evidentiary document preparation.
• Quality control for manufacturers producing archival-quality inks and refills.
• Laboratory testing to verify resistance to erasure, solvents, acids, bases, bleach, water and light.
• Archival and records management policies that specify writing instruments for long-term preservation.

Related Standards

• ISO 14145-1:1998 - Roller ball pens and refills: General use (referenced for general requirements, sampling and test apparatus).
• ISO 12756:1998 - Vocabulary for ball point and roller ball pens (definitions used by this part).
• ISO 105-A02 / ISO 105-B02 - Colour fastness and light exposure references used in light resistance testing.

For procurement, testing and archival planning, ISO 14145-2 provides a practical framework to ensure roller ball pens produce legible, durable and tamper‑resistant records suitable for long-term documentary use.