SIST EN 12081:2026

Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases

This document is a part of a package of standards: EN 12080, EN 12081, EN 12082-1 and EN 12082-2. This document specifies the quality requirements of greases intended for the lubrication of axlebox rolling bearings according to EN 12080, required for reliable operation of trains on European networks. It covers the requirements for conformity assessment of new greases, as well as requirements for quality batch control and change management.

Bahnanwendungen - Radsatzlager - Schmierfette

Dieses Dokument ist Teil eines Normenpakets: EN 12080, EN 12081, EN 12082-1 und EN 12082-2. Dieses Dokument legt die Qualitätsanforderungen an Schmierfette für Wälzlager in Radsatzlagern nach EN 12080 fest, die für einen zuverlässigen Zugbetrieb auf den europäischen Schienennetzen erforderlich sind. Es behandelt Anforderungen an die Konformitätsbewertung neuer Schmierfette sowie an die Qualitätsprüfung des Schmierfett-Loses und das Änderungsmanagement.

Applications ferroviaires - Boîtes d'essieux - Graisses pour lubrification

Le présent document fait partie d'un ensemble de normes : EN 12080, EN 12081, EN 12082-1 et EN 12082-2. Ce document spécifie, pour les graisses destinées aux roulements de boîtes d'essieux selon l'EN 12080, les exigences de qualité requises pour assurer la fiabilité de la circulation des trains sur les réseaux européens. Il traite exigences relatives à l'évaluation de la conformité des nouvelles graisses, ainsi que les exigences relatives au contrôle de la qualité des lots et à la gestion des modifications.

Železniške naprave - Ohišja ležajev kolesnih dvojic - Maziva

General Information

• Status: Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 23-Oct-2024
• Publication Date: 22-Dec-2025
• ICS: 45.040 - Materials and components for railway engineering
• ICS: 75.100 - Lubricants, industrial oils and related products
• Technical Committee: IŽNP - Reilway applications
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 17-Dec-2025
• Due Date: 21-Feb-2026
• Completion Date: 23-Dec-2025
• Directive: 2008/57/EC - Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community (Recast)
• Mandate: M/483 - Mandate for programming and standardisation addressed to the European standardisation bodies under directive 2008/57/EC in the field of the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union
• Ref Project: EN 12081:2025 - Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases

Relations

• Replaces: SIST EN 12081:2017 - Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases
• Effective Date: 01-Feb-2026

Overview

EN 12081:2025 - "Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases" (CEN) defines the quality, conformity and production requirements for greases used to lubricate axlebox rolling bearings on European rail networks. Part of a standards package (EN 12080, EN 12081, EN 12082-1, EN 12082-2), this update supersedes EN 12081:2017 and focuses on minimum requirements for conformity assessment, quality batch control, change management and storage to ensure reliable train operation.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope and purpose: Quality requirements for axlebox lubricating greases used in rolling bearings per EN 12080; applies to new and modified greases.
• Conformity assessment: New or modified greases must be assessed per Annex A (minimum requirements). Test samples must come from the same industrial batch used for testing.
• Quality batch control & traceability:
  • Batch identification and certificate of analysis (CoA) required for each released batch.
  • Defined sampling, testing frequency and responsible entities; supplier retains batch-release responsibility.
  • Any out-of-tolerance test result triggers batch rejection.
• Manufacturing and change management:
  • Production process for serial batches must match the assessed batch.
  • Changes to composition, process or location require a new conformity assessment.
• Storage, packaging and marking: Updated storage requirements; packaging and marking conditions must be documented.
• Safety and regulatory restrictions: Greases must be free from toxic/harmful substances (REACH and national/international regulations referenced).
• Test methods and references: Normative references include EN 14865‑1/2, ISO tests for penetration, dropping point, oil separation, ICP/OES and other methods used for conformity verification.
• Mechanical stability: Annex B gives informative guidance on vibration-induced mechanical stability tests for bearing greases.

Practical applications and users

EN 12081:2025 is intended for:

• Grease suppliers - to design, document and certify axlebox greases and implement batch control and traceability.
• Bearing manufacturers and OEMs - to specify acceptable greases for rolling bearings.
• Railway undertakings and maintenance organizations - to validate lubricants used in fleets, ensure safe in-service deployment and manage grease changes.
• Testing laboratories and procurement teams - to perform conformity assessments and evaluate certificates of analysis.

Benefits include improved reliability of axlebox rolling bearings, clearer change-management procedures, and documented proof of compliance for procurement and maintenance decisions.

Related standards

• EN 12080 (axleboxes - general requirements)
• EN 12082-1 and EN 12082-2 (deployment and compatibility tests)
• EN 14865-1 / EN 14865-2 (grease test methods)
• Relevant ISO and DIN methods cited in EN 12081:2025

