Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied polyurethane foam for thermal insulation — Part 3: Test methods

ISO 8873-3:2007 specifies the test procedures that are to be used when testing spray-applied polyurethane foam materials to verify that they meet the requirements given in ISO 8873-1:2006.

Plastiques alvéolaires rigides — Mousse de polyuréthanne projetée pour l'isolation thermique — Partie 3: Méthodes d'essai

Penjeni polimerni materiali - Brizgana poliuretanska pena za toplotno izolacijo - 3. del: Preskusne metode

Ta del standarda ISO 8873 določa preskusne postopke, ki jih je treba uporabiti pri preskušanju brizgane poliuretanske pene, za preverjanje, ali material ustreza zahtevam iz standarda ISO 8873-1.

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
03-May-2007
Current Stage
9560 - Close of voting
Start Date
26-Jun-2023
Completion Date
27-Jun-2023

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INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 8873-3
First edition
2007-05-01

Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied
polyurethane foam for thermal
insulation —
Part 3:
Test methods
Plastiques alvéolaires rigides — Mousse de polyuréthanne projetée
pour l'isolation thermique —
Partie 3: Méthodes d'essai




Reference number
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
©
ISO 2007

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.


COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT

©  ISO 2007
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland

ii © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
4 Standard laboratory procedure for the determination of volatile organic compound
emissions from cellular plastic products. 3
4.1 General. 3
4.2 Apparatus and equipment. 3
4.3 Test procedure . 5
4.4 Estimation of indoor air concentrations. 7
4.5 Test report. 9
4.6 Assessment of acceptability of the material. 9
4.7 Accuracy . 9
5 Test method for air permeance of spray-applied polyurethane foam . 10
5.1 General. 10
5.2 Number of samples. 10
5.3 Apparatus (see Figure 2) . 10
5.4 Test procedure for air permeance of spray-applied polyurethane foam . 12
5.5 Test procedure for control . 16
5.6 Test report. 17

© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO 8873-3:2007(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 8873-3 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 10, Cellular
plastics.
This first edition of ISO 8873-3, together with ISO 8873-1 and ISO 8873-2, cancels and replaces
ISO 8873:1987, which has been technically revised.
ISO 8873 consists of the following parts, under the general title Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied
polyurethane foam for thermal insulation:
⎯ Part 1: Material specifications
⎯ Part 2: Application
⎯ Part 3: Test methods
iv © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
Introduction
This part of ISO 8873 provides the test methods required for the specification given in ISO 8873-1. These test
methods are currently not stand-alone test standards. In the future, when these test methods become stand-
alone International Standards, this part of ISO 8873 will be withdrawn.
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 8873-3:2007(E)

Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied polyurethane foam for
thermal insulation
Part 3:
Test methods
WARNING — Persons using this document should be familiar with normal laboratory practice, if
applicable. This document does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated
with its use. It is the responsibility of the user to establish appropriate safety and health practices and
to ensure compliance with any regulatory requirements.
1 Scope
This part of ISO 8873 specifies the test procedures that are to be used when testing spray-applied
polyurethane foam materials to verify that they meet the requirements given in ISO 8873-1.
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 8873-1, Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied polyurethane foam for thermal insulation — Part 1:
Material specifications
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
air-exchange rate
AER
volume of clean air brought into the chamber in 1 h divided by the chamber volume measured in identical
volume units
NOTE This rate is normally expressed in air changes per hour (AC/h).
3.2
air permeance
2
rate of airflow (l/s), per unit area (m ) and per unit static pressure differential (Pa)
3.3
chamber-loading ratio
total exposed surface area of each cellular plastic product specimen divided by the test chamber volume
NOTE Since the cellular plastic product is intended to be installed in large continuous areas, only the face of the
insulation is exposed in the test procedure.
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved 1

