Ciba Specialty Chemicals has many years of experience in testing and recommending light-fast and weather resistant systems for in- and outdoor use. Accelerated testing according standardized condition such as ISO 4892-2, DIN 53387, ASTM G26 and Cycle WOM 119 correlate nicely to real condition. Xenon-light is the preferred artificial light source because it simulates quite well the energy spectrum of natural sunlight.

Light fastness is in accordance with ISO R879 / DIN 53387 exposed to filtered Xenon light. The samples are assessed against Blue Wool Scale (1-8) where 8 denotes very high and 1 lowest light fastness.

Ciba Specialty Chemicals also has broad experience in fulfilling specific requirements of particular industries such as automotive (DIN 75202- FAKRA; SAE J 1885 interior; SAE J 1960 exterior), construction & pipes or rubber.

Weather-o-meter results generally give a good indication of the likely performance in real life but they are not an exact substitute for real exposure.

Accelerated tests on outdoor suitability of pigments are carried out in Atlas Weather-o-meters according to Cycle WOM 119 using water spray to simulate rain, dark periods to simulate night phase and specially filtered high Xenon arc light to simulate closely the spectral distribution of daylight. ISO 4892-2 wet condition is similar to Cycle WOM 119 without the dark phase, means continuous light exposure

The following pigments display outstanding weather resistance in adequately stabilized polymer systems.

For applications in which outdoor exposure is only intermittent, there are a number of other colorants that could be considered. Since recommendations vary according to polymer, stabilization package and performance expectations, we recommend that you contact us for further information so that you can find the best solution for your requirements.