Designation: D 332 – 87 (Reapproved 1997)e1

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS

100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM

Standard Test Method for

Relative Tinting Strength of White Pigments by Visual
Observation1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 332; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

e1 NOTE—Editorial changes were made throughout in September 1997.

1. Scope matched. The weight of the tinting pigment is used to calculate

1.1 This test method describes the procedure for determin- relative tinting strength.
ing the relative tinting strength of white pigments by visual 4. Significance and Use
assessment of blue tints.
1.2 This test method is applicable only for comparing the 4.1 This test method is used as a referee method and for
test pigment with a reference standard of the same type and quality control. The vehicle (oil) for preparing the dispersions
grade. and the tinting pigment (ultramarine blue) are specified but
other vehicles and tinting pigments can be used. Any such
NOTE 1—ASTM Test Method D 2745 describes a procedure for instru- changes in the test method must be agreed upon between the
mental evaluation of black tinted samples.
purchaser and the seller.
1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded 4.2 The results obtained with a muller do not necessarily
as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for agree with an industrial situation where different dispersing
information only. conditions exist. However, dispersing with a muller is a fast
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the and relatively inexpensive way of testing tinting strength for
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the routine quality control.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- 5. Apparatus
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 5.1 Balance, laboratory-type, sensitive to 0.1 mg, equipped
with a counter-balanced watch glass.
2. Referenced Documents 5.2 Buret, 1-mL capacity, stopcock controlled, graduated in
2.1 ASTM Standards: 0.1-mL divisions, or other suitable dispensing apparatus with a
D 262 Specification for Ultramarine Blue Pigment2 delivery accurate to 0.05 mL.
D 2745 Test Method for Relative Tinting Strength of White 5.3 Glass Hand Muller—A weighted glass hand muller with
Pigments by Reflectance Measurements3 beveled edge having a total weight of 15 lb (6.8 kg) and a
grinding face of from 23⁄4 to 3 in. (70 to 75 mm) in diameter.
3. Summary of Test Method The face shall be free of blowholes and other imperfections and
3.1 Specified amounts of white pigment and blue tinting kept roughened by lightly grinding with No. 303 optical emery,
pigment are dispersed together in oil using a glass hand muller or its equivalent, and turpentine.
or an automatic muller. Both the test and standard pigments are 5.4 Rubbing Surface—A ground glass plate, at least 14 by
treated identically. The pastes are drawn-down together on a 20 in. (355 by 510 mm), the surface of which is kept roughened
panel and visually assessed for tinting strength. To obtain a by lightly grinding with No. 303 optical emery, or its equiva-
numerical rating of tinting strength, dispersions with the lent, and turpentine.
standard white pigment and more or less of the tinting pigment 5.5 Automatic Muller, automatic,4 equipped with a weight
are made until the lightness of the test pigment paste is that exerts a permanent 50-lbf (220-N) force and an additional
weight exerting a 50-lbf making a total of 100-lbf (445-N). The
two glass plates shall be kept sharp by removing from the
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-1 on Paint
and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications and is the direct responsibility of
4
Subcommittee D01.26 on Optical Properties. The sole source of supply of the muller known to the committee at this time is
Current edition approved Nov. 27, 1987. Published January 1988. Originally Hoover Color Corp., P. O. Box 218, Hiwassee, VA 24347. If you are aware of
published as D 332 – 31 T. Last previous edition D 332– 64 (1980). alternative suppliers, please provide this information to ASTM Headquarters. Your
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.03. comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the responsible
3
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01. technical committee,1 which you may attend.

