Designation: D 707 – 98

Standard Specification for

Cellulose Acetate Butyrate Molding and Extrusion
Compounds1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 707; 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.

1. Scope 2. Referenced Documents

1.1 This specification covers requirements for plasticized 2.1 ASTM Standards:
cellulose acetate butyrate thermoplastic compounds suitable D 149 Test Method for Dielectric Breakdown Voltage and
for injection molding and extrusion. These compounds have a Dielectric Strength of Solid Electrical Insulating Materials
butyryl content less than 38 % and an acetyl content less than at Commercial Power Frequencies2
15 % and may or may not contain dyes and pigments. This D 256 Test Method for Determining the Pendulum Impact
specification does not include special materials compounded Resistance of Notched Specimens of Plastic3
for special applications. Cellulosic plastic materials, being D 257 Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of
thermoplastic, are reprocessable and recyclable. This specifi- Insulating Materials2
cation allows for the use of those cellulosic materials, provided D 570 Test Method for Water Absorption of Plastics3
that all specific requirements of this specification are met. D 618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics and Electrical
1.2 The properties included in this specification are those Insulating Materials for Testing3
required to identify the compositions covered. There may be D 635 Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and
other requirements necessary to identify particular character- Time of Burning of Self-Supporting Plastics in a Horizon-
istics important to specialized applications. These may be tal Position3
specified by using the suffixes as given in Section 5. D 638M Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
1.3 This classification system and subsequent line call out [Metric]3
(specification) are intended to provide a means of calling out D 790 Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced
plastic materials used in the fabrication of end items or parts. and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materi-
It is not intended for the selection of materials. Material als3
selection should be made by those having expertise in the D 792 Test Methods for Density and Specific Gravity (Rela-
plastic field after careful consideration of the design and tive Density) of Plastics by Displacement3
performance required of the part, environment to which it will D 883 Terminology Relating to Plastics3
be exposed, fabrication process to be employed, costs in- D 1003 Test Method for Haze and Luminous Transmittance
volved, and inherent properties of the material other than those of Transparent Plastics3
covered by this classification system. D 1600 Terminology for Abbreviated Terms Relating to
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as Plastics3
standard. D 1729 Practice for Visual Evaluation of Color Differences
1.5 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to the of Opaque Materials4
test method portion, Section 12, of this specification. This D 1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics3
standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, D 3641 Practice for Injection Molding Test Specimens of
if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user Thermoplastic Molding and Extrusion Materials5
of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health D 3892 Practice for Packaging/Packing of Plastics5
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limita- D 4000 Classification System for Specifying Plastic Mate-
tions prior to use. rials5
D 5033 Guide for the Development of Standards Relating to
NOTE 1—There is no equivalent or similar ISO standard.
the Proper Use of Recycled Plastics6

1 2
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-20 on Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 10.01.
3
Plastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.15 on Thermoplastic Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.01.
4
Materials. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01.
5
Current edition approved July 10, 1998. Published March 1999. Originally Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.02.
6
published as D 707 – 43 T. Last previous edition D 707 – 96. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.03.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

