Viscosity grade comparisons for general guide only, viscosities are based on a 95 vi oil. Sae published the first version of their standard sae j300 for motor oil viscosity. Lowering the minimum kinematic viscosity limit from 7. In an automobile, an engine oil is used to reduce the friction and ensure smooth functioning of the various parts in an engine. Oils can be separated into multigrade oils and monograde oils. Hydraulic oil is categorised by iso according to its viscosity at 40 degrees celsius. The sae viscosity grades shown constitute a classification for axle and transmi. Oil viscosity and weight explained with chart to pick the. The viscosity grade of a lube oil is determined by the society of automotive engineers sae.
Jul 10, 2018 sae stands for society of automotive engineers. For example, a lubricant with an iso grade of 32 has a viscosity within the range of 28. For instance, an sae 80w gear lubricant may have the same viscosity as an sae 20w or sae 30 engine oil and sae 90 gear lubricant viscosity can be similar to that of an sae 40 or sae 50 engine oil. Single grade motor oils viscosity grade field of application relating to climatic zone or season field of application relating to. Subscribers can view annotate, and download all of saes content.
Viscosity grade the measure of an oils ability to flow at certain temperatures. Grease is a mixture consisting of a natural or synthetic oil base combined with thickeners and additives. The society of automotive engineers sae designates sae steel grades. The comparable iso grade of a given product whose viscosity in sus at 100f is known can be. The iso viscosity classification uses mm2s cst units and relates to viscosity at 40oc. For example, a lubricant with an iso grade of 32 has a viscosity within.
This is because as all oils thin when heated, so to get the right film thickness at operating temperatures oil manufacturers needed to start with a thick. Listed below them are the viscosity grades for these standards. Appendix fapi guidelines for sae viscositygrade engine. Viscosity equivalent chart with multiple viscosity grade systems existing, it may be confusing if an engine manual instructs the use of iso international standard organization grade 32 and the product in front of you has sae society of automotive engineers grade 10w on the container. Viscosity grades may be listed as sae, iso or nlgi grade numbers. Optimization of different grades engine oil viscosity. The sae wanted a system that reflected the suitability of an oil for use as an engine lubricant and was easy for the consumer to understand. There are sae society of automotive engineers grades for gear oils and crankcases engines. Sae viscosity grades viscosity table and viscosity chart anton. The numbers indicate to the nearest whole number, the. Viscosity classification equivalents schroeder industries llc.
These are iso viscosity grades, american gear manufacturers association agma grades, sae crankcase oil grades and sae gear oil grades. The official sae viscosity grades are now 0w, 5w, 10w, 15w, 20w, 25w, 16, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. A single grade oil does not contain viscosity modifier or polymeric viscosity index improver. There is a scale for the w, or winter viscosity grades and, depending on which grade is selected, testing is done at different temperatures.
Below is a chart outlining the viscosity grades defined by sae j306. Oils displaying these marks meet performance requirements set by u. The society of automotive engineers sae has created two viscosity standards for automotive lubricants. Grade 10w40 from the top half of the chart grade 10w this oil will have a cranking viscosity no greater than 7,000 mpas in a cold engine crankcase even if its temperature should drop to 25 c on a cold winter night and a maximum pumping viscosity of 60,000 mpas. The numbers indicate to the nearest whole number, the mid points of their corresponding brackets. The tables on the following pages provide nominal values for viscosity standards supplied by cannon instrument company. Engine oil viscosity classification, j300 jan2015, sae at. The standards for these gradations are not the same as that of motor oils.
This classification defines 20 viscosity grades in the range of 2 to 3200 square millimeters per second 1 mm2s equals 1 cst at 40. Industrial lubricants viscosities equivalent isovg grade. This sae standard is intended for equipment manufacturers in defining and recommending axle and manual transmission lubricants with respect to viscosity, and for users in following their owners manual recommendations. The former grades denote a multigrade engine oils lowtemperature properties w denoting winter, whereas the latter grades denote an engine oils properties at the operating temperature of an engine. Obviously, cold temperature or w ratings are tested differently than regular sae viscosity ratings. It is clear that for the majority of the players in the lubricant industry the proper viscosity. Belows figure depicts the sae viscosity grades for engine oils. Sae viscosity grades include 0w through 25w in increments of 5w, 8 through 20 in increments of 4, and 20 through 60 in increments of 10. Grease viscosity and nlgi number grades the ability of any particular grease to be handled by grease pumps, grease dispensers, and other components in a automated greasing system depends on the grease viscosity thickness.
