ASTM D1500 ASTM Co1or or Petroleum Products (ASTM Color Scale)
Consumers often associate lubricant color with quality, uniformity and as a visual identifier. End users may rely on color to ensure that the correct lubricant is used in the proper application. Producers may use color to determine the degree of refinement and/or the presence of contaminants. This test determines the color of lubricating oils, heating oils and diesel fuel oils on the ASTM color scale, which goes from 0 to 8 with 0 being clear to pale yellow and 8 being deep red to dark. It may be used as a bench mark quality control tool, a processing aid or for research applications.
The sample fluid is placed in the test compartment of a colorimeter, and water is placed in the control cell. Standard color disks are placed behind the water until the color that best matches the sample is found. The ASTM color scale number is read and reported.