FCA US LLC Document Number: MS-DC-543

Material Standard Date Published: 2016-11-17

Category Code: S-3 Change Level: MS.50031_Rev B
EASL Requirement: No
Restricted: No

PLASTICS - THERMOPLASTIC - POLYVINYL CHLORIDE -

AUTOMOTIVE GRADES

1.0 GENERAL

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1.1 Purpose

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The purpose of this standard is to specify the requirements of automotive grades of flexible polyvinyl chloride

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(PVC) compounds developed from virgin, recycled, reconstituted, and/or regrind resin sources. This standard

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uses a classification system of tables and line call-outs. By doing so it outlines the requirements for both
certifiable test methods as well as characterization of the materials.

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1.2 Purpose of the Material

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Materials conforming to the standard can be used in injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, rotational
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casting and other related processes. Materials referenced in this standard can be used for interior, exterior,
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and/or under-the-hood applications. These materials are generally resistant to heat, abrasion, and most
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organic chemicals. Parts molded from these materials are well suited for decorative applications but can also
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be used for functional purposes.

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1.3 Coverage of this Standard

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This standard covers the physical and mechanical requirements, test procedures, and quality control for
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polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds. The standard applies to several grades of PVC commonly used in the
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automotive industry
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This standard applies to natural, black, non-matched color, and 100% color-match materials.
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1.4 Recycled Content

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This document allows for the use of recycled, reconstituted, and/or regrind materials provided that the
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requirements as stated in this document are met and the material is identified on the part drawing or with the
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appropriate suffix. (See Table 2 of this document for suffixes.)

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1.5 Location of Definitions/Abbreviations/Acronyms

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Definitions/Abbreviations/Acronyms can be found in Section 6.0 toward the end of this standard.

2.0 MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS

The material shall maintain all the characteristics that are stated in the standard through all phases of
processing.

Manufacturing issues such as texture, finish, nicks, tears, cracks, flow marks, blisters, flash, roughness,
porosity and voids are primarily functions of the manufacturing process and not the material. Other issues

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such as color, gloss, warpage and shrinkage could be a result of the process and/or the material. In either
case, these conditions are not controlled by this standard and should be remedied by the fabricators' quality
control program.

3.0 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION / MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION

Materials defined by this standard shall be classified within the FCA US Plastic Number (CPN) index system
as follows:

Durometer: Shore A or Shore D, to the nearest 5.

Process type: Injection molding grade, Extrusion and Blow molding grade, or Plastisols.

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Major use category (see Z suffixes): Interior (Standard or High sun), Exterior, Wire Insulation

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A typical Material description to be captured in the CPN index may be:

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‘65 Shore A durometer PVC, Injection grade, Exterior applications’

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Materials shall also be segregated by color, with the categories being: Natural, Black, Non-matched Color, and
100% Color Matched.

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3.1 Color-Matched Materials

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Interior materials which are 100% color-matched to a FCA US Product Design Office Master plaque must also
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satisfy the requirements of MS-JP-1-3 (Soft Trim) for each intended production color.
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4.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MATERIAL

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4.1 Mechanical Properties and Tests

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Approved materials shall meet the requirements as designated in Table 1 for the line callout identified in the
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FCA US Plastic Number (CPN) index system. An example of a line callout for common and variable grades
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can be found following Table 1. The requirements found in these tables apply only to natural and black
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materials. See section 4.3 of this document for requirements of colored compounds.
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4.2 Additional Requirements

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Suffix info.
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4.3 Requirements for Colored Materials

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Materials which are 100% color matched (and required to meet visual Masters established by the FCA US
Product Design Office) must also satisfy MS-JP-1-3, ‘Color Durability for Interior Materials’, for each mastered
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color for interior applications or exterior weathering per LP.7M035 Part A (MS-JP-9-5).

