CIELAB is a visual-based scale that can be used to specify color and set color tolerances for the polyurethane industry.

Yellowness Index specifies the degree of departure of the sample from colorless towards yellow. This index is only suitable for clear liquids with degrees of saturation in yellow (dominant transmission wavelength in the 570 to 580 nm range). It can be used to set tolerances for appropriate polyurethane raw materials.

This test method does not include provisions for materials with fluorescence or visible haze (usually greater than 5 % haze).

Before proceeding with this test method, make reference to the specification of the material being tested. Any test specimen preparation, conditioning, dimensions, or testing parameters or combination thereof, covered in the materials specification shall take precedence over those mentioned in this test method. If there are no material specifications, then the default conditions apply.

1.1 This test method provides an instrumental method for measuring the CIELAB color and Yellowness Index (YI) of liquid polyurethane raw materials. The CIELAB and YI results are derived from mathematical manipulation of CIE tristimulus values in accordance with Practices E308 and E313, respectively.

1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Note 1—There is no known ISO equivalent to this standard.