VDA – Material Data Sheet
Components of motor vehicles Marking of material
April 2007
VDA 260
Preface Material markings for components of motor vehicles have the exclusive purpose of optimum, type-specific recycling with reference to the material cycle. According to the EU Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, published September 18, 2000 by the European Parliament and Council, this marking is considered compulsory for plastic parts. For components made from other materials, marking according to this material data sheet is recommended in order to ensure that uniform identification of materials is continuously provided, irrespective of the advertising strategies for certain materials and other recycling systems. This material data sheet does not replace the measures required in order to ensure that manufacturers of vehicle components make appropriate information on disassembly, storage, and inspection of re-usable parts available to the licensed utilization facilities. However, implementation of these measures is to be facilitated. Specifications for the identification of the material used for components, which are subject to other legal regulations, are not affected by this material data sheet. Modifications This VDA material data sheet has been editorially revised and updated. Thereby, the focus was placed on adapting it to the 2000/53/EC Directive on end-of-life vehicles, published September 18, 2000 by the European Parliament and Council. • • •
The possibility of identification according to SAE J1344 has been cancelled. Table 1 with examples for codes has been taken out. The applicable standards have been updated. Partly, this has led to changes in the codes as well.
Previous editions 1984-08, 1990-08, 1996-05
Working group on standardisation support in the VDA Materials Committee Continuation Page 2 to 9 VERBAND DER AUTOMOBILINDUSTRIE E.V. (VDA)
Westendstraße 61 60325 Frankfurt
Vertrieb: DOKUMENTATION KRAFTFAHRTWESEN E.V. (DKF) Ulrichstraße 14, D-74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen
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VDA 260
April 2007
Application and purpose
The material data sheet has the purpose of marking of materials which are used in motor vehicle components. The material data sheet has the purpose of determining the minimum requirements for identifying the material. Here, existing standards, which govern the designations and identification of material data in the field general technology, are taken as a basis. This process is used to draw up and/or improve the prerequisites in order to ensure: • the type-specific separation of materials intended for recycling and disposal, • the processing of recyclable materials, • processing and treatment of parts in repair shop • and to avoid different material designations. 2
Normative references
The following standards contain definitions which provide determinations, marked in the text, for this VDA material data sheet. At the time of publishing, the issues stated below applied. All standards are subject to revision. Agreements based on this VDA material data sheet must be inspected for application of the latest edition of the standards which are listed below. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
CEN/TS 13388 Copper and copper alloys - Compendium of compositions and products (DIN CEN/TS 13388) DIN 1729-1 Wrought magnesium alloys DIN 1742 Tin alloys for pressure; Die castings DIN 17730 Nickel and nickel-copper alloys; Castings DIN 17740 Wrought nickel - Chemical composition DIN 17741 Wrought nickel alloys, low alloyed - Chemical composition DIN 17742 Wrought nickel alloys with chromium - Chemical composition DIN 17743 Wrought nickel alloys with copper - Chemical composition DIN 17744 Wrought nickel alloys with molybdenum and chromium - Chemical composition DIN 17745 Wrought alloys of nickel and iron - Chemical composition DIN 30910-1 Sintered metal materials; Sintered material specifications - Part 1: Explanatory notes for WLB (= Werkstoff-Leistungsblätter = Material performance sheet) DIN 30910-2 Sintered metal materials; Sintered material specifications - Part 2: Materials for filters DIN 30910-3 Sintered metal materials; Sintered material specifications - Part 3: Materials for bearings and structural parts with bearing properties DIN 30910-4 Sintered metal materials; Sintered material specifications - Part 4: Materials for structural parts DIN 30910-6 Sintered metal materials; Sintered material specifications - Part 6: Hot-forged sintered steels for structural parts E DIN 50960-1 Electroplated coatings - Part 1: Designation in technical documents DIN 60001-1 Textile fibers - Part 1: Natural fibers and letter codes EN 316 Wood fiberboards - Definition, classification and symbols (DIN EN 316) EN 573-2 Aluminium and aluminium alloys - Chemical composition and form of wrought products - Part 2: Chemical symbol based on designation system; (DIN EN 573-2) EN 610 Tin and tin alloys - Ingot tin (DIN EN 610) EN 622-1 Fiberboards - Specifications - Part 1: General requirements (DIN EN 622-1) EN 622-2 Fiberboards - Specifications - Part 2: Requirements for hardboards (DIN EN 622-2)
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VDA 260
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EN 622-3
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EN 622-4
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EN 622-5
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EN 1179 EN 1560
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EN 1753
