INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 1874-1

Third edition
2010-11-15

Plastics — Polyamide (PA) moulding and

extrusion materials —
Part 1:
Designation system and basis for
specification

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Plastiques — Matériaux polyamides (PA) pour moulage et extrusion —
Partie 1: Système de désignation et base de spécification
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ISO 1874-1:2010
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Reference number
ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

© ISO 2010
ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

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Contents Page

Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................iv
1 Scope ......................................................................................................................................................1
2 Normative references............................................................................................................................1
3 Designation system...............................................................................................................................2
3.1 General ...................................................................................................................................................2
3.2 Data block 1 ...........................................................................................................................................2
3.3 Data block 2 ...........................................................................................................................................5
3.4 Data block 3 ...........................................................................................................................................5
3.5 Data block 4 ...........................................................................................................................................8
3.6 Data block 5 ...........................................................................................................................................9
4 Examples of designations ....................................................................................................................9
4.1 Designation only....................................................................................................................................9
4.2 Designation transformed into a specification ..................................................................................11
Annex A (normative) Definition and designation of polyamides ..................................................................13
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................................15
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ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

ISO 1874-1 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 9, Thermoplastic
materials.
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This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 1874-1:1992), which has been technically
revised. (standards.iteh.ai)
ISO 1874 consists of the following parts, under the general title Plastics — Polyamide (PA) moulding and
extrusion materials: ISO 1874-1:2010
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⎯ Part 1: Designation system and basis for specifications

⎯ Part 2: Preparation of test specimens and determination of properties

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

Plastics — Polyamide (PA) moulding and extrusion materials —

Part 1:
Designation system and basis for specification

1 Scope
This part of ISO 1874 establishes a system of designation for polyamide (PA) thermoplastic materials, which
may be used as the basis for specifications.

It covers polyamide homopolymers for moulding and extrusion based on PA 6, PA 66, PA 69, PA 610,
PA 612, PA 11, PA 12, PA MXD6, PA 46, PA 1212, PA 4T, PA 6T and PA 9T and copolyamides of various
compositions for moulding and extrusion.

The types of polyamide plastic are differentiated from each other by a classification system based on
appropriate levels of the designatory properties
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a) viscosity number,
(standards.iteh.ai)
b) tensile modulus of elasticity and
ISO 1874-1:2010
c) presence of nucleating agent,
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and on information about chemical structure, intended application, method of processing, important properties,
additives, colour, fillers and reinforcing materials.

The designation system is applicable to all polyamide homopolymers and copolymers. It applies to materials
ready for normal use, unmodified and modified by colorants, additives, fillers, reinforcing materials, polymer
modifiers, etc.

This part of ISO 1874 does not apply to monomer casting-type polyamides of PA 6 and PA 12.

It is not intended to imply that materials having the same designation give necessarily the same performance.
This part of ISO 1874 does not provide engineering data, performance data or data on processing conditions
which may be required to specify a material for a particular application and/or method of processing. If such
additional properties are required, they shall be determined in accordance with the test methods specified in
ISO 1874-2, if suitable.

In order to specify a thermoplastic material for a particular application or reproducible processing, additional
requirements may be given in data block 5 (see 3.1 and 3.6).

2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.

ISO 307, Plastics — Polyamides — Determination of viscosity number

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ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

ISO 527-2, Plastics — Determination of tensile properties — Part 2: Test conditions for moulding and
extrusion plastics

ISO 1874-2, Plastics — Polyamide (PA) moulding and extrusion materials — Part 2: Preparation of test
specimens and determination of properties

3 Designation system

3.1 General

The designation system for thermoplastics is based on the following standardized pattern:

Designation
Identity block
Description
International Individual-item block
block
(optional) Standard number Data block Data block Data block Data block Data block
block 1 2 3 4 5

The designation consists of an optional description block, reading “Thermoplastics”, and an identity block
comprising the International Standard number and an individual-item block. For unambiguous designation, the
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individual-item block is subdivided into five data blocks comprising the following information:

⎯ Data block 1: Identification of the (standards.iteh.ai)

plastic by its abbreviated term (PA), and information about the
chemical structure and composition (see 3.2).
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⎯ Data block 2: Positionhttps://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/a0d6d029-d1b9-4227-a817-
1: Intended application and/or method of processing (see 3.3).
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Positions 2 to 8: Important properties, additives and supplementary information (see 3.3).

⎯ Data block 3: Designatory properties (see 3.4).

⎯ Data block 4: Fillers or reinforcing materials and their nominal content (see 3.5).

⎯ Data block 5: For the purpose of specifications, a fifth data block containing additional information may
be added (see 3.6). The kind of information and the code-letters used are not the subject of this part of
ISO 1874.

The first character of the individual-item block shall be a hyphen.

The five data blocks shall be separated from each other by a comma.

If a data block is not used, this shall be indicated by doubling the separation sign, i.e. by two commas (,,).

3.2 Data block 1

In this data block, after the hyphen, the polyamide (PA) is identified by using the symbols listed in Tables 1
and 2.

