Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids (ISO 9038:2021)

This document specifies a procedure, at temperatures up to 100 °C, to determine whether a liquid
product, that would be classified as “flammable” by virtue of its flash point, sustains combustion at the
temperature(s) specified e.g. in regulations.
NOTE Many national and international regulations classify liquids as presenting a flammable hazard based
on their flash point, as determined by a recognized method. Some of these regulations allow a derogation if the
substance cannot “sustain combustion” at some specified temperature(s).
The procedure is applicable to paints (including water-borne paints), varnishes, paint binders, solvents,
petroleum or related products and adhesives, that have a flash point. It is not applicable to painted
surfaces in respect of assessing their potential fire hazards.
This test method is applicable, in addition to test methods for flash point, for assessing the fire hazard
of a product.

Bestimmung der Weiterbrennbarkeit von Flüssigkeiten (ISO 9038:2021)

Dieses Dokument legt ein Verfahren für Temperaturen bis zu 100 °C fest, mit dem bestimmt wird, ob ein flüssiges Produkt, das auf Grund seines Flammpunktes als „entzündbar“ eingestuft würde, bei der/den z. B. in Vorschriften angegebenen Temperatur/en selbstunterhaltend weiterbrennt.
ANMERKUNG   In vielen nationalen und internationalen Vorschriften wird die Entzündungsgefahr von Flüssigkeiten nach ihrem mit einem anerkannten Verfahren bestimmten Flammpunkt klassifiziert. Einige dieser Vorschriften erlauben eine Ausnahme wenn die Flüssigkeit bei einer bestimmten Temperatur oder bei bestimmten Temperaturen nicht „weiterbrennt“.
Das Verfahren ist anwendbar auf Beschichtungsstoffe (einschließlich wasserverdünnbarer Beschichtungs-stoffe), Klarlacke, Lackbindemittel, Lösemittel, Mineralöl- oder ähnliche Produkte und Klebstoffe, die einen Flammpunkt haben. Es ist nicht zum Beurteilen der Brandgefahr beschichteter Oberflächen anwendbar.
Zusätzlich zur Bestimmung des Flammpunktes ist dieses Prüfverfahren zum Beurteilen der Brandgefahr eines Produktes anwendbar.
WARNUNG — Die Anwendung dieses Dokuments kann den Einsatz gefährlicher Stoffe, Verfahren und Geräte vorsehen. In diesem Dokument werden nicht alle mit ihrer Anwendung verbundenen Fragen zur Sicherheit angesprochen. Es liegt in der Verantwortung des Anwenders dieses Dokuments, vor seiner Anwendung geeignete Maßnahmen für die Sicherheit und den Gesundheitsschutz des Personals zu ergreifen und zu diesem Zweck die Gültigkeit etwaiger anderer Einschränkungen zu bestimmen.

Essai de combustion entretenue de liquides (ISO 9038:2021)

Le présent document spécifie un mode opératoire, applicable jusqu'à 100 °C, qui vise à déterminer si un produit liquide, qui serait classé comme «inflammable» du fait de son point d'éclair, entretient une combustion à la température ou aux températures spécifiées, par ex. dans les règlements.
NOTE            De nombreux règlements nationaux et internationaux classent les liquides présentant un risque d'inflammabilité sur la base de leur point d'éclair, déterminé par une méthode reconnue. Certains de ces règlements autorisent une dérogation si la substance en question ne peut pas «entretenir la combustion» à une ou plusieurs températures spécifiées.
Cette méthode est applicable aux peintures (y compris peintures en phase aqueuse), vernis, liants, solvants, produits pétroliers ou apparentés et adhésifs, qui ont un point d'éclair. Elle n'est pas applicable aux surfaces peintes, eu égard à l'évaluation du danger d'incendie qu'elles présentent.
Cette méthode d'essai est applicable, en complément de celles qui portent sur le point d'éclair, à l'évaluation du danger d'incendie d'un produit.