Due to the physical effects associated with the addition of the color additives, pigmented material (whether
non-matched color or 100% color-matched) is allowed a variation for tensile, elongation, and tear properties.
(See the definitions listed in Section 6.0 for color terms). This variation is not to exceed 10% loss from the
minimum certifiable values of the natural or black material.

Initial approval shall consist of evaluating tensile, elongation, and tear properties of each color from one lot of
material. Tensile, elongation, and tear samples shall be molded and tested according to the test method
specified in Table 1 of this standard. Report the percent property loss of the averaged values compared to the
material certification -3 sigma values to FCA US Materials Engineering for approval. On the report, include the

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raw data (all 5 tensile, elongation and tear data points recorded) and note any data point which exceeds the
10% property loss allowance. Any pigmented material with an averaged value that exceeds the 10% property
loss allowance shall be considered a rejection. Note that durometer, specific gravity, heat aging, and cold
temperature performance are to be run on the natural or black samples and are not required to be duplicated
on pigmented samples (whether they be pre-colored or colored at the press).

Deviations to this requirement are allowed at the discretion of the Organic Materials Engineering Department
if: a) The proper test data is supplied, b) certain concentrates are mandatory to achieve the proper color-
match, and c) DVP&R or appropriate performance testing of specific colored components indicate that there
are no problems due to degraded material properties. Materials approved by deviation will be approved and
labeled as such under a separate CPN.

Subsequent tensile, elongation, and tear testing of the pigmented samples shall be performed annually and

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kept on file by the applicable material supplier, compounder, or molder. Only colors that are released for
current production need be tested. The processor who adds the color concentrate is responsible for molding

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the samples and performing all the certification tests stated above. Any materials whose averaged property

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values are found to exceed the allowable 10% property loss shall be considered to be nonconforming and no

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longer approved for use. Nonconforming results shall be reported immediately to FCA US Materials
Engineering. Authorization for use may be provided by Materials Engineering and would include the

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development of a disposition plan consistent with the affected applications and the issuance of an appropriate

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deviation, if necessary, for the nonconforming properties.

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NOTE: For pre-colored products, the material may be certified using the same line call-out used for natural

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and black product, provided that the colored materials maintain 90% of the tensile, elongation, and
tear property values.
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4.4 Performance Testing
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Component testing is typically required to validate the use of the material for a particular application. The
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release engineer is responsible for specifying a performance standard and/or DVP&R to assure functionality of
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the finished component. This is important especially when using pigmented materials that typically have lower
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physical properties. Refer to MS-JP-9-8 and/or MS-JP-1-3 to assist in determining tests to be called out on
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DVP&R and/or performance standards.

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4.5 Test Specimens and Conditioning

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All test specimens shall be from untextured plaques 2.0 mm +/- 0.2 in thickness and conditioned at 23 +/- 2
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degrees C and 50 +/- 5% relative humidity for at least 24 hrs unless otherwise specified. No annealing of test
specimens is allowed.
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4.6 Certification
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Each raw material supplier is required to submit 3 sigma certification data for all tests called out in Table 1 (of
this document) to the Organic Materials Engineering Department for material approval. Statistical property
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data shall be derived from testing a minimum of 6 lots and not more than 30 of the most recent lots. A
minimum of one set of data is required for each lot. Unless specified otherwise, 5 test bars of each property -
e.g. durometer, tensile, etc - are molded, tested and averaged to get one set of data. Table 1 contains tests,
which FCA US requires for “lot to lot certification” (see definition). Frequency of these tests shall comply with
the FCA US test sampling plan certification document, which has been agreed to by the appropriate Organic
Materials Engineer.

The tests in Table 2 are only required if the line call-out found in the CPN Index description contains the suffix
that corresponds to the suffix value listed in Table 2. Where applicable the material supplier is required to
present data from one lot for all tests specified by the suffix. These are characterization values of the material
which are required for initial material approval and not for continuous lot to lot certification.