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ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
3.4
clean air
air that does not contain any volatile organic compounds at a concentration in excess of the allowable
background level (i.e. 1 % of the permissible indoor air concentration limit for each compound identified)
3.5
dynamic chamber
chamber where a material specimen can be placed and tested to determine the volatile organic compound
emission rate under controlled environmental conditions
3.6
GC/MS-SCAN
gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer operated in scan mode
3.7
head-space analysis
procedure for measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the air space enclosed within a
static, airtight chamber
NOTE The chamber is assumed to contain VOCs in equilibrium with the VOCs emitted by the specimen in the
chamber.
3.8
head-space (static) chamber
airtight chamber where a specimen can be placed and tested to determine the volatile organic compounds
emitted under controlled environmental conditions
3.9
internal standard
volatile organic compound (other than that identified in the head-space analysis) which is injected at a known
rate into the dynamic chamber in order to verify sample collection and analysis procedures
3.10
permissible indoor air concentration
maximum allowable indoor air concentration of a volatile organic compound
3.11
tracer gas
gaseous chemical (e.g. SF and N O) used to study the mixing characteristics of the dynamic chamber and to
6 2
provide a crosscheck of the air-exchange rate measurements
3.12
threshold limit value
®
TLV
time-weighted average concentration for a normal 8 h workday and a 40 h workweek, which nearly all workers
may be repeatedly exposed to without adverse effects, day after day
NOTE Also called TLV-TWA (threshold limit value–time-weighted average).
3.13
volatile organic compound
VOC
organic compound with a saturation vapour pressure at room temperature and/or with a boiling point less than
260 °C
2 © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

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ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
4 Standard laboratory procedure for the determination of volatile organic
compound emissions from cellular plastic products
4.1 General
This standard laboratory procedure has been developed for the assessment of volatile organic compound
emissions from building materials made from plastic.
It specifies recommended procedures for the use of test chambers to evaluate emissions from a product at a
point in time following its installation. It contains the following:
a) a head-space analysis procedure for initial identification of volatile organic compounds released by a
material;
b) two dynamic chamber procedures (A and B) for characterizing the rate of volatile organic compound
emissions from a material;
c) methodology for calculating the estimated indoor air concentrations of volatile organic compounds based
on the results of dynamic chamber testing.
The headspace analysis is a static test to identify significant amounts of emitted compounds from the material.
It is followed by either dynamic chamber procedure (A or B).
Procedure A determines the long-term VOC emission characteristics of the material. The test is conducted
after conditioning the material sample for 30 days.
Procedure B determines the VOC emission profile of the product commencing 20 h to 24 h after installation of
the material in a building and continues for 30 days.
The results of procedure A or B are used to calculate the indoor air VOC concentration profiles and to
determine the acceptability of the material for new construction and/or retrofit use.
Procedure A is used to evaluate the material in new residential construction when there is a minimum of
30 days from material installation to building occupancy.
Procedure B is a more complex evaluation of the material when the normal 30-day minimum airing-out period
associated with new construction is not provided (e.g. occupied buildings).
In these special cases (e.g. occupied buildings), the product and/or application standard will provide the
requirements for isolation and ventilation, if necessary. The test results of procedure B will determine the
length of time that these requirements are necessary.
The methodology for assessing the acceptability of the material utilizes a comparison of the estimated indoor
air concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with permissible concentrations.
4.2 Apparatus and equipment
4.2.1 General product requirements
All equipment and apparatus in contact with the specimen or the associated air stream, including the air-
exchange system, chambers, sample holder and air sampling system, shall be of glass, stainless steel or
another inert material. Special care should be taken to ensure that gaskets, seals, sealants, valve and pump
components and other associated items are chemically inert.
4.2.2 Head-space (static) chamber
The head-space chamber shall be a small container (approximately 1 litre) and shall be constructed of
materials that meet the requirements of 4.2.1. The interior should be smooth and easy to clean. The container
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved 3

