ISO 17895:2005

Overview - ISO 17895:2005 (Paints and varnishes, in‑can VOC)

ISO 17895:2005 specifies a gas‑chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of volatile organic compound (VOC) content in low‑VOC water‑based emulsion (latex) paints - the so‑called in‑can VOC. The method covers organic compounds with boiling points up to 250 °C (at 101,325 kPa) and is applicable to VOC contents from 0.01 % to 0.1 % by mass. The standard is intended primarily to qualify low‑VOC emulsion paints rather than for routine production quality control.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and limits: VOCs defined as organic compounds boiling ≤ 250 °C; analytical range 0.01–0.1 % (mass).
• Analytical principle: Full‑evaporation headspace GC - a microlitre amount of diluted paint is heated so nearly all VOCs migrate to the vapour phase, then analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with flame‑ionization detector (FID) or mass‑selective detector (MSD).
• Standard addition: Uses a multiple standard‑addition approach with a prepared stock reference compound mixture (typical components listed in the standard include diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, butanol, styrene, vinyl acetate, etc.) to calculate VOC content from average response factors.
• Integration end point: Retention time of tetradecane (bp ≈ 252.6 °C) defines the integration cutoff for VOCs.
• Sample prep & testing protocol: Dilute 10 g paint with 10 g citrate buffer (pH 5), prepare triplicate aliquots without additions and triplicates at four standard‑addition levels, weigh ~15 mg test portions into septum vials, headspace at 150 °C, transfer to a non‑polar capillary column (recommended 30 m, 0.32 mm ID, 95 % dimethylsilicone) with programmed oven conditions (examples provided).
• Apparatus & reagents: Heated headspace injector, capillary column as above, high‑purity carrier gases, tetradecane, polymerization inhibitor, and grade 1 water.
• Intended use: Method for product qualification and interlaboratory comparability; not optimized for routine high‑throughput QC.

Applications and users

• Paint and coatings manufacturers assessing and certifying low‑VOC emulsion paint formulations.
• Independent testing laboratories performing product qualification, regulatory compliance checks and interlaboratory comparisons.
• Regulatory bodies and environmental health labs verifying VOC claims and meeting emissions/labeling requirements.
• R&D teams optimizing formulations to meet VOC limits and to validate low‑VOC claims.

Related standards

• ISO 11890‑1 and ISO 11890‑2 (methods for higher VOC ranges),
• ISO 2811 series (density determination),
• ISO 3696 (water for analytical use),
• ISO 15528 (sampling of paints and varnishes).

Keywords: ISO 17895, low‑VOC emulsion paints, in‑can VOC, gas chromatography, headspace GC, VOC content, standard addition, tetradecane.