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All Plastic and Soft Trim Materials used in interior applications must meet the requirements outlined in CS-
13398 -PERFORMANCE, VEHICLE INTERIOR AIR QUALITY MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS. Those
requirements are included in the Table 3 of this standard. The data has to be provided with the construction
submission package at the time of initial approval (see Annex C of CS-13398).

Any submission package received with variance outside the requirement limits of Table 1 or insufficient
information to Table 2 and/or Table 3 will be considered a rejection.

Additional requirements for material approval and procedure for material submission can be found in the
“Plastic Material Approval” section of CS-9800.

Table 1 - Material Property table for PVC Compounds

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Designation Property 0 1 2
Order

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Number

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(Note 1)
A Durometer, Shore A – Nominal w/ 3-sigma = +/- 5 Not Specified Specify 45

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ISO 868 / ASTM D2240, 15 sec. delay, 6mm Value
thickness, report average of 5 samples

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(Note 1)
B Durometer, Shore D – Nominal w/ 3-sigma = +/- 5 Not Specified Specify 30

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ISO 868 / ASTM D2240, 15 sec. delay, 6mm Value

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thickness, report average of 5 samples

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(Note 1)
C Specific Gravity - Max. Not Specified Specify 1.10

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ISO 1183-3 / ASTM D792 fh Value
D Tensile Strength - MPa Min. (500 mm/min) Not Specified Specify 2.5
ISO R527 type 2 / ASTM D638 type IV Value
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E Ultimate Elongation, % Min. (500 mm/min) Not Specified Specify 50

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ISO R527 type 2 / ASTM D638 type IV Value

F Tear Resistance, kN/m Min. (50 mm/min) Not Specified Specify 5
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ISO 34 Meth. B, Procedure A / ASTM D1004 Value

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G Heat Aging - Ultimate Elongation, % change Max Not Specified Specify 10

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1000 hrs @ 80 +/- 2 C, ISO 188 / ASTM D573 Value
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H Cold Temperature Performance, Min. Temp., C Not Specified Specify -10
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Mandrel Bend, 2.0 inch diameter, 180 ., No crack Value
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MATERIAL PROPERTY TABLE FOR PVC COMPOUNDS (continued)

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Designation 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Order
Number
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(Note1)
A 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
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(Note 1)
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B 35 40 45 50 55 60
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( Note 1)
C 1.15 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.35 1.40 1.45
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D 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0

E 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

F 15 25 35 45 55 65 75

G 20 30 40 50

H -20 -30 -40

NOTE 1: Designates properties for lot certification.

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 Table 2 - Initial Characterization – Suffixes
Suffix
Test Test Method Requirement
Number
Z1 Interior Applications:
Standard Applications
(below beltline)
Weathering SAE J2412 Delta E = 3.0 max.
2
601 kJ/m ISO Gray Scale = 4.0 min.
Gloss = +/- 2.0 units max.
No visually detrimental effects or
unacceptable decline in appearance.

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Burn Rate ISO 3795 / 100 mm/min max.
SAE J369 Note: This test is strictly a screening method

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for categorizing the materials ability to resist

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burning and cannot be used to verify

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component flammability compliance to
FMVSS-302.

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Z2 Interior Application:

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High Sun Load

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(above beltline)

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Weathering SAE J2412 Delta E = 3.0 max.

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2
1240 kJ/m ISO Gray Scale = 4.0 min.
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Gloss = +/- 2.0 units max.
No visually detrimental effects or
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unacceptable decline in appearance.
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Burn Rate ISO 3795 / 100 mm/min max.

SAE J369
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Z3 Exterior Applications:
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Weathering MS-JP-9-5 Per the specification requirements.

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(LP.7M035 Part A)
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Asphalt Stain LP-463PB-57-02 Delta E = 1.0 max.

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No visually detrimental effects or

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unacceptable decline in appearance.

Resistance to Sulfide ASTM D1712 No staining, discoloration or deterioration of
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material.
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Mildew Resistance ASTM G21 No apparent fungus attack.