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ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
shall have an airtight opening of sufficient size to allow loading/unloading of the specimen and chamber
cleaning. Two ports to allow the removal and return of an air sample shall be provided.
4.2.3 Dynamic chamber
The chamber and all associated hardware shall meet the requirements of 4.2.1. The interior should be smooth
®
and easy to clean. All gaskets shall be of Teflon or another chemically inert material.
3 3
The chamber size is not critical; however, a chamber volume of 0,1 m to 1,0 m will provide a reasonable
compromise between sample size and complexity of testing.
The chamber shall be equipped with an airtight opening large enough to allow specimen loading/unloading
and chamber cleaning. Ports for temperature and humidity probes and air and gas supply/exhaust
connections shall be provided as required. The chamber design shall allow for complete mixing of the air and
this shall be verified (with a specimen in place) using a tracer gas decay test.
The surface air velocity over the cellular plastic product specimen should be between 0,04 m/s and 0,05 m/s.
This velocity shall be verified using a thermal anemometer or other appropriate air velocity measurement
instrument.
4.2.4 Sample storage enclosure
This enclosure shall be large enough to contain the specimen and shall contain shelves to hold the other
storage vessels referenced in this part of ISO 8873. The enclosure shall be lined with chemically inert material
that is easy to clean, and shall be provided with environmental control and monitoring systems that maintain a
temperature of (23 ± 2) °C, a relative humidity of (50 ± 5) %, and a clean air-exchange rate of 0,3 ± 0,015 air
changes per hour.
4.2.5 Environmental enclosure
This enclosure shall be large enough to contain the dynamic chamber and all associated equipment, including
air sampling equipment, and bottled gas supplies. The enclosure shall be lined with material that is easy to
clean and it shall be provided with environmental control systems that maintain a temperature of (40 ± 2) °C.
4.2.6 Air-exchange system
This system shall be capable of supplying a controlled flow of clean air through the test chamber and
associated equipment. Clean air may include air supplied from compressed gas cylinders or ambient air,
which is conditioned by removing moisture and trace organic chemicals through charcoal filtration or other
means.
The equipment shall include the following:
a) a humidification system that maintains the relative humidity (RH) of the airflow at (50 ± 5) % using
deionized water (or equivalent), and a humidity indicator/recorder accurate to ± 5 % RH;
b) a temperature recorder/indicator system that can accurately measure airflow temperatures to ± 2 °C at
40 °C; due to compressed gas expansion cooling effects, a reheating system may be required to ensure
that the air entering the chamber is at a temperature of (40 ± 2) °C;
c) an air pump or pumps (unless a compressed air supply system is used), set to supply an airflow rate
equivalent to 0,3 air changes per hour, based on the volume of the emissions test chamber; the flow rate
shall be controllable to within 5 % of the specified value; the chamber shall be operated, and verified to
be, at a slight positive pressure to avoid contamination of the test chamber and sampling systems;
d) a flow indicator/recorder, accurate to within 5 % of the reading;
e) a particular filter system where applicable.
4 © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

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ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
4.2.7 Air-sampling system
The air-sampling system shall be placed in the environmental enclosure (4.2.5) connected to the exhaust port
of the dynamic chamber, and shall direct the required amount of exhaust flow through the VOC absorbent
media.
All system components from the chamber to the VOC absorber shall be constructed of chemically inert
materials.
The system shall include an air-sampling pump and a device or devices that can measure and control the air-
flow through the sampling system to within 5 % of the specified value. The pump shall be operated in suction
mode to avoid contamination of the air sample.
A precision timing device shall be used to measure the sample collection interval. The device shall be capable
of measuring an elapsed time of 8 h ± 2 % of the elapsed time.
For collection of the airflow samples, charcoal sorbent tubes or alternative collection media should be used.
The air-sampling rate shall be selected based on the specifications of the sorbent tubes; generally a sampling
rate of 0,2 l/min is recommended. Sorbent tube manufacturers’ recommendations should be followed
regarding the sample airflow rate and sampling time.
The exhaust air shall be sampled close to the exit from the chamber to ensure that the air sample is well
mixed and represents the chamber concentration.
The air-sampling-system design and operation shall be sufficiently sensitive to ensure that the overall
chemical analysis is consistent with the required VOC detection levels.
4.2.8 Clock/elapsed time indicator
The timing system shall provide a record of the starting and completion times of all laboratory procedures. The
system shall be capable of indicating the time elapsed from the beginning of the test (in hours, minutes,
seconds).
4.2.9 Chemical analysis system
The recommended equipment for identifying VOCs is GC/MS-SCAN. Other equivalent techniques may be
used. For measuring the chamber concentrations, the sampling and analysis procedure and equipment shall
have a detection limit of 1 % of the permissible indoor air concentration limit for the volatile organic compound.
4.2.10 Airtight glass containers
The glass containers shall have airtight lids and shall be sized to tightly contain the various referenced cellular
plastic product specimens (excess container volume shall not be more than 10 % of the specimen volume).
4.2.11 Specimen holder
Use an open-pan type container for the specimen, made of chemically inert product. The holder shall seal on
the sides and at the bottom allowing VOC emissions into the chamber only through the top surface of the
specimen.
4.3 Test procedure
4.3.1 Specimen preparation
The specimen shall be prepared in accordance with the relevant material standard.
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved 5

