ISO 17895:2024

Overview

ISO 17895:2024 - Paints and varnishes - Determination of volatile organic compound (VOC) - Gas‑chromatographic method with headspace injection for VOC determination - specifies a laboratory method for quantifying very low VOC contents in coating materials and their raw materials. The standard covers VOCs defined as organic compounds with boiling points up to 250 °C (measured at standard conditions, 101 325 kPa) and is applicable to VOC contents between 0.01 % and 0.1 % by mass. The method uses headspace gas chromatography (HS‑GC) with headspace injection, surrogate standards and marker compound retention‑time cut‑offs to determine total VOC content.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and limits: Intended for low‑VOC coatings; not applicable to semi‑volatile organic compounds (SVOC) or volatile compounds not amenable to GC. SVOC determination is covered by ISO 11890‑2.
• Analysis principle: Small aliquots of a thinned sample are heated (example heating to 150 °C in a septum‑sealed vial) to vaporize VOCs into the headspace, then injected into a non‑polar capillary GC column; all peaks with retention times shorter than the marker compound (tetradecane, b.p. 250 °C) are integrated.
• Quantification strategy: Uses multiple standard additions of a surrogate standard (four concentration levels) to calculate VOC mass based on the surrogate response factor. For series with consistent matrices, external standard calibration is permitted.
• Apparatus and conditions: Requires a GC with a headspace injector (preferably automatic sample changer) and an oven capable of 40–300 °C operation. Instrument components contacting samples must be chemically resistant.
• Reporting and calculation: Methods cover VOC content expressed as % by mass and g/L for the product “ready for use.” The standard describes sample preparation, analysis, integration end‑point and precision metrics.

Applications and who uses it

• Quality control and batch release testing in paint, varnish and coatings manufacturers
• Raw material screening by suppliers and formulators to ensure low‑VOC formulations
• Environmental and compliance laboratories verifying product declarations and regulatory limits
• R&D and product development teams optimizing low‑VOC formulations
• Procurement and specification teams requiring standardized VOC test results for supplier audits

Related standards

• ISO 11890‑2 - Determination of SVOC content (semi‑volatile organics)
• ISO/TR 5601 - Procedure to identify appropriate methods for VOC/SVOC determination
• ISO 2811 series and ISO 3696 - referenced laboratory methods for density and water quality used in related calculations

ISO 17895:2024 is essential when precise, reproducible measurement of very low VOC levels in coatings is required, enabling consistent product claims, regulatory compliance and formulation control using headspace GC techniques.