1
 D 707
E 308 Practice for Computing the Colors of Objects by F11 = Flammability requirement—Burn rate maximum of
Using the CIE System4 5 cm/min when tested in accordance with Test
Method D 635.
3. Terminology
NOTE 2—“CAB0122” corresponds to the following physical property
3.1 Definitions—The terminology used in this specification requirements in Table CAB:
is in accordance with Terminologies D 883 and D 1600. Specific gravity: 1.15–1.19.
Tensile stress at yield: 19 MPa min.
Flexural modulus: 760 MPa min.
4. Classification Izod impact strength: 285 J/m min.
Water absorption: 1.6 % max.
4.1 This specification covers the following groups, classes, Weight loss on heating: 2.7 % max.
and grades (see Table CAB):
4.1.1 Group 01—High impact strength. 6. Materials and Manufacture
4.1.2 Group 02—High tensile strength. 6.1 Materials supplied in these forms shall be as uniform in
4.1.3 Class—According to plasticizer content and proper- composition and size, and as free of contamination, as can be
ties specified in Table CAB. achieved by good manufacturing practice.
6.2 These materials may contain colorants in the nominal
4.1.4 Grade 1—For injection molding (general purpose).
amounts ordinarily employed, but such additives shall not alter
4.1.5 Grade 2—For extrusion (see requirement in 6.5). the ability of the materials to meet the specified properties.
6.3 The color of material supplied shall be comparable,
5. Suffixes within commercial match tolerances, to the color of standard
5.1 When requirements are needed that are not covered in samples prepared by the manufacturer.
Table CAB they shall be indicated through the use of suffixes. 6.4 Grade 2 materials shall be verified by the manufacturer
5.2 A list of suffixes can be found in Classification System to be of extrusion quality.
D 4000 (Table 3) and may be used for additional requirements 7. Physical Requirements
as appropriate. Additional suffixes will be added to that
7.1 Test specimens of the material shall conform to the
classification system as test methods and requirements are
requirements prescribed in Table CAB.
developed and requested.
7.2 Molded specimens, for those tests requiring them, shall
5.3 Color and opacity shall be within the limits defined in be prepared in accordance with Section 10.
6.3. 7.3 Conformance to the requirements of this specification
5.4 Some of the more commonly used suffixes for cellulose shall be determined in accordance with Section 11, unless
acetate butyrate are shown as follows: otherwise specified.
E = electrical requirements as designated by the following digits:
First Digit 8. Sampling
1 = volume resistivity—Test Methods D 257.
dielectric strength—Test Method D 149 (short-time/step-by-step).
8.1 The material shall be sampled in accordance with
Second Digit Sections 9 to 12 of Practice D 1898. Adequate statistical
1 = volume resistivity and dielectric strength meet property require- sampling prior to packaging shall be considered an acceptable
ments as shown in Table 1.
alternative.
F = flammability requirements as designated by the following digits: 8.2 For sampling purposes, a batch or lot shall be considered
First Digit a unit of manufacture as prepared for shipment and may consist
1 = rate of burning—Test Method D 635, specimen size: 125 mm long
by 12.7 mm wide by 3.2 mm thick.
of a blend of two or more production runs of material.
Second Digit
1 = burn rate 5 cm/min, max.
9. Number of Tests
9.1 Routine testing of each batch or lot shall be limited to
T = transmittance requirements as designated by the following digits:
First Digit
properties designated in Table CAB of this specification.
1 = total luminous transmittance determined in accordance with Proce- 9.2 One set of samples for those tests that are designated
dure A of Test Method D 1003. (Section 12) shall be considered sufficient for testing the batch
Second Digit
1 = total luminous transmittance, 80 % min.
or lot. The average results from those samples shall comply
with the requirements prescribed in this specification.
5.5 An example of this classification system for a high- 9.3 If any failure occurs, the materials may not be certified
impact cellulose acetate butyrate formulation would be as to this specification.
follows:
CAB0122F11 10. Specimen Preparation
10.1 Physical property requirements in Table CAB are
based on injection-molded specimens 3.2 mm thick. Specimens
CAB = Table CAB property requirements. machined from compression-molded blanks or extruded strips
01 = Group 01—high impact strength. may be used, provided it can be shown that the results are
2 = Class 2—Plasticizer range from 12 to 23 % (see comparable.
Table CAB, Footnote 1). 10.2 Prior to molding cellulose acetate butyrate, the mate-
2 = Grade 2—Extrusion application.
rial should be dried to a moisture content of 0.2 % or less. The

