Wednesday, March 5, 2014
API Base Oil Interchangeability Guidelines
The American Petroleum Institute, or API, provides consumers with information on engine oil disposal, certifies the quality of oil manufacturers product and oversees oil safety and oil recycling. The API Base Oil Interchangeability Guidelines ensure engine oil manufacturers create a quality product.
Function
Because base oils have varying physical and chemical properties, API designed guidelines that engine oil manufacturers follow to create a standard of engine oil performance. The guidelines allow varying engine oil blends to work interchangeably without affecting engine performance.
Base Stock Types and Categories
Base stock defines lubricants created by a single manufacturer using the same lubricant specifications or formula each time. Base stock slate defines a product line of identical base stock lubricants with varying viscosities. Base oil defines API-licensed oil. The base stocks are then categorized one of five ways defined in section E.1.3 of the API guidelines.
Guidelines
API receives third-party engine testing data for each oil product. API then compares the data against engine testing requirements, specified in section E.2 of the Interchangeability Guidelines, before certification. In some cases, a single interchange base stock does not require engine testing.