The measure of an oils thickness and ability to flow at certain temperatures. Guide to sae viscosity grades of motor oil for passenger cars multigrade oils such as sae 5w30 and 10w30 are widely used because, under all but extremely hot or cold conditions, they are thin enough to flow at low temperatures and thick enough to perform satisfactorily at high temperatures. Through the years, lubricant users have been treated to a number of ways to designate viscosity grades of the lubricants used in manufacturing. The dynamic viscosity of single viscosity winter oils is determined at a various cold temperature as established by sae j300. Viscosity classification equivalents schroeder industries. Viscosity of gear oils designated with a number followed by the letter w sae 70w, sae 75w, sae 80w etc. The differe nce between the two types of viscosity grades. The j300 viscosity grades and their requirements are summarized in table 1, while those for j306 are shown in table 2. Please note that actual values will vary slightly from lot to lot. Sae j306 automotive gear viscosity classifications axle and manual transmission lubricant viscosity classifications 70w 75w 80w 85w 80 85 90 110 140 190 250 viscosity at 100c min, mm 2 s 4. Automotive gear lubricant viscosity classification. Each iso viscosity grade number corresponds to the midpoint of a viscosity range expressed in centistokes cst at 40c. Following is a table with the sae gear lubricant viscosity grades.
Equivalent viscosity of isovg grades at 40 o c and agma gear lube grades. The viscosity of an oil is measured by its resistance to flow. The society of automotive engineers sae viscosity grading system for engine oils consists of w grades that define low temperature viscosities and straight grades that put further limits on high temperature viscosities. It consists of a series of 18 2viscosity brackets between 1. Jul 28, 2015 the most recent update to the standard came in january 2015, which established two new lower viscosity grades. This revision begins the process of extending the sae engine oil viscosity classification system to lower hightemperature highshearrate hths viscosities by adding a new hightemperature viscosity grade sae 16 2. The pursuit of efficiency lubrizol has been deeply involved in the preservation and application of the j300 standard for many years. According to table 1, there are two types of sae viscosity grades. The american iron and steel institute aisi originally started a very similar system. The original viscosity grades were all monogrades, e.
Multigrade oils must fulfill two viscosity specifications, their viscosity grade consists of two numbers, e. Guide to sae viscosity grades of motor oil for passenger cars apis service symbol and certification mark identify quality engine oils for gasoline and dieselpowered vehicles. Hydraulic oil is not an automotive product is has no sae connection. Six of them are recognized as winter grades with a w designation. Sae viscosity grades for engine oils go further, go fs.
The numbers in the middle will most likely look a bit more familiar. Their initial specification defined five different numbered grades for motor oil 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. Other oil characteristics are not considered or included. Sae viscosity grades viscosity table and viscosity chart. The energy c on serv igd a tp l intended for gasolineengine cars, vans, and light trucks. Hence the viscosity of an sae 50 motor oil may not essentially be less than that of sae 90 gear oil. A publication of the lubrication engineers technical. For petroleumbased liquids, this covers approximately the range from kerosene to cylinder oils. Sae viscosity chart high temp winter or w grades 100o c 210o f sae viscosity kinematic kinematic sae viscosity low temp oc kinematic cst cst viscosity cp cst 100o c min 100o c max cranking max pumping max nys 100o c min 20 5. Putting the simple back into viscosity lubrication engineers.
