Overview
ISO 18768-1:2022 - Organic coatings on aluminium and its alloys - Part 1: Powder coatings - specifies how to define decorative and protective powder coatings on aluminium and its alloys. The standard sets out the characteristic properties of powder coatings and the required test methods, together with minimum performance requirements tied to the intended application and the aggressiveness of the service environment. Note: coil coatings on aluminium are excluded.
Key Topics
The standard gives practical test and specification guidance across the coating lifecycle, including:
- Information to be supplied by the customer (coating type, substrate, exposure class, colour, finish).
- Metal preparation and pretreatment: substrate identification, degreasing, etching, anodic oxidation, chemical conversion, and alternative pretreatments.
- Coating categories and guidance for architectural applications.
- Comprehensive test methods covering:
- Appearance, colour and gloss (visual and instrumental measurement)
- Coating thickness and minimum requirements
- Hardness (pencil, Buchholz)
- Adhesion (dry and wet tests)
- Impact resistance (falling-weight, DuPont)
- Abrasion, cupping, cylindrical mandrel bend
- Processing resistance
- Chemical resistance (acid, alkali, detergent, mortar)
- Solvent resistance
- Corrosion resistance (neutral salt spray - NSS, acetic acid salt spray - AASS, copper-accelerated AASS - CASS, cyclic corrosion tests, filiform corrosion)
- Humidity, boiling water and weathering resistance (outdoor and accelerated)
- Sealing compound adhesion
- Annexes summarizing customer information, coating powder types and categories for architectural use.
Applications
ISO 18768-1:2022 is intended for anyone specifying, producing, testing or approving powder-coated aluminium components, including:
- Surface processors and coil coaters (note: coil coatings excluded from this part)
- Powder coating manufacturers and formulators
- Aluminium fabricators and extrusion houses
- Architects, façade engineers and specifiers selecting finishes for buildings
- Quality assurance and testing laboratories assessing performance vs. environment classes
- Asset owners and contractors specifying durable protective/decorative finishes
Practical benefits include consistent product specifications, clear minimum performance criteria for different environments, and reproducible test methods for acceptance and quality control.
Related Standards
For complete project specifications, users typically reference related standards on corrosion testing and architectural coatings (for example, ISO standards addressing corrosion protection and general test methods). Check national and industry rules when applying ISO 18768-1:2022 in contracts and procurement.