Reference Materials

ASTM Reference Materials

Reduce risk, improve processes, and capture the accurate and precise data you need with ASTM International Reference Materials.

With access to a wide variety of petroleum products at multiple levels, our reference materials provide highly accurate reference values and with low uncertainty estimates.

Reference materials from ASTM International provide a cost-effective solution without sacrificing analytical accuracy – a must for any lab and equipment manufacturer or distributor.

Subscription programs now available! Receive your reference materials on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. Avoid sample contamination and keep an inventory of materials on hand to meet EPA and accreditation requirements. Contact us to get started.

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Wide Selection of Product Matrices and Test Methods

Our Reference Materials can be used to validate your instruments and to evaluate analyst performance.

Your laboratory will benefit from validated and controlled samples that have been tested for homogeneity and stability. Plus you’ll receive clear and concise certificates of analysis with full data on how the Accepted Reference Values (ARV) were established. Use the certificates of analysis for traceability purposes as well as guidance for establishing tolerance levels for testing validation.

Choose from a wide selection of product matrices and test methods for various properties at multiple levels, ensuring you receive the best reference materials to meet your laboratory’s quality assurance needs.

Popular options we offer include:

Gasoline Reference Materials to support precision and accuracy qualification demonstrations related to 40 CFR 1090, including RVP and benzene
Octane Number and Cetane Number Check Fuels
Distillation Reference Materials for atmospheric, vacuum, micro, simulated (sim-dist), and high-temperature simulated (HTSD) methods
Cold Flow Property Reference Materials for cloud point, pour point, cold filter plugging point (CFPP), and freeze point
Jet Fuel Check Reference Materials for JFTOT, MSEP, smoke point, aromatics, and more

Our always expanding collection also currently includes reference materials for:

Diesel Fuel
Fuel Ethanol
Biodiesel
Fuel Oil
Crude Oil
Naphtha
Mixed Xylene
Petroleum Wax

Engine Oil
Gear Oil
Base Oil
Engine Coolant
Hydraulic Fluids
Insulating Fluids
And much more

For the very latest list of all available ASTM Reference Materials, view our catalog.

Why ASTM Reference Materials?

Work with a trusted international standards provider
Receive only high-quality, validated samples
Improve precision and accuracy of testing
Promote confidence in your data with low estimates of uncertainty
Avoid product failures and resulting complaints
Reduce risk and increase production and efficiency
Improve ROI on equipment and decrease overall costs
Provide more experience for analysts and lab technicians
Demonstrate quality and boost credibility in the marketplace
Meet regulatory requirements

40 CFR 1090 Accuracy and Precision Reference Materials

ASTM Reference Materials are an excellent resource to help you comply with US EPA fuels regulations under 40 CFR 1090. We offer a variety of reference materials, valid as check standards per ASTM D6299, to support your laboratory’s ongoing precision and accuracy demonstration per 40 CFR 1090.1375. Implementing reference materials with reliable accepted reference values allows you to confirm compliance in real-time, reducing the risk and liability of unqualified data being reported to customers and agencies. Our available options provide ARVs in the fuel matrices being tested across a wide range of results, including those at or slightly below the applicable standards, to satisfy 40 CFR 1090.1375(c)(2):

Vapor Pressure of Gasoline in neat and oxygenated matrices, with ARVs from 5.5 psi to 14.5 psi, including numerous batches at or below the summer season maximum RVP per gallon standards detailed in 40 CFR 1090.215(a)
Benzene in Gasoline from 0.2 vol % to 1.1 vol %, including options at or below the benzene average standard of 0.62 vol % per 40 CFR 1090.210(a)
Sulfur in Gasoline and Sulfur in Diesel available with concentrations at or below the respective sulfur standards per 40 CFR 1090.205(a) and 1090.305(b)
Oxygenates in Gasoline at the 10 % Ethanol blend level
Aromatics in Gasoline across a range from 18 vol % to 30 vol %
Olefins in Gasoline across a range from 1 vol % to 12 vol %
Distillation reference materials with IBPs from 80 °F to 107 °F and FBPs from 350 °F to 425 °F

Octane and Cetane Reference Materials

Demonstrate control and build confidence by implementing ASTM’s combustion characteristic reference materials as part of your QC program. Our selection of combustion characteristic reference materials are ideal for ensuring and monitoring the validity of results to customers and accrediting bodies. Octane and Cetane reference materials are available in typical finished gasoline and diesel product matrices. Octane Number reference materials are available with reliable ARVs across the range from subgrade to midgrade including RON from 85 to 94 and MON 79 to 87. Cetane Number and Derived Cetane Number reference materials are available from 40 to 52.