Polyamides containing a plasticizer may be designated by adding the letter P after the symbol, separated from
it by a hyphen (e.g. PA 610-P).

Polyamides containing an impact modifier may be designated by adding the letters HI after the symbol,
separated from it by a hyphen (e.g. PA 6-HI).

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 ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

Table 1 — Symbols indicating the chemical structure of polyamide materials in data block 1

Symbol Name and chemical structure

PA 4T Polyamide 4T: homopolymer based on tetramethylenediamine and terephthalic acid
PA 6 Polyamide 6: homopolymer based on ε-caprolactam
PA 66 Polyamide 66: homopolymer based on hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid
PA 69 Polyamide 69: homopolymer based on hexamethylenediamine and azelaic acid
PA 610 Polyamide 610: homopolymer based on hexamethylenediamine and sebacic acid
PA 612 Polyamide 612: homopolymer based on hexamethylenediamine and dodecanedioic acida
PA 6T Polyamide 6T: homopolymer based on hexamethylenediamine and terephthalic acid
PA 9T Polyamide 9T: homopolymer based on nonamethylenediamine and terephthalic acid
PA 11 Polyamide 11: homopolymer based on 11-aminoundecanoic acid
PA 12 Polyamide 12: homopolymer based on ω-aminododecanoic acid or on laurolactam
PA MXD6 Polyamide MXD6: homopolymer based on m-xylylenediamine and adipic acid
PA 46 Polyamide 46: homopolymer based on tetramethylenediamine and adipic acid
PA 1212 Polyamide 1212: homopolymer based on dodecanediamine and dodecanedioic acida
a 1,10-Decanedicarboxylic acid.

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ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

Table 2 — Symbols indicating the chemical structure of copolyamide materials in data block 1
(examples)

Symbol Chemical structure

PA 66/610 Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, adipic acid and sebacic acid
PA 6/12 Polyamide copolymers based on ε-caprolactam and laurolactam
PA 6/66/PACM 6 Polyamide ternary copolymers based on ε-caprolactam, hexamethylenediamine, adipic acid,
bis(p-aminocyclohexyl)methane and adipic acid
PA 12/IPDI Polyamide copolymers based on laurolactam, isophoronediamine and isophthalic acid
PA 46/6 Polyamide copolymers based on tetramethylenediamine, adipic acid and ε-caprolactam
PA 4T/6T Polyamide copolymers based on tetramethylenediamine, terephthalic acid and
hexamethylenediamine
PA 6T/MPMDTa Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, terephthalic acid and
methylpentamethylenediamine
PA 6T/66a Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, terephthalic acid and adipic acid
PA 6T/6Ia Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid
PA 6T/6I/66a Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid and
adipic acid
PA 66/6I Polyamide copolymers based on hexamethylenediamine, adipic acid and isophthalic acid
PA NDT/INDT Polyamide copolymers based on 1,6-diamino-2,2,4-trimethylenehexane, 1,6-diamino-
2,4,4-trimethylenehexane and terephthalic acid
PA 12/IPDI
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Polyamide copolymers based on laurolactam, isophoronediamine and isophthalic acid
(standards.iteh.ai)
The following three symbols include an indication of the mass content ratio (see Annex A).
PA 66/6 (90/10) Polyamide copolymers based on 90 % (by mass) of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid and
10 % (by mass) of ε-caprolactam
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PA 6/66 (80/20) Polyamide copolymers based on 80 % (by mass) of ε-caprolactam and 20 % (by mass) of
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hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid
PA 66/6 (20/80) Polyamide copolymers based on 20 % (by mass) of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid and
80 % (by mass) of ε-caprolactam
a Polyamides designated PA 6T/XX/YY may also be called polyphthalamides (PPAs) provided the residues of terephthalic acid or
isophthalic acid or the combination of the two make up at least 55 mole percent of the dicarboxylic acid portion of the repeating
structural units of the polymer chain (ASTM D5336).

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 ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

3.3 Data block 2

In this data block, information about the intended application or method of processing is given in position 1
and information about important properties, additives and colorants in positions 2 to 8. The code-letters used
are specified in Table 3.

If information is presented in positions 2 to 8 and no specific information is given in position 1, the letter X shall
be inserted in position 1.

Table 3 — Code-letters used in data block 2

Code-letter Position 1 Positions 2 to 8

A Processing stabilized
B Blow moulding Antiblocking
C1 Coloured but transparent
C2 Coloured and non-transparent
D Powder; dry blend
E Extrusion of pipes, profiles and sheets Expandable
F Extrusion of film and thin sheeting Special burning characteristics
G General use Pellets; granules
H Coating Heat-ageing stabilized
K
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Cable and wire coating
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L (standards.iteh.ai)
Monofilament extrusion Light and/or weather stabilized
M Injection moulding
ISO 1874-1:2010
N Natural (not coloured)
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R ec5a3fef192f/iso-1874-1-2010 Moulding release agent
Rotational moulding
S Powder coating or sintering Lubricated
T Tape manufacture Improved transparency
W Stabilized against hydrolysis
X No indication
Z Antistatic

3.4 Data block 3

3.4.1 General

In this data block, the viscosity number is represented by a two-figure code-number (see 3.4.2) and the tensile
modulus of elasticity by a three-figure code-number (see 3.4.3). The two code-numbers are separated from
each other by a hyphen.