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EN 1982 EN 1780-2
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EN 10088-1 EN 12844 EN 13556
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ISO 1043-1
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ISO 1043-2
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ISO 1043-4
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ISO 1629 ISO 2076 ISO 11469
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ISO 18064 VDA 673 400
April 2007
Fiberboards - Specifications - Part 3: Requirements for medium boards (DIN EN 622-3) Fiberboards - Specifications - Part 4: Requirements for softboards (DIN EN 622-4) Fiberboards - Specifications - Part 5: Requirements for dry process boards (MDF) (DIN EN 622-5) Inc and zinc alloys - Primary zinc (DIN EN 1179) Founding - Designation system for cast iron - Material symbols and material numbers (DIN EN 1560) Magnesium and magnesium alloys - Magnesium alloy ingots and castings (DIN EN 1753) Copper and copper alloys - Ingots and castings (DIN EN 1982) Aluminium and aluminium alloys - Designation of alloyed aluminium ingots for remelting, master alloys and castings - Part 2: Chemical symbol based designation system (DIN EN 1780-2) Stainless steels - Part 1: List of stainless steels (DIN EN 10088-1) Zinc and zinc alloys - Castings - Specifications (DIN EN 12844) Round and sawn timber - Nomenclature of timbers used in Europe (DIN EN 13556) Plastics - Symbols and abbreviated terms - Part 1: Basic polymers and their special characteristics (DIN EN ISO 1043-1) Plastics - Symbols and abbreviated terms - Part 2: Fillers and reinforcing materials (DIN EN ISO1043-2) Plastics - Symbols and abbreviated terms - Part 4: Flame retardants (DIN EN ISO 1043-4) Rubber and latices – Nomenclature (DIN ISO 1629) Textiles - Man-made fibers - Generic names (DIN ISO 2076) Plastics - Generic identification and marking of plastics products (DIN ISO 11469) Thermoplastic elastomers - Nomenclature and abbreviated terms Elastomer components in motor vehicles; Designation of elastomers; Polymer basic materials
International standards have been taken over as DIN ISO or DIN EN standards (stated in brackets) and/or designed to be taken over as DIN ISO or DIN EN standards. 3
Parts worthy of marking
If • the purpose of this material data sheet can be achieved according to section 1, • the material cannot be determined at the level of the accuracy required for this purpose without identification being possible with negligible effort (often applies to the materials listed in sections 4.4 to 4.6), • no technical, geometrical, or economical reasons, which cannot be eliminated, are present, then all components or component groups, which form one unit from the recycling point of view, are to be marked individually. It is not possible to determine which parts, i.e. as of which size and in how much detail, have to be marked. The persons involved in the development and the production of a component are responsible for checking the necessity case-by-case, based on the criteria mentioned in section 1. Material marking according to sections 4.4 to 4.7 must be considered separately.
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VDA 260
April 2007
Caution: It is compulsory to mark plastic parts and elastomer components (exception: tires) according to sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3. 4
General notes on the marking of components
The structure and detail of the marking should be carried out using the rule “as few characters as possible but as many as necessary”. The decisive aspect: Is the purpose of this material data sheet achieved according to section 1? The marking usually consists of brief type designations which have been defined by DIN, EN, or ISO standards (ISO takes priority). The codes are usually put into arrowed brackets, which consist of the mathematical signs for “more than” (>) and “less than” (<). To ensure improved legibility, spaces may be inserted between the individual blocks or letters and figures of a marking. However, spaces are not counted as characters and omitted when the codes are used for automatic data processing. 4.1
Thermoplastics, duroplastics
4.1.1
Marking format
According to the 2000/53/EC Directive on end-of-life vehicles, published on September 18, 2000 by the European Parliament and Council, all plastic components with a weight of more than 100g must be marked. It is also recommended to mark parts weighting less than 100g. The marking is set up according to the internationally agreed code and brief type designations in accordance with ISO 1043 -1, -2, -4. Marking of softening agents according to ISO 1043-3 is dispensed with when health risks can be excluded and there are no known limitations with regard to recycling. However, if any flame protection agents are present, they must be marked at least with “FR” or according to ISO 1043-4. Example:
> PA66-GF30 <
Example with addition to mark flame protection agent: > PBT-FR < If necessary, filler material mixtures are stated by listing the individual components, separated by further hyphens: Example:
> UP-(GF15+MF25) <
Blends are marked by listing the two, at max. three main components, split by a plus sign "+": Example:
> PC+ABS <
Copolymers shall be marked either by their common brief type designation (e.g. >ABS<) or by stating two to three individual components, separated by hyphens: Example:
> E/P <
Codes for filler and reinforcement materials and flame protection agents are linked to the codes for polymers (terminology) by a horizontal line, as described in ISO 11469.