Določanje neprekinjene gorljivostii tekočin (ISO 9038:2021)

General Information

Status
Published
Public Enquiry End Date
02-Jun-2020
Publication Date
03-Jun-2021
Technical Committee
Current Stage
6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
Start Date
13-May-2021
Due Date
18-Jul-2021
Completion Date
04-Jun-2021

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SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
01-julij-2021
Nadomešča:
SIST EN ISO 9038:2013
Določanje neprekinjene gorljivostii tekočin (ISO 9038:2021)
Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids (ISO 9038:2021)
Bestimmung der Weiterbrennbarkeit von Flüssigkeiten (ISO 9038:2021)
Essai de combustion entretenue de liquides (ISO 9038:2021)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 9038:2021
ICS:
13.220.40 Sposobnost vžiga in Ignitability and burning
obnašanje materialov in behaviour of materials and
proizvodov pri gorenju products
87.040 Barve in laki Paints and varnishes
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021

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SIST EN ISO 9038:2021


EN ISO 9038
EUROPEAN STANDARD

NORME EUROPÉENNE

May 2021
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.220.40; 75.080; 87.040 Supersedes EN ISO 9038:2013
English Version

Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids (ISO
9038:2021)
Essai de combustion entretenue de liquides (ISO Bestimmung der Weiterbrennbarkeit von Flüssigkeiten
9038:2021) (ISO 9038:2021)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 20 April 2021.

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, Turkey 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
© 2021 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 9038:2021 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
EN ISO 9038:2021 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3

2

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
EN ISO 9038:2021 (E)
European foreword
This document (EN ISO 9038:2021) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 28 "Petroleum
and related products, fuels and lubricants from natural or synthetic sources" in collaboration with
Technical Committee CEN/TC 139 “Paints and varnishes” 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 November 2021, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by November 2021.
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 ISO 9038:2013.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations 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, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 9038:2021 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 9038:2021 without any modification.

3

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SIST EN ISO 9038:2021

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 9038
Third edition
2021-04
Determination of sustained
combustibility of liquids
Essai de combustion entretenue de liquides
Reference number
ISO 9038:2021(E)
©
ISO 2021

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
ISO 9038:2021(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2021
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
ISO 9038:2021(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Principle . 2
5 Apparatus . 2
6 Preparation of apparatus and verification . 3
7 Sampling . 3
7.1 Paints, varnishes and related products . 3
7.2 Petroleum and related products . 3
7.2.1 Sampling procedure . 3
7.2.2 Sample handling . 3
8 Procedure. 4
9 Assessment of r esults . 5
10 Calculation of the adjusted test temperature . 5
11 Precision . 6
12 Test report . 6
Annex A (normative) Combustibility tester . 7
Annex B (normative) Apparatus verification .10
Bibliography .12
© ISO 2021 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
ISO 9038:2021(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.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
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. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 28, Petroleum and related products, fuels
and lubricants from natural or synthetic sources, in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 139, Paints and varnishes, in accordance with the
Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 9038:2013), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
[1][2]
— the test method has been aligned with the requirements of UN Test L.2 . In particular:
— the requirement for triplicate tests instead of duplicate tests has been specified;
— the standard test temperature has been changed to 60,5 °C;
— the criteria for sustained combustion have been revised.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
ISO 9038:2021(E)

Introduction
A product with a flash point within a given range can continue to burn after initial ignition, while a
similar product, although it has a similar flash point, does not continue to burn. This document describes
a method for discriminating between those products that sustain combustion and those that do not.
The method determines whether a flammable product, when maintained at a selected test temperature,
generates sufficient flammable vapour to cause ignition when an ignition source is applied and then
continues to generate sufficient vapour to burn when the ignition source is moved to the “off” position.
This test method does not determine the flash point of the product under test but, by means of a test
procedure, merely determines if it sustains combustion at a selected test temperature; this criterion can
be required to comply with laws or regulations relating to the storage, transport and use of flammable
products. Before performing this test, for safety and test optimization reasons, it is usual to determine
either the actual flash point of the material or know the temperature range in which the flash point is
located.
The apparatus specified in this document enables a result to be determined by a rapid procedure using
a small test portion (2 ml).
© ISO 2021 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 11 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021

