ISO 4619:2018

Overview

ISO 4619:2018 - Driers for paints and varnishes specifies requirements and corresponding test methods for driers (also called siccatifs) used in paints, varnishes and related products. It applies to driers supplied in solid or liquid form and explicitly excludes emulsifiable driers. The 2018 third edition updates test details and removes the previous lead determination; it is intended for use by manufacturers, laboratories and specifiers involved in coating formulation and quality control.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 4619 covers both descriptive and analytical requirements, including:

• Types: Definitions and descriptions of solid driers (hard, soft, powder) and liquid driers (solutions in organic solvents, e.g., white spirit).
• Composition: Typical metals used (cobalt, manganese, zinc, calcium, cerium/rare earths, iron, zirconium, vanadium, barium, aluminium, strontium, etc.) and common acids (fatty acids, tall-oil, resinic, naphthenic, 2‑ethylhexanoic and related acids).
• Safety note: Emphasis on handling risks - particularly heavy‑metal hazards - and that tests are to be performed by qualified personnel.
• Physical and chemical tests for solid and liquid driers, such as:
  • Appearance and consistency
  • Colour
  • Solubility/miscibility in solvents or drying media
  • Stability of solution
  • Suspended solid matter
  • Volatile matter
  • Acidity (including ion‑exchange based titration procedures)
  • Viscosity (for liquid driers)
• Metal content determination:
  • Methods for single-metal driers (EDTA titrations for cobalt, manganese, zinc, calcium, zirconium; iodometric for iron; gravimetric/acidimetric for barium)
  • Methods for mixed-metal driers
• Sampling and test report requirements to ensure traceability and consistency.

Practical applications and users

Who uses ISO 4619:

• Coatings manufacturers and raw‑material suppliers - for product specification and release testing.
• QC/analytical laboratories - to verify physical properties, metal content and conformity.
• Formulation chemists - to select appropriate driers based on metal type and compatibility.
• Procurement and regulatory teams - to specify acceptance criteria and document compliance.

Practical uses:

• Routine quality control of paint driers
• Verification of metal content and purity in siccatives
• Acceptance testing for incoming materials and supplier audits
• Supporting safety assessments for heavy‑metal content in coatings

Related standards

ISO 4619 references and aligns with other ISO documents, including:

• ISO 150 (linseed oil)
• ISO 1523, ISO 2592 (flash/fire point)
• ISO 2811-1 (density)
• ISO 3251 (non-volatile matter)
• ISO 3696 (laboratory water)
• ISO 4618 (terms and definitions)
• ISO 15528 (sampling)

Keywords: ISO 4619, driers for paints and varnishes, paint driers, test methods, metal content, solid driers, liquid driers, quality control.