Keywords: EN 12081:2025, axlebox lubricating greases, railway applications, conformity assessment, quality batch control, rolling bearings, grease traceability.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-februar-2026
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 12081:2017
Železniške naprave - Ohišja ležajev kolesnih dvojic - Maziva
Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases
Bahnanwendungen - Radsatzlager - Schmierfette
Applications ferroviaires - Boîtes d'essieux - Graisses pour lubrification
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 12081:2025
ICS:
45.040 Materiali in deli za železniško Materials and components
tehniko for railway engineering
75.100 Maziva Lubricants, industrial oils and
related products
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 12081
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
December 2025
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 75.100 Supersedes EN 12081:2017
English Version
Railway applications - Axleboxes - Lubricating greases
Applications ferroviaires - Boîtes d'essieux - Graisses Bahnanwendungen - Radsatzlager - Schmierfette
pour lubrification
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 17 November 2025.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 12081:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Restriction of greases . 6
5 Technical specification . 6
5.1 General. 6
5.2 Technical specification content . 6
6 Quality systems . 7
7 Conformity assessment . 7
8 Bearing speed classes . 7
9 Production . 8
9.1 General. 8
9.2 Manufacturing procedure . 8
9.3 Quality batch control . 8
9.4 Traceability . 8
10 Delivery . 9
10.1 Packaging . 9
10.2 Marking . 9
11 Storage . 9
Annex A (normative) Minimum requirements . 10
Annex B (informative) Mechanical stability of rolling bearing greases under vibration
stress . 13
B.1 General. 13
B.2 Description . 13
B.3 Test procedure . 13
B.4 Requirements . 13
Bibliography . 15

European foreword
This document (EN 12081:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 256 “Railway
Applications”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by June 2026, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by May 2026.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 12081:2017.
— modifications and update of criteria, conditions and references for grease tests that are required for
conformity assessment;
— modification of grease storage requirements;
— focus on minimum requirements for assessing the conformity of the grease with product related
requirements. This replaces the use of the ambiguous term approval;
— compatibility assessment of grease with polymers and thermoplastic material moved to
EN 12082-2.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
1 Scope
This document is a part of a package of standards: EN 12080, EN 12081, EN 12082-1 and EN 12082-2.
This document specifies the quality requirements of greases intended for the lubrication of axlebox
rolling bearings according to EN 12080, required for reliable operation of trains on European networks.
It covers the requirements for conformity assessment of new greases, as well as requirements for
quality batch control and change management.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements 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.
ASTM D 7303, Standard Test Method for Determination of Metals in Lubricating Greases by Inductively
Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry
DIN 51460-1, Testing of petroleum products — Method for sample preparation — Part 1: Microwave
incineration
DIN 51777, Petroleum products — Determination of water content using titration according to Karl
Fischer
DIN 51811, Testing of lubricants — Testing of corrosiveness to copper of greases — Copper strip tarnish
test
DIN 51820, Testing of lubricants; analysis of greases by infrared spectrometry; taking and evaluating an
infrared spectrum
DIN 51829, Petroleum products — Determination of additive and wear elements in greases — Analysis by
wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry
EN 14865-1, Railway applications — Axlebox lubricating greases — Part 1: Method to test the ability to
lubricate
EN 14865-2, Railway applications — Axlebox lubricating greases — Part 2: Method to test the mechanical
stability to cover vehicle speeds up to 200 km/h
EN ISO 3104, Petroleum products - Transparent and opaque liquids - Determination of kinematic viscosity
and calculation of dynamic viscosity (ISO 3104)
EN ISO 11885, Water quality - Determination of selected elements by inductively coupled plasma optical
emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) (ISO 11885)
ISO 2137, Petroleum products and lubricants — Determination of cone penetration of lubricating greases
and petrolatum
ISO 2176, Petroleum products — Lubricating grease — Determination of dropping point
ISO 11007-1, Petroleum products and lubricants — Determination of rust-prevention characteristics of
lubricating greases — Part 1: Dynamic wet conditions
ISO 12940-1, Petroleum products and lubricants — Determination of roll stability of lubricating
grease — Part 1: Dry condition test
ISO 13737, Petroleum products and lubricants — Determination of low-temperature cone penetration of
lubricating greases
ISO 22285, Petroleum products and lubricants — Determination of oil separation from grease — Pressure
filtration method
ISO 22286, Petroleum products and lubricants - Determination of the dropping point of grease with an
automatic apparatus
NF F 19-502, Railway rolling stock — Test method of greases for axle-boxes to rolling bearings —
Vibrations and shocks enduring test on machine « ROPECS »
NF F 19-503, Railway rolling stock — Test method of greases for axle-boxes to rolling bearings —
Dynamic test for stability to oxydation of grease
NF F 19-504, Railway rolling stock — Test method of greases for axle-boxes to rolling bearings — Grease
suitability test on the « R2F » machine
NF T 60-637, Water content in grease by Karl Fischer after purging after final survey
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
certificate of analysis
CoA
document issued by the supplier that certifies the quality of the grease batch
3.2
customer
railway undertaking, entity in charge of the maintenance, manufacturer or buyer of railway rolling
stock or subassemblies, bearing manufacturer or their representative
3.3
railway undertaking
organization or its representative, whatever status it has, which is responsible for registration of rolling
stock
3.4
supplier
supplier of lubricating greases manufactured under his responsibility

Under preparation. Stage at the time of publication: ISO/DIS 12940-1:2024
3.5
network
infrastructure, on which any railway undertaking can operate rolling stock
3.6
grease
semi-solid lubricant, which consists of a thickener and additives dispersed in a lubricating oil
3.7
grease batch
entire content of a production of grease from the filling vessel
3.8
rolling bearing
bearing, operating with rolling motion between the parts supporting load and moving in relation to
each
...