---------------------- Page: 12 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 9038:2021(E)
Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids
WARNING — The use of this document can involve hazardous materials, operations and
equipment. This document does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated
with its use. It is the responsibility of users of this document to take appropriate measures
to ensure the safety and health of personnel prior to the application of this document, and to
determine the applicability of any other restrictions for this purpose.
1 Scope
This document specifies a procedure, at temperatures up to 100 °C, to determine whether a liquid
product, that would be classified as “flammable” by virtue of its flash point, sustains combustion at the
temperature(s) specified e.g. in regulations.
NOTE Many national and international regulations classify liquids as presenting a flammable hazard based
on their flash point, as determined by a recognized method. Some of these regulations allow a derogation if the
substance cannot “sustain combustion” at some specified temperature(s).
The procedure is applicable to paints (including water-borne paints), varnishes, paint binders, solvents,
petroleum or related products and adhesives, that have a flash point. It is not applicable to painted
surfaces in respect of assessing their potential fire hazards.
This test method is applicable, in addition to test methods for flash point, for assessing the fire hazard
of a product.
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.
ISO 1513, Paints and varnishes — Examination and preparation of test samples
ISO 3170, Petroleum liquids — Manual sampling
ISO 3171, Petroleum liquids — Automatic pipeline sampling
ISO 15528, Paints, varnishes and raw materials for paints and varnishes — Sampling
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:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
sustained combustibility
behaviour of a material, under specified test conditions, whereby its vapour can be ignited by an
ignition source and, after ignition, sufficient flammable vapour is produced for burning to continue for
at least 15 s after the source of ignition has been removed
© ISO 2021 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 13 ----------------------
SIST EN ISO 9038:2021
ISO 9038:2021(E)

3.2
flash point
lowest temperature of the test portion, adjusted to account for variations in atmospheric pressure from
101,3 kPa, at which application of an ignition source causes the vapour of the test portion to ignite and
the flame to propagate across the surface of the liquid under the specified conditions of test
4 Principle
A test portion of specified volume is introduced into a test cup, which is maintained at the test
temperature. After a specified time, an ignition source is applied.
[2]
In connection with the United Nations recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods as
[1]
well as with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals , and also
with derived national/EC regulations, temperatures of 60,5 °C and 75,0 °C are specified for this test.
The property of the product to sustain combustion is assessed based on the ignition of its vapours or
components, when exposed to an ignition source, and whether it continues to burn after the ignition
source has been moved to the “off” position. The “o
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
01-maj-2020
Določevanje neprekinjene gorljivostii tekočin (ISO/DIS 9038:2020)
Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids (ISO/DIS 9038:2020)
Bestimmung der Weiterbrennbarkeit von Flüssigkeiten (ISO/DIS 9038:2020)
Détermination de la combustion entretenue des liquides (ISO/DIS 9038:2020)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 9038
ICS:
13.220.40 Sposobnost vžiga in Ignitability and burning
obnašanje materialov in behaviour of materials and
proizvodov pri gorenju products
87.040 Barve in laki Paints and varnishes
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 9038
ISO/TC 28 Secretariat: NEN
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2020-03-23 2020-06-15
Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids
Détermination de la combustion entretenue des liquides
ICS: 75.080
Member bodies are requested to consult relevant national interests in ISO/TC
35 before casting their ballot to the e-Balloting application.
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
ISO/CEN PARALLEL PROCESSING
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
©
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2020

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Fax: +41 22 749 09 47
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Principle . 2
5 Apparatus . 2
6 Preparation of apparatus and verification . 3
7 Sampling . 3
7.1 Paints, varnishes and related products . 3
7.2 Petroleum and related products . 3
7.2.1 Sampling procedure . 3
7.2.2 Sample handling . 4
8 Procedure. 4
9 Assessment of results . 5
10 Calculation of the adjusted test temperature . 5
11 Precision . 6
12 Test report . 6
Annex A (normative) Combustibility tester . 7
Annex B (normative) Apparatus verification .10
Bibliography .12
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(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.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2. www .iso .org/ directives
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. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received. www .iso .org/ patents
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 28, Petroleum products and lubricants, (WG 9)
in conjunction with Technical Committee ISO/TC 35, Paints and varnishes.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 9038:2013), which has been technically
revised.
The main technical changes are the requirement for triplicate tests instead of duplicate tests, the
change of standard test temperature to 60.5 ⁰C and the revised criteria for sustained combustion. This
[1][2]
then aligns the test method with the requirements of UN Test L.2
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)

