ISO 5630-3:1996

Overview

ISO 5630-3:1996 - "Paper and board - Accelerated ageing - Part 3: Moist heat treatment at 80 °C and 65 % relative humidity" specifies a standardized procedure for simulating long-term aging of paper and board by exposing samples to moist heat (80 °C, 65 % RH). The method is intended primarily for printing and writing papers but may be applied with caution to other paper and board types. It replaces the first edition and provides a repeatable test to assess changes in mechanical, chemical and optical properties that occur with age.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Test conditions: exposure at (80 ± 0.5) °C and (65 ± 1) % RH in the dark to avoid light-induced effects.
• Sample sets: prepare five series of specimens; suspend four series in the ageing chamber and keep the fifth in the dark as a control.
• Exposure times: remove one series after 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 144 h of moist heat exposure.
• Apparatus: controlled ageing chambers or oil baths with air circulation; commonly implemented using two oil baths (one at 69.7 °C to saturate air and a second at 80 °C) plus humidifiers and circulation to ensure accurate temperature and RH. Specifications include humidity saturators, pumps for oil circulation and heated air lines to prevent condensation.
• Preconditioning and conditioning: precondition samples according to ISO 187 (standard conditioning atmosphere) and sample/selection per ISO 186. After ageing, precondition treated and untreated series per ISO 187 and store in a desiccator (10–35 % RH) until testing.
• Measurements and reporting: compare chosen properties (mechanical, optical, chemical) before and after ageing. Provide means, standard deviations, percent retention, and any statistical tests; include full test-report details (references, sample ID, treatment duration, temperature/RH, deviations).

Applications and users

ISO 5630-3 is used to:

• Evaluate durability and ageing behaviour of printing and writing papers.
• Support quality control and R&D for paper manufacturers and converters.
• Provide accelerated aging evidence for archivists, conservators, and cultural heritage laboratories assessing long-term stability of paper artifacts.
• Inform material selection for packaging, publications and documentation where longevity matters. Typical users: testing laboratories, paper mills, conservators, archivists, standards bodies and buyers requiring reproducible accelerated ageing data.

Related standards

• ISO 186 - Sampling of paper and board
• ISO 187 - Conditioning and testing atmospheres for paper, board and pulp
• Other parts of ISO 5630 addressing dry heat and different heat regimes

Keywords: ISO 5630-3, accelerated ageing, moist heat treatment, paper and board testing, 80°C 65% RH, paper durability, conditioning, paper ageing.