ISO 175:2010

Overview

ISO 175:2010 - Plastics - Methods of test for the determination of the effects of immersion in liquid chemicals defines standardized procedures to expose solid plastic specimens to liquid chemicals and to measure the resulting changes. The standard applies to non‑cellular plastics available as moulding/extrusion materials, plates, tubes, rods or sheets thicker than 0.1 mm, and covers complete immersion of the specimen surface. It specifies how to select test liquids, set immersion times and temperatures, condition specimens, and quantify changes in mass, dimensions, appearance and physical properties.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and exclusions
  • Tests are for full‑surface immersion only; not intended to simulate partial or infrequent wetting.
  • Environmental stress cracking (ESC) is excluded (see ISO 22088).
  • Water absorption in isolation is covered by ISO 62; ISO 175 addresses water only when it causes dimensional or property changes.
• Test specimens
  • Preferred specimen size: 60 mm × 60 mm; thermoplastics preferred thickness 1.0–1.1 mm; composites ≥ 2 mm. At least three specimens when no other standard specifies sample size.
• Test liquids and quantity
  • Use analytical‑quality chemicals representative of service liquids; when using technical grades, use one batch for a series.
  • Minimum liquid volume: 8 mL per cm² of specimen surface to avoid concentration changes from extraction.
• Temperatures and immersion times
  • Preferred test temperatures: 23 ±2 °C and 70 ±2 °C; measurement temperature after immersion is 23 ±2 °C.
  • Preferred immersion times: 24 h, 1 week, 16 weeks; additional standard time scales provided for time‑dependent testing.
• Measurements and results
  • Determine changes immediately after removal, and/or after drying (to assess volatile removal or soluble extraction).
  • Methods include determination of mass change, dimensional change, appearance (colour/visual), and other physical properties (mechanical, thermal, optical).
• Conditioning
  • Condition specimens in atmosphere 23/50, class 2 per ISO 291 before testing.

Practical applications and who uses it

ISO 175:2010 is used by:

• Materials engineers and R&D teams assessing chemical resistance of plastics.
• Quality assurance and testing laboratories performing standardized compatibility and durability tests.
• Product designers in automotive, piping, packaging, electrical insulation, and chemical containment who need comparative data on plastics exposed to fuels, lubricants, solvents and industrial chemicals.
• Regulators and specification writers requiring reproducible test methods for procurement and compliance.

Practical benefits include comparable, repeatable data on corrosion, swelling, extraction and property changes to help select materials and predict service behaviour under defined conditions.

Related standards

• ISO 22088 (environmental stress cracking)
• ISO 62 (water absorption)
• ISO 291 (conditioning atmospheres)
• ISO 294-3, ISO 2818, ISO 3126, ISO 4582 (relevant specimen prep and test methods)
• IEC 60296 (insulating oils)