Nucleated polyamides are designated by adding a hyphen followed by the letter N at the very last position in
data block 3.

If no specific information is given in one of the positions, the letter X shall be inserted.

If a property value falls on or near a range limit, the manufacturer shall state which range will designate the
material. If subsequent individual test values lie on, or either side of, the range limit because of manufacturing
tolerances, the designation is not affected.

NOTE Not all combinations of the values of the designatory properties are provided by currently available materials.

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ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

3.4.2 Viscosity number

The viscosity number shall be determined in accordance with ISO 307, using the solvent specified in Table 4.
The average value of the viscosity number is represented by a two-figure code-number as specified in
Table 4.

For copolyamides, 96% (by mass) sulfuric acid should preferably be used as solvent, but some copolyamides
dissolve better in m-cresol or phenol/1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (60 %/40 %). Information concerning the most
suitable solvent can be obtained from the suppliers of copolyamides and homopolyamides which are not
covered in the last column of Table 4.

Table 4 — Code-numbers used for viscosity number in data block 3

Range of viscosity number

ml/g
Code-number Solvent: Applicable to
Solvent:
Solvent: phenol/1,1,2,2-
96 % (by mass)
m-cresol tetrachloroethane
sulfuric acid
(60 %/40 %)
09 u 90 PA 6, PA 66, PA 69,
PA 610, PA 612,
10 > 90 but u 110 PA MXD6 and
12 > 110 but u 130 copolyamides

14 > 130 but u 160

18
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> 160 but u 200
22 > 200 but u 240
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27 > 240 but u 290
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11 u 110 PA 1212, PA 11,
PA 12 and
12 > 110 but u 130 copolyamides
14 > 130 but u 150
16 > 150 but u 170
18 > 170 but u 200
22 > 200 but u 240
24 > 240
12 u 120 PA 6T/66, PA 6I/66,
PA 6I/6T,
13 > 120 but u 140 PA 6T/6I/66,
15 > 140 but u 160 PA 6T/6I,
PA 6I/6T/66 and
17 > 160 but u 180 copolyamides
19 > 180 but u 200
20 > 200

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 ISO 1874-1:2010(E)

NOTE Viscosity numbers determined with 90 % (by mass) formic acid as solvent can be converted into viscosity
numbers determined in 96 % (by mass) sulfuric acid using the following equations (see ISO 307:2007, Clause 13 and
Annex E):

For PA 6: Iny = 0,416 1 + 0,927 6 lnx

For PA 66: Iny = 0,454 1 + 0,926 1 lnx

For PA 69: Iny = 0,463 4 + 0,909 5 lnx

For PA 610: Iny = 0,982 3 + 0,793 2 lnx

where

x is the viscosity number in 90 % (by mass) formic acid;

y is the viscosity number in 96 % (by mass) sulfuric acid.

For the viscosity number of PA 612, which may be determined in accordance with ISO 307 in either m-cresol or 96 %
(by mass) sulfuric acid, the following conversion formula applies:

lny = 0,285 7 + 0,985 9 lnx

where

x is the viscosity number in 96 % (by mass) sulfuric acid;

y
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is the viscosity number in m-cresol.
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The above conversion formulae were calculated from the results of an interlaboratory investigation carried out in 1982.
The accuracy of the conversions depends on both the size of the viscosity number and the type of PA, the latter resulting
from the fact that different numbers of the different ISO 1874-1:2010
PA types were included in the investigation. The 95 % confidence
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intervals for the values of the nominal viscosity number in 96 % (by mass) sulfuric acid, converted from different values of
the nominal viscosity number in the other solvent, are given in Table 5.
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Table 5 — Confidence intervals

95 % confidence intervals for converted nominal viscosity numbers in

Nominal viscosity 96% (by mass) sulfuric acid
numbera
PA 6 PA 66 PA 69 PA 610 PA 612
100 ±0,8 ±1,6 ±2,0 ±4,7 ±4,4
140 ±0,8 ±1,4 ±1,9 ±4,1 ±4,9
180 ±0,7 ±1,2 ±2,9 ±5,8 ±10,2
220 ±0,7 ±1,3 ±4,7 ±9,0 ±17,6
260 ±0,8 ±1,7 ±6,9 ±12,9 ±26,0
300 ±1,0 ±2,4 ±9,3 ±17,2 ±35,3
340 ±1,3 ±3,3 ±11,9 ±21,8 ±45,3
a Solvents: 90 % (by mass) formic acid for PA 6, PA 66, PA 69 and PA 610; m-cresol for PA 612.

3.4.3 Tensile modulus of elasticity

The tensile modulus of elasticity shall be determined in the dry state in accordance with ISO 527-2 under the
test conditions specified in ISO 1874-2. The average value of the tensile modulus of elasticity is represented
by a three-figure code-number as specified in Table 6.

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