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Migration/Stain Test LP-463DD-06-01 No staining, swelling or lifting of paint. No

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72 hrs @ 80 C other detrimental effects.
Wire Insulation –
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85 C (185 F):
Odor SEE Table 3 SEE Table 3
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Oil Vapor Test – 48 hours at 150 C
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Aged Properties (302 F) over
Durometer change, ASTM #1 oil +/- 10 points, max.
(Shore “D”)
Tensile Strength 14 (2030) MPa (psi), min.
Elongation 100%, min.
Tear Strength 66 (375) kN/m (lb/in), min.

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 Table 2 - Initial Characterization – Suffixes
Suffix
Test Test Method Requirement
Number
Sufuric Acid Test – ASTM D543
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Aged Properties 24 hours at 38 C
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Durometer change, (100 F). Sulfuric +/- 10 points, max.
(Shore “D”) acid (specific
Tensile Strength gravity 1.26 to 13 (1900) MPa (psi), min.
Elongation 1.28) – Immersion 100%, min.
Tear Strength 66 (375) kN/m (lb/in), min.
Z5 Wire Insulation –
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105 C (220 F):

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Odor SEE Table 3 SEE Table 3
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Oil Vapor Test – 48 hours at 150 C

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Aged Properties (302 F) over

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Durometer change, ASTM #1 oil +/- 10 points, max.

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(Shore “D”)
Tensile Strength 14 (2030) MPa (psi), min.

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Elongation 170%, min.

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Tear Strength 43 (245) kN/m (lb/in), min.

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Heat Aged Properties ASTM D573

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Durometer change, 70 hours at 150 C +/- 10 points, max.

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(Shore “D”) (302 F) over fh
Tensile Strength ASTM #1 oil 14 (2030) MPa (psi), min.
Elongation 150%, min.
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Tear Strength 35 (200) kN/m (lb/in), min.
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Z6.1 Recycled, Post The formulation consists of a minimum of

Consumer Content 25% post-consumer recycled content.
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Z6.2 Recycled, Post The formulation consists of a minimum of

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Industrial Content 25% post-industrial recycled content.

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Z6.3 Recycled, a mix of The formulation consists of a mixture of a

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Post Consumer & post-consumer and post-industrial blend such

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Post Industrial that the total blend meets or exceeds 25%

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Content recycled content.

Z6.4 Recycled, Some The formulation consists of a minimum of
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Recycled Content 10% recycled content, either coming from

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post-consumer, post-industrial or combination

of the two. Regrind from a source outside of
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this process is also acceptable in this

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category.
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Table 3 - Vehicle Interior Air Quality Material Performance Requirements

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Test Requirement Procedure

CS-13398
1.1 Odor As outlined in CS-13398
Test #1
CS-13398
1.2 Fogging As outlined in CS-13398
Test #2
CS-13398
1.3 Aldehyde Evaluation As outlined in CS-13398
Test #3

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 Table 3 - Vehicle Interior Air Quality Material Performance Requirements
Test Requirement Procedure
CS-13398
1.4 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Test #4
-Measureable Volatile Substances of Interest As outlined in CS-13398

-Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs)

Test #5
1.5 Semi Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) CS-13398

-SVOCs Emissions As outlined in CS-13398 Test #6

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-Total Semi Volatile Organic Compounds (TSVOCs) Test #7

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Example:

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A material with a line call-out of <MS-DC-543-A4B0C3D5E1F2G3H3Z3 (minimum elongation = 25%)> would

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have the following properties:

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MS-DC-543 Material Standard MS-DC-543 Plastisol

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A: Durometer, Shore A 4 = 55 nominal with a 3 sigma range of +/- 5 points

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B: Durometer, Shore D 0 = Not Specified - no requirement

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C: Specific Gravity 3 = 1.15 maximum fh
D: Tensile Strength 5 = 10.0 MPa minimum
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E: Elongation 1 = Specify Value, thus minimum ultimate elongation = 25%
F: Tear Resistance 2 = 5 kN/m minimum
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G: Heat Age 3 = maximum 20% change in Ultimate Elongation

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H: Mandrel Bend 3 = 180 bend over 2 inch (50 mm) diameter mandrel at minimum
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-20 C with no cracks
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Z: Suffix 3 = Exterior Applications

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5.0 QUALITY
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Refer to CS-9801 for general quality requirements.