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ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
4.3.2 Cleaning and background contamination check
4.3.2.1 Cleaning
Prior to testing, clean the head-space apparatus and/or dynamic chamber and all internal hardware and
equipment that will be in contact with the specimen or tes
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
01-marec-2015
Penjeni polimerni materiali - Brizgana poliuretanska pena za toplotno izolacijo - 3.
del: Preskusne metode
Rigid cellular plastics - Spray-applied polyurethane foam for thermal insulation - Part 3:
Test methods
Plastiques alvéolaires rigides - Mousse de polyuréthanne projetée pour l'isolation
thermique - Partie 3: Méthodes d'essai
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO 8873-3:2007
ICS:
83.100 Penjeni polimeri Cellular materials
SIST ISO 8873-3:2015 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 8873-3
First edition
2007-05-01

Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied
polyurethane foam for thermal
insulation —
Part 3:
Test methods
Plastiques alvéolaires rigides — Mousse de polyuréthanne projetée
pour l'isolation thermique —
Partie 3: Méthodes d'essai




Reference number
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
©
ISO 2007

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.


COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT

©  ISO 2007
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland

ii © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
4 Standard laboratory procedure for the determination of volatile organic compound
emissions from cellular plastic products. 3
4.1 General. 3
4.2 Apparatus and equipment. 3
4.3 Test procedure . 5
4.4 Estimation of indoor air concentrations. 7
4.5 Test report. 9
4.6 Assessment of acceptability of the material. 9
4.7 Accuracy . 9
5 Test method for air permeance of spray-applied polyurethane foam . 10
5.1 General. 10
5.2 Number of samples. 10
5.3 Apparatus (see Figure 2) . 10
5.4 Test procedure for air permeance of spray-applied polyurethane foam . 12
5.5 Test procedure for control . 16
5.6 Test report. 17

© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(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 8873-3 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics, Subcommittee SC 10, Cellular
plastics.
This first edition of ISO 8873-3, together with ISO 8873-1 and ISO 8873-2, cancels and replaces
ISO 8873:1987, which has been technically revised.
ISO 8873 consists of the following parts, under the general title Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied
polyurethane foam for thermal insulation:
⎯ Part 1: Material specifications
⎯ Part 2: Application
⎯ Part 3: Test methods
iv © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
Introduction
This part of ISO 8873 provides the test methods required for the specification given in ISO 8873-1. These test
methods are currently not stand-alone test standards. In the future, when these test methods become stand-
alone International Standards, this part of ISO 8873 will be withdrawn.
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 8873-3:2007(E)

Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied polyurethane foam for
thermal insulation
Part 3:
Test methods
WARNING — Persons using this document should be familiar with normal laboratory practice, if
applicable. This document does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated
with its use. It is the responsibility of the user to establish appropriate safety and health practices and
to ensure compliance with any regulatory requirements.
1 Scope
This part of ISO 8873 specifies the test procedures that are to be used when testing spray-applied
polyurethane foam materials to verify that they meet the requirements given in ISO 8873-1.
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 8873-1, Rigid cellular plastics — Spray-applied polyurethane foam for thermal insulation — Part 1:
Material specifications
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
air-exchange rate
AER
volume of clean air brought into the chamber in 1 h divided by the chamber volume measured in identical
volume units
NOTE This rate is normally expressed in air changes per hour (AC/h).
3.2
air permeance
2
rate of airflow (l/s), per unit area (m ) and per unit static pressure differential (Pa)
3.3
chamber-loading ratio
total exposed surface area of each cellular plastic product specimen divided by the test chamber volume
NOTE Since the cellular plastic product is intended to be installed in large continuous areas, only the face of the
insulation is exposed in the test procedure.
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
3.4
clean air
air that does not contain any volatile organic compounds at a concentration in excess of the allowable
background level (i.e. 1 % of the permissible indoor air concentration limit for each compound identified)
3.5
dynamic chamber
chamber where a material specimen can be placed and tested to determine the volatile organic compound
emission rate under controlled environmental conditions
3.6
GC/MS-SCAN
gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer operated in scan mode
3.7
head-space analysis
procedure for measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the air space enclosed within a
static, airtight chamber
NOTE The chamber is assumed to contain VOCs in equilibrium with the VOCs emitted by the specimen in the
chamber.
3.8
head-space (static) chamber
airtight chamber where a specimen can be placed and tested to determine the volatile organic compounds
emitted under controlled environmental conditions
3.9
internal standard
volatile organic compound (other than that identified in the head-space analysis) which is injected at a known
rate into the dynamic chamber in order to verify sample collection and analysis procedures
3.10
permissible indoor air concentration
maximum allowable indoor air concentration of a volatile organic compound
3.11
tracer gas
gaseous chemical (e.g. SF and N O) used to study the mixing characteristics of the dynamic chamber and to
6 2
provide a crosscheck of the air-exchange rate measurements
3.12
threshold limit value
®
TLV
time-weighted average concentration for a normal 8 h workday and a 40 h workweek, which nearly all workers
may be repeatedly exposed to without adverse effects, day after day
NOTE Also called TLV-TWA (threshold limit value–time-weighted average).
3.13
volatile organic compound
VOC
organic compound with a saturation vapour pressure at room temperature and/or with a boiling point less than
260 °C
2 © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------

SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
4 Standard laboratory procedure for the determination of volatile organic
compound emissions from cellular plastic products
4.1 General
This standard laboratory procedure has been developed for the assessment of volatile organic compound
emissions from building materials made from plastic.
It specifies recommended procedures for the use of test chambers to evaluate emissions from a product at a
point in time following its installation. It contains the following:
a) a head-space analysis procedure for initial identification of volatile organic compounds released by a
material;
b) two dynamic chamber procedures (A and B) for characterizing the rate of volatile organic compound
emissions from a material;
c) methodology for calculating the estimated indoor air concentrations of volatile organic compounds based
on the results of dynamic chamber testing.
The headspace analysis is a static test to identify significant amounts of emitted compounds from the material.
It is followed by either dynamic chamber procedure (A or B).
Procedure A determines the long-term VOC emission characteristics of the material. The test is conducted
after conditioning the material sample for 30 days.
Procedure B determines the VOC emission profile of the product commencing 20 h to 24 h after installation of
the material in a building and continues for 30 days.
The results of procedure A or B are used to calculate the indoor air VOC concentration profiles and to
determine the acceptability of the material for new construction and/or retrofit use.
Procedure A is used to evaluate the material in new residential construction when there is a minimum of
30 days from material installation to building occupancy.
Procedure B is a more complex evaluation of the material when the normal 30-day minimum airing-out period
associated with new construction is not provided (e.g. occupied buildings).
In these special cases (e.g. occupied buildings), the product and/or application standard will provide the
requirements for isolation and ventilation, if necessary. The test results of procedure B will determine the
length of time that these requirements are necessary.
The methodology for assessing the acceptability of the material utilizes a comparison of the estimated indoor
air concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with permissible concentrations.
4.2 Apparatus and equipment
4.2.1 General product requirements
All equipment and apparatus in contact with the specimen or the associated air stream, including the air-
exchange system, chambers, sample holder and air sampling system, shall be of glass, stainless steel or
another inert material. Special care should be taken to ensure that gaskets, seals, sealants, valve and pump
components and other associated items are chemically inert.
4.2.2 Head-space (static) chamber
The head-space chamber shall be a small container (approximately 1 litre) and shall be constructed of
materials that meet the requirements of 4.2.1. The interior should be smooth and easy to clean. The container
© ISO 2007 – All rights reserved 3