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 D 332
machine and grinding them face-to-face with No. 303 optical smooth the surface of the pastes (here called “draw-downs”) by
emery or equivalent, and water. drawing the scraper lightly over the pastes to give a straight
5.6 Spatula—A flexible spatula having a chromium-plated and even line of contact between them. Keep the drawn-downs
or plastic blade 3 to 6 in. (75 to 150 mm) long. sufficiently thick to obscure the panel.
5.7 Panels of bright tin, glass, or white-lacquered card- 7.4 Immediately examine the draw-downs of the two pastes,
board. on the top side only, for relative lightness of tint. If the sample
5.8 Scraper—A French scraper or stiff scraping knife hav- is lighter than the reference standard it has greater tinting
ing a blade that is about 3 or 4 in. (75 to 100 mm) wide with strength. If the sample differs appreciably from the reference
a straight edge. standard in lightness of tint, and if a numerical rating is desired,
prepare other pastes of the reference standard white pigment
6. Materials using different amounts of the tinting material. Make a draw-
6.1 Tinting Material—Ultramarine blue conforming to down of the sample paste with each standard as described in
Specification D 262 or a grade agreed upon by the purchaser 7.3. Select the draw-down in which the standard pigment paste
and the seller. most closely matches the test pigment paste in lightness. Use
6.2 Oil—Refined linseed oil with an acid number of ap- the weight of tinting material in this method to calculate the
proximately 4. tinting strength of the test pigment.
6.3 Reference Standard—A standard white pigment of the
same type and grade as the pigment to be tested, as agreed 8. Procedure B—Automatic Muller
upon between the purchaser and the seller. 8.1 In order to minimize the effect of the difference in
grinding of the area near the center of the plates as compared
7. Procedure A—Glass Hand Muller to the area near the periphery of the plates, draw two concentric
7.1 Weigh 2 g of the standard white pigment and the amount circles under the base plate of the muller in such a way that
of ultramarine blue listed in Table 1 to 62 mg. Transfer the they show clearly through the plate. These circles can be drawn
weighed portions of white and blue pigments to the ground- either on a paper inserted under the plate, or drawn directly on
glass plate. Add the amount of oil specified in Table 1 from the the bottom of the plate. The inner circle should be 21⁄2 in. (63
buret (Note). Be sure to allow the buret to drain to its true level mm) in diameter and the outer circle 41⁄2 in. (115.3 mm) in
because variations in the amount of oil decrease the precision diameter.
of the test. Work the pigments and oil into a paste with the 8.2 Carefully weigh the pigment as described in 7.1, trans-
spatula; then rub up the paste with the glass hand muller, ferring the pigment to the base plate of the muller. Add the oil
spreading it over an area 3 to 4 in. (75 to 100 mm) wide and and work the pigment and oil into a paste with the spatula.
from 12 to 15 in. (305 to 380 mm) long. In counting the rubs, Distribute the paste within the area between the two concentric
one stroke up and one stroke back is considered one rub. Allow circles on the plate, close the muller, and add a 50-lb (23-kg)
the muller to travel up one side and back the other side, weight (to make a total weight of 100 lb (45 kg)) pressing the
twisting it slightly at the top and bottom of each stroke. After plates together. Carry out three mulling stages of 50 revolu-
each 25 rubs with the muller, “pick up” the paste with the tions each, collecting the paste from both plates with the
spatula by scraping the face of the muller and gathering the spatula after each stage, spreading it around the path on the
paste on the slab into a mound. Repeat until the paste has been lower plate and wiping the spatula on the upper plate as before.
given 100 rubs. 8.3 Continue the treatment of the paste of the test and
standard pigments as described in 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4.
NOTE 2—Where the resulting paste is too fluid or too thick for mulling,
adjust the quantity of oil to give a workable paste and prepare a new paste, 9. Calculation
mulling as before. Report the amount of oil used.
9.1 Calculate the tinting strength of the sample as follows:
7.2 Work 2 g of the test pigment in exactly the same manner
TS 5 ~B/A! 3 T
as prescribed in 7.1 for the standard, using the same amount of
tinting material and oil. where:
7.3 Spread the paste of the standard and test pigments in TS 5 tinting strength of the test pigment, lbf (or N),
parallel contiguous rectangular areas on the panel, each about A 5 weight of tinting material used with standard to give
1 in. (25 mm) wide and 2 in. (50 mm) long. Use the scraper to equality of tint, g,
B 5 weight of tinting material used with test sample, g,
and
TABLE 1 Quantities of Materials for Tinting Strength Tests
T 5 arbitrary tinting strength value given to the standard.
Weight of
Weight of
Ultramarine Amount of
Pigment Type Pigment,
Blue Tinting Oil, mL
g 10. Precision and Bias
Pigment, g
White Lead 2 0.2 0.5 10.1 The precision and bias are to be determined.
Zinc oxide 2 0.2 0.7
Zinc oxide, leaded 2 0.2 0.5
Titanium dioxide
11. Keywords
(anatase) 2 0.4 1.0 11.1 tinting strength; white pigments; white pigment
(rutile) 2 0.4 0.9
strength; visual

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 D 332
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if not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standards
and should be addressed to ASTM Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the responsible
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views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.