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4.1.2
VDA 260
April 2007
Compound parts
In the case of compound parts, i.e. components which consist of several materials which are connected to one another in a planar manner and cannot be separated without destroying the components, the constituent parts are separated in their order (acc. to ISO 11469) from the markings point of view by commas, from back to front, for hollow parts, from the outside to the inside. The main component, i.e. with the largest weight percentage, is underlined: Example:
> PVC,PUR <
Comment: The order according to ISO 11469 might possibly contradict the current regulations. For non-polymeric, wooden, or textile material inserts, these are to be marked with the basic symbols for filler and reinforcement materials according to ISO 1043-2, metals in brackets with the corresponding chemical symbol: Example:
> PVC,PUR,(Fe) <
If a material insert is completely included in one component, the reinforcement material is added directly behind the polymer brief designation: Example:
> PUR(Al) <
A marking can also be embossed on a non-polymeric base material. Thin, galvanic, vapordeposited or varnished coatings remain unconsidered within the scope of the purpose of this material data sheet, if they are harmless with regard to recycling. If required for marking, components made from glued or welded individual components are marked by stating them in English using the following material code according to this VDA material data sheet: Example for lamp housing:
4.2
Glass > PMMA < Case > ABS <
Elastomers
According to the 2000/53/EC Directive on end-of-life vehicles, published on September 18, 2000 by the European Parliament and Council, all elastomer components (exception: tires) with a weight of more than 200g must be marked. It is also recommended to mark parts weighting less than 200g. 4.2.1
Marking format
The marking consists of the internationally agreed codes according to ISO 1629, inserted into the arrow/pointed bracket symbols according to ISO 11469, like with thermoplasts and duroplasts. Example: 4.2.2
> EPDM <
Rubber cuttings
For vulcanized material on the basis of rubber cuttings, two components at max. are listed in decreasing order according to their percentage. The main component, i.e. with the largest weight percentage, is underlined: Example:
> NR/SBR <
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4.2.3
VDA 260
April 2007
Compound parts
In the case of compound parts, i.e. components which consist of several materials which are connected to one another in a planar manner and cannot be separated without destroying the components, the constituent parts are separated in their order (acc. to ISO 11469) from the markings point of view by commas, from back to front, for hollow parts, from the outside to the inside. The main component, i.e. with the largest percentage, is underlined: Example: Comment:
> CR,NBR <
The order according to ISO 11469 might possibly contradict the current regulations; for reasons of standardization, however, it is also recommended for elastomers.
Metallic inserts are to be marked in brackets with the chemical symbol in the respective order, textile inserts with the corresponding code according to DIN 60001-1 and/or ISO 2076: Examples:
> NBR,(Fe),EPDM < > SBR,(CV),NBR <
For metal parts which have been joined in by vulcanization, which cannot be detected from the outside or are difficult to detect, the metal insert is to be put into brackets directly using the chemical symbol of the main component without commas. Example: 4.3
> NBR (Fe) <
Thermoplastic elastomers
Marking is carried out according to ISO 18064. Example: 4.4
> TPO-(EPDM+PP) <
Metals
For components made of metal materials, only those components are marked which are made from materials for which it is economically sensible or environmentally necessary to recycle them type-specifically. Low-alloyed steels are not marked. Marking takes place using the short name according to the standards listed below, also put into arrows/pointed brackets, just as with polymeric materials. 4.4.1
High-alloyed steels and high-alloyed cast steel
Short name acc. to EN 10088-1 without any additional symbols for conditional information Example: 4.4.2
> X5CrNiMo17-12-2 <
Cast iron
Short name acc. to EN 1560 without any figures on strength or signs for conditional information and without any symbols placed in front: Example:
> GJS <
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4.4.3
VDA 260
April 2007
Aluminum alloys
Short name according to EN 573-2 (semi-finished products) or EN 1780-2 (cast) without symbols placed in front for the shape of the product and without symbols for conditional information, only chemical composition. Example for pressure die cast part: 4.4.4
> AlSi9Mg <
Magnesium alloys
Short name acc. to EN 1753 without symbols placed in front for the shape of the product and without symbols for conditional information, only chemical composition. Example for pressure die cast part: 4.4.5
> MgAl8Zn1 <
Copper alloys