As a matter of fact, both these oils have the same viscosity. A publication of the lubrication engineers technical department. Sae j300 september 1980 engine oils the most widely used system for engine oil viscosity classification is that established by the society of automotive engineers sae in the usa. At the time of this writing, the sae currently has six active viscosity grades 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 and 16 with another two 12 and 8 being set for future implementation. So 5w30 viscosity engine oil thickens less in the cold than a 10w30, but more. Simply put, these tests are done with a different temperature system. Motor oil viscosity grades explained in laymans terms. The sae viscosity grades constitute a classification for engine lubricating oils in rheological terms only and are intended for use by engine manufacturers in determining the engine oil viscosity grades to be recommended for use in their engines and by oil marketers in formulating and labeling their products. These are four digit numbers which represent chemical composition standards for steel specifications. The sae 70w, 75w, 80w and 85w are for low temperatures, and the sae 80, 85, 90, 110, 140, 190 and 250 are for the high heat applications. The society of automotive engineers sae developed a scale for both engine motor oil grades and transmission oils. Occasionally, the actual lubricant viscosity will not fall within established grade parameters.
Single viscosity oils are normally referred to straight weight oils. It defines operating temperature engine oil viscosities for different grades and contains specifications for cranking viscosity and pumpability at. The w stands for winter, not weight as many people think. Hydraulic oil is categorised by iso according to its viscosity. Sae 10w30 promotes increased fuel economy relative to heavier viscosity grades. Multigrade gear oils viscosity of gear oils may be stabilized by polymeric. Appendix fapi guidelines for sae viscositygrade engine testing. Sae viscosity grades for engine oils 1 sae j300 dec 99. The sae classification sae j300 has proven 11 viscosity grades. The original viscosity grades were all mono grades, e. Equivalent viscosity of isovg grades at 40 o c and sae gear lube grades. Sae 85w140 oil has a low temperature viscosity similar to that of sae 85w, but it has a. Here we explain what descriptions like 0w20 and 5w40 actually mean. Pdf 24022010 4 stroke motor oil mineral please regularly check that you have the latest uptodate technical data sheet.
The number preceding the w rates the oils flow at 0 degrees fahrenheit 17. The sae viscosity grade are only a measure for the viscosity of the lubricant oils and do not give any statement about the quality and compounds of the motor and gear oils. For an oil to be of sae 16 viscosity grade its viscosity on 100 c must be between 6. In addition to the kinematic viscosity requirements for an sae grade, there is an accompanying high temperature high shear hths viscosity measurement to go along with. Resource conserving and energy conserving these designations apply to oils intended for gasolineengine cars, vans, and light trucks. Over time they used the same numbers to refer to the same alloy, but the aisi. Sae has graded gear oils as well according to its viscosity.
There are two numbers that define the viscosity of an oil. The multi viscosity graded lubricants may be satisfactory at both temperature extremes. Kinematic viscosity is graded by measuring the time it takes for a standard amount of oil to flow through a standard orifice, at standard temperatures. The first number of the designation specify the oil viscosity at cold temperature, the second number specifies the oil viscosity at high temperature. The sae refers to society of automotive engineers, the sae number is measured in centistoke cst at 100oc 3, centistokes measures the fluid resistance to motion. The lower the number here, the less it thickens in the cold. Follow your vehicle manufacturers recommendations on sae oil viscosity grade. In this system two series of viscosity grades are defined those containing the letter w and those without the letter w. The measure of an oils th ick nes ad b ly of w r temperatures. The energy conserving designation applies to oils intended for gasolineengine cars, vans, and light trucks. Grades sae grades gear oils sae grades crankcase oils rule of thumb. At the same time, the sae 80 viscosity grade has been amended to tighten the broad kinematic viscosity window which previously existed. Sae viscosity grade maximum viscosity, cp at specified temperature, c astm test d 2602 maximum borderline pumping temperature, c astm test d 3829 viscosity, cst at 100 c astm test d445 min max 3250 at 30 35 3.
Lets take a look at the grading of motor oil by sae. Follow your vehicle manufacturers recommendations on sae oil viscosity. Engine oil viscosity classification sae international. The society of automotive engineers sae has established a numerical code system for grading motor oils according to their viscosity characteristics. This gradation system, established by the society of automotive engineers, has been put in place for classifying.
Each viscosity grade is designated by the nearest whole number to its midpoint kinematic viscosity in. The word viscosity describes how easily an engine oil flows. Sae j300 a critical standard lubrizol additives 360. Sae j300 is a viscosity classification for engine oils, and sae j306 is for axle and manual transmission lubricants.
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