Introduction
A product with a flash point within a given range can continue to burn after initial ignition, while a
similar product, although it has a similar flash point, does not continue to burn. This International
Standard describes a method for discriminating between those products that sustain combustion and
those that do not.
The method determines whether a flammable product, when maintained at a selected test temperature,
gives off sufficient flammable vapour to cause ignition when an ignition source is applied and then
continues to generate sufficient vapour to burn when the ignition source is moved to the “off” position.
This test method does not determine the flash point of the product under test but, by means of a test
procedure, merely determines if it sustains combustion at a selected test temperature; this criterion can
be required to comply with laws or regulations relating to the storage, transport and use of flammable
products. Before performing this test, it will normally be necessary to determine either the actual flash
point of the material or the temperature range in which the flash point is located.
The apparatus specified in this International Standard enables a result to be determined by a rapid
procedure using a small test portion (2 ml).
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)
Determination of sustained combustibility of liquids
WARNING — The use of this document can involve hazardous materials, operations and
equipment. This Standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with
its use. It is the responsibility of users of this document to take appropriate measures to ensure
the safety and health of personnel prior to the application of the standard, and to determine the
applicability of any other restrictions for this purpose.
1 Scope
This document specifies a procedure, at temperatures up to 100 °C, to determine whether or not a liquid
product, that would be classified as “flammable” by virtue of its flash point, sustains combustion at the
temperature or temperatures specified in the appropriate regulations.
NOTE 1 Many national and international regulations classify liquids as presenting a flammable hazard on the
basis of their flash point, as determined by a recognized method. Some of these regulations allow a derogation if
the substance cannot “sustain combustion” at some specified temperature or temperatures.
NOTE 2 In connection with the United Nations recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods as
well as with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, and also with derived
[1][2]
national/EC regulations, temperatures of 60,5 °C and 75,0 °C are specified for this test.
The procedure is applicable to paints (including water-borne paints), varnishes, paint binders, solvents,
petroleum or related products and adhesives, which have a flash point. It is not applicable to painted
surfaces in respect of assessing their potential fire hazards.
This test method is applicable, in addition to test methods for flash point, for assessing the fire hazard
of a product.
NOTE 3 Particular care needs to be taken in translating results from this test method to large scale (real life)
situations, as liquids in large quantities can behave in different ways to small samples.
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.
ISO 1513, Paints and varnishes — Examination and preparation of test samples
ISO 3170, Petroleum liquids — Manual sampling
ISO 3171, Petroleum liquids — Automatic pipeline sampling
ISO 15528, Paints, varnishes and raw materials for paints and varnishes — Sampling
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 http:// www .electropedia .org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)

3.1
sustained combustibility
behaviour of a material, under specified test conditions, whereby its vapour can be ignited by an
ignition source and, after ignition, sufficient flammable vapour is produced for burning to continue for
at least 15 s after the source of ignition has been removed
3.2
flash point
lowest temperature of the test portion, adjusted to account for variations in atmospheric pressure from
101,3 kPa, at which application of an ignition source causes the vapour of the test portion to ignite and
the flame to propagate across the surface of the liquid under the specified conditions of test
4 Principle
A test portion of specified volume is introduced into the test cup, which is maintained at the test
temperature. After a specified time an ignition source is applied.
The property of the product to sustain combustion is assessed on the basis of the ignition of its vapours
or components, when exposed to an ignition source, and whether it continue to burn after the ignition
source has been moved to the “off” position. The position of the ignitor “off” and “test” are shown in
Figure A.1
5 Apparatus
5.1 Combustibility tester, as specified in Annex A.
5.2 Electrical heater, attached to the bottom of the test cup in a manner that provides efficient transfer
of heat. The heater control shall be capable of maintaining the test cup temperature, as measured on the
temperature measuring device, and in a draught-free area, within ± 0,5 °C for test temperatures up to
and including 100 °C.
The combustibility tester, heater and heater control unit may consist of an integrated apparatus.
5.3 Gauge, for checking that the height of the centre of the gas jet above the top of the test cup is
2,2 mm ± 0,1 mm. A calibrated metal strip is suitable.
5.4 Temperature measuring device.
5.4.1 This shall be suitable for horizontal operation, and of suitable range and dimensions.
5.4.2 Resolution 0,5 °C or better. A resolution of 0,1 ⁰C is recommended as it simplifies verification and
calibration .
5.4.3 Accuracy ± 0,5 °C.
5.4.4 When in position, in the block, the temperature measuring device shall be surrounded with heat
transfer paste to ensure good heat transfer between the block and the measuring device.
5.5 Stopwatch or other suitable timing device, capable of measuring 15 s ± 1 s, 30 s ± 1 s and 60 s ±
2 s. The timing device may be fitted with a means of producing an audible signal.
5.6 Syringe or pipette, capable of delivering 2,00 ml to an accuracy of ± 0,05 ml.
2 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

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oSIST prEN ISO 9038:2020
ISO/DIS 9038:2020(E)

5.7 Ignition source and gas supply.
The ignition source is fuell
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