ASTM D412 is the standard test method for tensile properties of vulcanized rubber. A dumbbell or ring specimen is pulled to break and the result reports tensile strength, ultimate elongation, and modulus at 100, 200, and 300 percent elongation. CRC runs D412 in-house in an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited lab, before and after heat or fluid aging.

ASTM D395 is the standard test method for compression set of rubber. Method B holds a specimen at a constant deflection, usually 25 percent, at temperature for a set time, then measures how much of the original thickness comes back. Method A holds a constant force instead. A lower percentage means better recovery, and recovery is what keeps a seal sealing for years.

ASTM D2240 is the durometer hardness test. A standardized indenter is pressed into the rubber and the resistance is read on the Shore A scale for elastomers, or Shore D for harder materials. Most rubber specifications carry a hardness with a plus or minus five point tolerance.

ASTM D2000 is the classification system prints use to call out a rubber. A line call-out names the type and class letters that set the heat and oil resistance, then the durometer and tensile grade, then suffix requirements such as compression set, low temperature, or fluid resistance. CRC reads D2000 call-outs and tests to the suffix requirements they carry.

Can CRC run these methods on my part rather than a test slab?

Yes for many of them. Hardness, adhesion, and fluid immersion can be run on finished parts, while tensile and compression set need standard specimens, which we can mold from the same batch as your part. Send the part with its service history through the sample submission page and the lab will scope it.

The Lab

An ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited testing laboratory, inside the same plant that molds your parts.

Testing runs in-house to an internationally benchmarked standard, so compound science, testing, and production sit on one block: faster development, defensible data, one accountable team. Material characterization, failure analysis, regulatory testing, the accredited scope, our test methods and equipment, and how to submit a sample each have their own page below.

In-house accredited lab · Corry, PA USA