Compositional GC Reference Materials

Validate your compositional gas chromatography instrumentation and methodology with ASTM’s composition reference materials. Shipped in packages of 8 x 5-mL ampoules, and in gasoline or naphtha matrices, our multi-ARV reference materials are a reliable way to confirm precision and accuracy of hydrocarbon group reporting and performance. Reference materials are available with ARVs for:

ASTM D5443 – Paraffins, Naphthenes, Aromatics; in gasoline or naphtha
ASTM D6730 – Paraffins, Isoparaffins, Naphthenes, Aromatics; in gasoline or naphtha
ASTM D6839 – Olefins, Aromatics, Saturates; in gasoline
ASTM D8071 – Paraffins, Isoparaffins, Olefins, Naphthenes, Aromatics; in gasoline
ASTM D5134 – Detailed Hydrocarbon Analysis with up to 20 individual components; in naphtha

Distillation Reference Materials

ASTM offers a wide selection of reference materials to validate distillation measurement systems using atmospheric, vacuum, micro, simulated, and high-temperature simulated methodologies. Our distillation reference materials are in sample matrices similar to those your laboratory tests, rather than synthetic blends of multiple pure components, offering confidence for real-world testing of wide boiling ranges. Confirm instrument performance and analyst technique with our catalog of reference materials with ARVs covering the boiling range of typical petroleum and refined products, and the narrow boiling range of high purity chemicals:

Crude Oil - IBP from 30 °C to 72 °C and FBPs from 709 °C to 720 °C; by ASTM D7169
Gas Oil - IBP from 110 °C to 393 °C and FBPs from 448 °C to 695 °C; by ASTM D1160, D6352, and D7169
Biodiesel - IBP from 290 °C to 327 °C and FBPs from 355 °C to 384 °C; by ASTM D1160 – Base Oil - IBP from 302 °C to 426 °C and FBPs from 411 °C to 590 °C; by ASTM D2887
Diesel Fuel - IBP from 102 °C to 171 °C and FBPs from 336 °C to 415 °C; by ASTM D86, D2887, and D7345
Jet Fuel - IBP from 95 °C to 165 °C and FBPs from 250 °C to 329 °C; by ASTM D86, D2887, and D7345
Gasoline - IBP from 28 °C to 44 °C and FBPs from 175 °C to 266 °C; by D86 and D7345
Naphtha - IBP from 33 °C to 127 °C and FBPs from 127 °C to 230 °C; by D86
P-Xylene – 50 % DP 138.3 °C; by D850

Flow Properties Reference Materials

Introduce highly accurate reference materials with very low uncertainty estimates into your quality system to validate cold flow property measurement systems. ASTM’s reference materials for cloud point, pour point, cold filter plugging point, and freeze point offer robust ARVs across the wide range of flow temperatures for major petroleum products and popular manual and automated methods:

Cloud Point – ASTM D2500, D5771, D5773 – in diesel fuel and biodiesel from 0 °C to -27 °C – Pour Point – ASTM D97, D5853, D5949, D5950, D7346 – in crude, fuel oil, gas oil, diesel fuel, lubricants, and other oils from +28 °C to -65 °C
Cold Filter Plugging Point – ASTM D6371 – in diesel fuel and biodiesel from -4 °C to -29 °C
Freeze Point – ASTM D2386, D5972, D7153 – in jet fuel from -43 °C to -76 °C

Aviation Jet Fuel Reference Materials

ASTM’s reference materials for jet fuel are available for hard-to-find parameters, with accepted reference values in ranges typical of the fuel tested in commercial laboratories. Our jet fuel reference materials come with reliable ARVs and low estimated uncertainties based on test results from labs across the globe. Key jet fuel reference materials we offer are:

ASTM D3241 – JFTOT Tube Deposit Thickness – 8 nm to 80 nm
ASTM D3948 – MSEP Rating – 90 to 99
ASTM D1322 – Smoke Point – 18 mm to 27 mm
ASTM D5001 – BOCLE Wear Scar Diameter – 0.55 mm to 0.77 mm
ASTM D6379 – Aromatics by HPLC – 14 vol% to 23 vol%

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