2
 D 707
primary reason for drying the material is to eliminate visual mm thick, for 48 h over anhydrous calcium chloride at 23 6
defects such as surface imperfections and bubbles. Material 2°C or 4 h at 70 6 2°C.
spread in a tray to a maximum depth of 50 mm and exposed in
NOTE 4—The ungated “tab end” (75mm long) of a Test Method
a circulating-air oven at 75 to 90°C for 3 h should be D 638M, Type I tensile bar will give comparable results and can be used
satisfactory. Formulations containing either very low or very if the primary specimen type is not available. Weigh three specimens and
high levels of plasticizer may require slightly higher or lower place them in a circulating-air oven for 72 h at 82 6 2°C. Support the
drying temperatures respectively. Control the injection mold- specimens flatwise on a screen in the oven. Upon removal from the oven,
ing cycles in accordance with Practice D 3641, using a material cool the specimens in a desiccator over anhydrous calcium chloride to 23
temperature of 25 to 35°C above the “cold point.” (The “cold 6 2°C. Weigh the specimens and calculate the weight loss on heating as
a percentage of the conditioned weight as follows:
point” is the lowest material temperature at which it is possible
to obtain a full shot when all other operating variables are held ~W1–W2!
weight loss on heating, % 5 W1 3 100 (1)
constant within the normal operating range.) Mold tempera-
tures between 35 and 60°C have been found desirable. As a where:
rule, thin-section moldings and higher material hardness (lower W1 = original weight, g, after initial conditioning, and
plasticizer content) require higher mold temperatures. W2 = weight, g, after 72 h in oven at 82°C.
10.3 Test specimens injection molded from cellulosic ma-
terials are subject to “overpacking” if the gate size is too large, 12. Inspection and Certification
and this can result in brittleness in the gate area as well as
12.1 Inspection and certification of the material supplied
throughout the entire specimen. To avoid this, the gate size
with reference to a specification based on this classification
should be significantly smaller than those recommended in
system shall be for conformance to the requirements specified
Practice D 3641. A gate size 1.5 mm square has been found to
herein.
produce satisfactory test specimens.
12.2 Lot-acceptance inspection shall be the basis on which
11. Test Methods acceptance or rejection of the lot is made. The lot-acceptance
inspection shall consist of plasticizer content determination
11.1 Determine the properties defined by this specification
(see Table CAB, Footnote 1) and color as specified in 6.3.
in accordance with the following test methods:
11.1.1 Unless otherwise specified, all tests shall be per- 12.3 Periodic check inspection with reference to a specifi-
formed in the standard laboratory atmosphere as defined by cation based on this classification system shall consist of the
Practice D 618. tests for all requirements of the material under the specifica-
11.1.2 Unless otherwise specified, test specimens shall be tion. Inspection frequency shall be adequate to ensure that the
conditioned in accordance with Procedure A of Practice D 618. material is certifiable in accordance with 12.4.
11.1.3 Color-Visual—Practice D 1729 12.4 Certification shall be that the material was manufac-
11.1.4 Color-Quantitative—Practice E 308 tured by a process in statistical control, sampled, tested, and
11.1.5 Plasticizer Content—The test method for plasticizer inspected in accordance with this classification system and that
content shall be as agreed upon between the manufacturer and the average values for the lot meet the requirements of the
the purchaser. classification system (line call out).
11.1.6 Specific Gravity—Test Methods D 792. 12.5 A report of test results shall be furnished when re-
11.1.7 Tensile Stress at Yield—Test Method D 638M, Type I quested. The report shall consist of results of the lot acceptance
test specimen, 50-mm/min testing speed. inspection for the shipment and the results of the most recent
11.1.8 Flexural Modulus—Test Methods D 790, 1.27-mm/ periodic-check inspection.
min testing speed.
11.1.9 Impact Strength (Izod)—Test Method A of Test 13. Rejection
Method D 256. Specimen size: 63.5 mm long by 12.7 mm wide 13.1 Material that fails to conform to the requirements of
by 3.2 mm thick. this specification may not be certified.
11.1.10 Water Absorption—Test Method D 570, 24-h im-
mersion. 14. Packaging and Package Marking
NOTE 3—The ungated “tab end” (75 mm long) of a Test Method 14.1 The provisions of Practice D 3892 apply to packaging,
D 638M, Type I tensile bar will give comparable results and can be used packing, and marking of containers for plastic materials.
if the primary specimen type is not available. Condition in accordance
with Test Method D 570. 15. Keywords
11.1.11 Weight Loss on Heating—Condition test specimens, 15.1 acetate; butyrate; cellulose; extrusion; molding; plasti-
50.8 mm in diameter or 50.8 mm wide by 63.5 mm long by 3.2 cized; recycled; specification