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SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
shall have an airtight opening of sufficient size to allow loading/unloading of the specimen and chamber
cleaning. Two ports to allow the removal and return of an air sample shall be provided.
4.2.3 Dynamic chamber
The chamber and all associated hardware shall meet the requirements of 4.2.1. The interior should be smooth
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and easy to clean. All gaskets shall be of Teflon or another chemically inert material.
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The chamber size is not critical; however, a chamber volume of 0,1 m to 1,0 m will provide a reasonable
compromise between sample size and complexity of testing.
The chamber shall be equipped with an airtight opening large enough to allow specimen loading/unloading
and chamber cleaning. Ports for temperature and humidity probes and air and gas supply/exhaust
connections shall be provided as required. The chamber design shall allow for complete mixing of the air and
this shall be verified (with a specimen in place) using a tracer gas decay test.
The surface air velocity over the cellular plastic product specimen should be between 0,04 m/s and 0,05 m/s.
This velocity shall be verified using a thermal anemometer or other appropriate air velocity measurement
instrument.
4.2.4 Sample storage enclosure
This enclosure shall be large enough to contain the specimen and shall contain shelves to hold the other
storage vessels referenced in this part of ISO 8873. The enclosure shall be lined with chemically inert material
that is easy to clean, and shall be provided with environmental control and monitoring systems that maintain a
temperature of (23 ± 2) °C, a relative humidity of (50 ± 5) %, and a clean air-exchange rate of 0,3 ± 0,015 air
changes per hour.
4.2.5 Environmental enclosure
This enclosure shall be large enough to contain the dynamic chamber and all associated equipment, including
air sampling equipment, and bottled gas supplies. The enclosure shall be lined with material that is easy to
clean and it shall be provided with environmental control systems that maintain a temperature of (40 ± 2) °C.
4.2.6 Air-exchange system
This system shall be capable of supplying a controlled flow of clean air through the test chamber and
associated equipment. Clean air may include air supplied from compressed gas cylinders or ambient air,
which is conditioned by removing moisture and trace organic chemicals through charcoal filtration or other
means.
The equipment shall include the following:
a) a humidification system that maintains the relative humidity (RH) of the airflow at (50 ± 5) % using
deionized water (or equivalent), and a humidity indicator/recorder accurate to ± 5 % RH;
b) a temperature recorder/indicator system that can accurately measure airflow temperatures to ± 2 °C at
40 °C; due to compressed gas expansion cooling effects, a reheating system may be required to ensure
that the air entering the chamber is at a temperature of (40 ± 2) °C;
c) an air pump or pumps (unless a compressed air supply system is used), set to supply an airflow rate
equivalent to 0,3 air changes per hour, based on the volume of the emissions test chamber; the flow rate
shall be controllable to within 5 % of the specified value; the chamber shall be operated, and verified to
be, at a slight positive pressure to avoid contamination of the test chamber and sampling systems;
d) a flow indicator/recorder, accurate to within 5 % of the reading;
e) a particular filter system where applicable.
4 © ISO 2007 – All rights reserved

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SIST ISO 8873-3:2015
ISO 8873-3:2007(E)
4.2.7 Air-sampling system
The air-sampling system shall be placed in the environmental enclosure (4.2.5) connected to the exhaust port
of the dynamic chamber, and shall direct the required amount of exhaust flow through the VOC absorbent
media.
All system components from the chamber to the VOC absorber shall be constructed of chemically inert
materials.
The system shall include an air-sampling pump and a device or devices that can measure and control the air-
flow through the sampling system to within 5 % of the specified value. The pump shall be operated in suction
mode to avoid contamination of the air sample.
A precision timing device shall be used to measure the sample collection interval. The device shall be capable
of measuring an elapsed time of 8 h ± 2 % of the elapsed time.
For collection of the airflow samples, charcoal sorbent tubes or alternative collection media should be used.
The air-sampling rate shall be selected based on the specifications of the sorbent tubes; generally a sampling
rate of 0,2 l/min is recommended. Sorbent tube manufacturers’ recommendations should be followed
regarding the sample airflow rate and sampling time.
The exhaust air shall be sampled close to the exit from the chamber to ensure that the air sample is well
mixed and represents the chamber concentration.
The air-sampling-system design and operation shall be sufficiently sensitive to ensure that the overall
chemical analysis is consistent with the required VOC detection levels.
4.2.8 Clock/elapsed time indicator
The timing system shall provide a record of the starting and completion times of all laboratory procedures. The
system shall be capable of indicating the time elapsed from the beginning of the test (in hours, minutes,
seconds).
4.2.9 Chemical analysis system
The recommended equipment for identifying VOCs is GC/MS-SCAN. Other equivalent techniques may be
used. For measuring the chamber concentrations, the sampling and analysis procedure and equipment shall
have a detection limit of 1 % of the permissible indoor air concentration limit for the volatile organic compound.
4.2.10 Airtight glass containers
The glass containers shall have airtight lids and shall be sized to tightly contain the various referenced cellular
plastic product specimens (excess container volume shall not be more than 10 % of the specimen volume).
4.2.11 Specimen holder
Use an open-pan type container for the specimen, made of chemically inert product. The holder shall seal on
the sides and at the bottom allowing VOC emissions into the chamber only through the top surface of the
specimen.
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