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6.0 DEFINITIONS/ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS
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100% Color Matched. A pigmented material which meets a Styling mastered color number. These materials
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meet or exceed specific interior or exterior weathering requirements unless noted otherwise on the CPN index.
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Some black materials are considered color-matched such as DX9.

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Black. Any non-color-matched black using a minimum amount of dye, carbon black, and/or pigment.

CPN. An acronym for “FCA US Plastic Number Index”

Initial Characterization Values. Tests which are used for initial source approval and not for continuous lot to lot
certification.

Lot to Lot Certification. The material test property certification, which is required to be supplied to the molder
with every lot of material produced. The actual testing may be run every lot, quarterly, annually or other time
interval as agreed to in the FCA US Test Sampling Plan.

Natural. Any unpigmented resin.

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Non-matched Color. A pigmented resin, which is not required to meet a Styling mastered color number.

Pigmented. A generic statement referring to either non-matched color or 100% color-matched. Products may
utilize any combination of pigments, dyes, and/or tints.

Recycled Content. The portion of a material's or product's weight that is composed of materials that have
been recovered from or otherwise diverted from the waste stream either during the manufacturing process
[pre-consumer/post-industrial] or after consumer use [post-consumer].

7.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

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Three asterisks “***” after the section/paragraph header denotes single or multiple technical changes to the

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section/paragraph. Specific technical changes within a section, subsection, table, or figure may be highlighted
in yellow.

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Certain important information relative to this standard has been included in separate standards. To assure the

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processes submitted meet all of FCA US requirements, it is mandatory that the requirements in the following
standards be met.

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CS-9800 - Application of this standard, the subscription service, and approved sources

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CS-9003 - Regulated substances and recyclability

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Within Engineering Standards, the Regulatory (Government-mandated) requirements are designated by <S>
and <E> which correspond to Safety and Emission Shields respectively. When applicable, the FCA US
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mandated requirements are designated by <D> which correspond to the Diamond symbol and by <A> for
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Appearance related objectives, respectively.

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For specific information on this document, please refer to the contact person shown in the "Publication
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Information" Section of this document. For general information on obtaining Engineering Standards and
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Laboratory Procedures, see CS-9800 or contact the Engineering Standards Department at

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[email protected].
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8.0 REFERENCES
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FCA ASTM Federal SAE ISO

Standards Standards Standards Standards Standards
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CS-9003 ASTM D573 FMVSS 302 SAE J369 ISO 34

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CS-9800 ASTM D638 SAE J2412 ISO 188

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CS-9801 ASTM D792 ISO 868

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CS-13398 ASTM D1004 ISO 1183-3

CPN-INDEX ASTM D2240 ISO 3795
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LP.7M035 ASTM G21

MS-JP-9-8 ASTM D1712
MS-JP-1-3 ASTM D543
LP-463DD-06-01
LP-463PB-57-02
Quality and Reliability Documents

Other documents

MS-DC-543, Change MS.50031_Rev B, 2016-11-17, Page 8

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9.0 ENGINEERING APPROVED SOURCE LIST
Not applicable. FCA US Plastic Number (CPN) index for approved sources to this standard.

10.0 PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Contact/Phone Number: Ewa Lebert, 248-576-7468
Alternate Contact/Phone Number: Douglas Peterson, 248-576-6514
Department Name & Department Number: Organic Materials Engineering, Dept. 5840
Date Standard Originally Published: 1998-02-09
Date Published: 2016-11-17

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Change Notice:

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Description of Change:

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- Editorial Changes: Added a watermark to indicate that the embedded specifications are part of this
harmonized norm; updates to reflect the new corporate identity.

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