3
 D 707

TABLE CAB Detailed Physical Property Requirements

Tensile Flexural Water Absorption,

Material: CAB(Cellulose Acetate Butyrate) Specific Izod Impact Test Method D 570, Weight Loss
Stress at Modulus,
Gravity, Strength, max, % on Heating,
Yield, Test Test
Test Test Method Paragraph
Plasticizer Method Methods
Flow Methods D 256, min, Weight Soluble 11.1.11, max,
Group Description Class ContentA, Grade Description D 638M, D 790,
DesignationB D 792 J/m GainC Loss %
% min, MPa min, MPa

01 High impact 1 15-26 S2 1 injection 1.15-1.19 16 620 335 1.5 0.8 3.2
strength 2 extrusion 1.15-1.19 16 620 335 1.5 0.8 3.2
0 other

2 12-23 S 1 injection 1.15-1.19 19 760 285 1.6 0.6 2.7

2 extrusion 1.15-1.19 19 760 285 1.6 0.6 2.7
0 other

3 10-20 MS 1 injection 1.16-1.20 22 900 240 1.6 0.4 2.2

2 extrusion 1.16-1.20 22 900 240 1.6 0.4 2.2
0 other

4 8-16 M 1 injection 1.16-1.20 24 1030 190 1.7 0.3 1.8

2 extrusion 1.16-1.20 24 1030 190 1.7 0.3 1.8
0 other

5 6-13 MH 1 injection 1.17-1.21 27 1170 155 1.7 0.3 1.3

2 extrusion 1.17-1.21 27 1170 155 1.7 0.3 1.3
0 other

0 other - 0 other

02 High tensile 1 4-10 H 1 injection 1.18-1.21 31 1310 120 1.8 0.2 1.0
strength 2 extrusion 1.18-1.21 31 1310 120 1.8 0.2 1.0
0 other

2 2-8 H2 1 injection 1.19-1.21 34 1450 90 1.9 0.2 0.6

2 extrusion 1.19-1.21 34 1450 90 1.9 0.2 0.6
0 other

3 1-5 H3 1 injection 1.20-1.22 37 1590 70 2.0 0.2 0.5

2 extrusion 1.20-1.22 37 1590 70 2.0 0.2 0.5
0 other

4 < 1-3 H4 1 injection 1.21-1.22 40 1720 65 2.2 0.2 0.3

2 extrusion 1.21-1.22 40 1720 65 2.2 0.2 0.3
0 other

0 other - 0 other

00 Other 0 other - 0 other

A
The test method for plasticizer content, as well as the target level for the product supplied, shall be as agreed upon between the manufacturer and the purchaser. Limits
of 62 % shall be maintained unless a closer tolerance is practical.
B
Flow designations are for information only and will be dropped from this specification at the next five-year review since Test Method D 569 (determination of flow
temperature) has been withdrawn.
C
Weight gain includes soluble matter loss.

4
 D 707
TABLE 1 Electrical Requirements
ASTM Practice D 618
Property Units Requirements
Test Method Condition Procedure
Volume Resistivity V-cm 1013 min. D 257 Condition 96/23/50
1011 min. D 257 Condition 96/23/50 + 48/50/water + 1/23/waterA

Dielectric Strength, Short-Time V/mm 12,800 min. D 149 Condition 96/23/50

Test 11,800 min. D 149 Condition 96/23/50 + 48/50/water + 1/23/water

Dielectric Strength, Step-by-Step V/mm 12,800 min D 149 Condition 96/23/50

Test 11,800 min. D 149 Condition 96/23/50 + 48/50/water + 1/23/waterA
A
Remove from water, wipe with damp cloth, and dry with dry cloth immediately before testing.

ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentioned
in this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the risk
of infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years and
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 International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the
responsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you should
make your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.

This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,
United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the above
address or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or service@astm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website
(www.astm.org).