Rubber compounds, such as silicone, can be formulated to have a wide variety of physical characteristics. The ASTM D2000 Standard Classification System for Rubber Products in Automotive Applications, often shortened to ASTM D2000, is a standardised method used to specify the required physical properties of a vulcanised rubber product.

 

The ASTM D2000 classification takes the form of an alpha-numeric call out, an example of which can be seen below.

 

ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1

 

The table below contains the different components of the callout using the callout above as an example, along with a brief explanation of each component.

Table 1: Outline of ASTM D2000 Callout Components

Component	Location in Callout	Explanation
Unit of Measure	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates the use of metric or imperial units in the callout
Grade Number	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates the quantity of additional requirements to be tested for the material
Type and Class	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates the heat resistance (type) and oil resistance (grade) requirements of the material
Hardness	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates the hardness requirement of the material
Tensile Strength	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates the minimum tensile strength requirements of the material
Suffixes	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates any additional requirements of the material, exclusive of the standard requirements above (See Table 2)
User Defined Suffixes	ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1	Indicates any user-defined additional requirements of the material that are not outlined in the standard suffix naming system.

 

Table 2: Naming Convention of Standard Suffixes

Suffix Letter	Test Required
A B C D EA EO F G H J K M N P R Z	Heat Resistance Compression Set Ozone or Weather Resistance Compression-Deflection Resistance Fluid Resistance (Aqueous) Fluid Resistance (Fuels) Low Temperature Resistance Tear Resistance Flex Resistance Abrasion Resistance Adhesion Flammability Resistance Impact Resistance Staining Resistance Resilience Any special requirement, which shall be specified in detail.

 

The ASTM D2000 Rubber classification can even be used to differentiate different silicone compounds. For example, the line callout below can be used to describe a hard, high tear strength silicone grade

 

ASTM D2000 M2 FC 709

 

Alternatively, the line callout below can be used to describe a soft, high temperature resistant silicone grade.

 

ASTM D2000 M3 GE 310 A12

The ASTM D2000 rubber classification system is an extremely robust and efficient method of classifying vulcanised rubber materials such as silicone. Jehbco can manufacture compounds to meet most silicone-based ASTM D2000 line callouts.

 

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