Short name acc. to CEN/TS 13388 without symbols placed in front for the shape of the product and without symbols for conditional information, only chemical composition. Example: 4.4.6
> CuZn39Pb2 <
Heavy metal, special alloys
Components made from or including nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), and other heavy metals which have a key role in recycling are marked according to their designation standards without type of cast and code for condition (selection: DIN 1742, DIN 17730, DIN 17740, DIN 17741, DIN 17742, DIN 17743, DIN 17744, DIN 17745, EN 610 and EN 1179, EN 1982, EN 12844). Example for zinc pressure die cast part: > ZnAl4Cu1 < For low-alloyed or pure metals, the chemical symbols suffice. 4.4.7
Metallic coatings
Also coatings, which either lead to problems in recycling or where reclamation makes sense, are to be marked according to DIN 50960-1 (also for non-galvanized coatings) by stating the basic material and after a slash the coating material with the corresponding chemical symbols (coat thickness not absolutely necessary). Example for galvanized sheet iron: 4.4.8
> Fe/Zn <
Sinter materials
Short names acc. to DIN 30910-1 to 6 without information on heat treatment etc.: Example:
> Sint-C11 <
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4.5
VDA 260
April 2007
Textiles
Marking is carried out by printing it onto a suitable position on the back or on a label sewn on with the code acc. to DIN 60001-1 and ISO 2076, fiber blends are marked by stating the individual fiber types, separated by hyphens. Example cotton-polyester:
> CO-PET <
If a marking of the fabrics is already present with the usual marking which is customary in the textile industry with instructions and care symbols on a sewn-on label, marking according to VDA 260 can be dispensed with. 4.6
Natural materials
4.6.1
Timber and timber products (not used as filler or reinforcement materials of polymeric materials)
The marking is applied by printing or branding in the code for the timber group NH for soft wood types or LH for hardwood types or exact information including the codes acc. to EN 13556: Example for deal:
> PNSY <
Exception: When applying the full markings acc. to EN 622-1 to 5 (fiberboards, specifications), markings acc. to VDA 260 are dispensed with. Example: 4.6.2
(Company) EN 622-5 MDF 16 E1
Leather
As long as there are no standards on brief type designation, markings with symbols acc. to this VDA material data sheet are dispensed with. If these codes are laid down in standards, the corresponding components must be marked analogous to other materials. If required, the English term can be used for leather: > Leather < 4.6.3
Paper, cardboard
As long as there are no standards on brief type designation, markings with symbols acc. to this VDA material data sheet are dispensed with. If these codes are laid down in standards, the corresponding components must be marked analogous to other materials. If required, the English term can be used for paper: > Paper < 4.7
Complex assemblies
For components which can usually not be dismantled during disassembly, the main components are listed - one after the other - separated by semicolons, or separately in a vertical list: Example for an (automotive) alternator: > AlSi9Cu3Mg; Cu; Fe
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4.8
VDA 260
April 2007
Ceramics
Codes have not been standardized yet. Therefore, markings are dispensed with for the time being. 5
Application of markings on the part
5.1
Legibility
The marking must be permanent. It must be located on the part in such a way that it is not destroyed during disassembly and can be easily read once disassembled. If stylistically acceptable, it should also be legible when the part has been installed. 5.2
Size, shape, and layout
Size, shape, and layout of the materials marking must correspond to the markings which are used for parts numbers, dates, and/or supplier identification. The minimum fond size must be 3 mm; at least 5 mm are recommended. In general, the marking of plastics parts and cast parts is to be realized in raised letters; for other parts, the marking must be permanently legible by using the corresponding method of printing, marking or embossing. 5.3
Use of capital and small initial letters
The marking must be effectuated using the correct capital and small initial letters of the respective symbols and brief type designations in accordance with the respective standards. 5.4
Position and order of the markings
If other markings are attached to a part, it is recommended that these markings should be close to one another and close to the material marking. However, according to this materials data sheet, parts identification markings have priority over materials markings when it comes to application problems. The materials marking should not be integrated into the vehicle manufacturer's parts identification for parts which are used by several vehicle manufacturers in order to avoid different versions of otherwise identical parts. Frames or any other borders which may lead to difficulties in finding the markings must be omitted.
