Which fluid does your standard actually require?
Every standard we supply a fluid for, in one table: the sector it governs, what the test determines, the unit the result is reported in, and the pH and storage of the solution we ship. Each row is read from the same catalogue data as the product page it links to.
| Standard | Sector and what the test determines | Result reported as | pH as supplied | Storage and shelf life | Our reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 1811also cited as BS EN 1811:2023 · NF EN 1811 · DIN EN 1811 | Jewellery, piercing, watch casesNickel released through prolonged skin contact | µg/cm²/week. REACH Annex XVII entry 27 allows 0.5, and 0.2 for post assemblies in pierced ears | 6.50 ± 0.05 at 20 °C, fixed by the standard | 15–25 °C, no cold chain6 months from manufacture · no preservative, which is what keeps the nickel background clean | Artificial Sweat · EN 1811from €59 |
| ISO 105-E04also cited as NF EN ISO 105-E04 · DIN EN ISO 105-E04 | Textiles, leather, dyed trimColour fastness of a dyed material to perspiration | Grey-scale rating 1 to 5 for change in shade and for staining of adjacent fabric | 5.5 / 8.0 ± 0.2 | 15–25 °C, no cold chain3 months from manufacture · histidine, no preservative, at room temperature | Perspiration Kit · ISO 105-E04from €81 |
| AATCC 15also cited as AATCC Method 15 | Textiles for the US marketColour fastness to perspiration, the AATCC method | Grey-scale and chromatic transference rating | 4.3 ± 0.2 | 15–25 °C, no cold chain3 months from manufacture · histidine, no preservative, at room temperature | Artificial Perspiration · AATCC 15from €70 |
| ISO 3160-2also cited as BS ISO 3160-2 | Watchmaking, premium metal goodsCorrosion and surface change of a watch case under controlled exposure to full eccrine sweat | Graded appearance and mass change after exposure | 4.7 | 15–25 °C, no cold chain12 months from manufacture · an aggressive saline medium with nothing labile in it | Artificial Sweat · ISO 3160-2from €145 |
| DIN 53160:2023-07 | Toys, childcare articles, mouthed objectsColour fastness and transfer from an object a child puts in the mouth | Staining of the test medium, assessed against the DIN 53160-1 scale | 6.8 ± 0.1 | 15–25 °C, in the dark · DIN 53160 §5.2.23 months from manufacture · calcium and phosphate share the bottle | Artificial Saliva · toysfrom €59 |
| ISO 10271:2020 | Dental alloys, orthodontic wireElectrochemical corrosion and tarnish of a metallic dental appliance | Polarisation curves, and released element mass after static immersion | 2.3 ± 0.1, measured not adjusted | 15–25 °Cmade to order, use-by date on the label · the standard asks for it to be used within a few hours of preparation | Static Immersion Solution · ISO 10271from €334 |
| ISO 18369-3:2017 | Contact lenses, ophthalmic devicesInteraction between a lens material and tear fluid, including protein deposition | Extractable substances, deposition, and change in lens properties | 7.4 | protein version 2–8 °C · saline version 15–25 °Cmade to order, use-by date on the label · lysozyme has to still be active when it reaches you | Artificial Tear Fluidfrom €357 |
| Absorbent hygiene, incontinence productsTotal absorption capacity, by the ISO 11948-1 Rothwell method | Grams of fluid retained per gram of dry product | 6.0–6.4 | 15–25 °C, no cold chain6 months from manufacture · no preservative, and the limit is microbiological | Synthetic Urine · QCfrom €66 | |
| AUM (Stickler model) | Urinary catheters, stents, urology devicesEncrustation and blockage of an indwelling device, often with a urease-producing organism | Time to blockage, and mass and nature of the deposit | 6.0–6.5 ± 0.1 | stable version 15–25 °C · encrustation version 2–8 °Cmade to order, use-by date on the label · calcium, magnesium and phosphate together, and no precipitate on arrival | Artificial Urine · cathetersfrom €77 |
| ISO 23317:2025 | Orthopaedic and dental implants, biomaterialsApatite-forming ability of an implant surface, the in-vitro bioactivity screen | Presence and morphology of apatite after immersion, by SEM and XRD | 7.4 at 37 °C | 5–10 °C · never below 2 °C, freezing destroys an SBF30 days from manufacture · the supersaturation is the product, and it does not keep | Simulated Body Fluid · Kokubofrom €152 |
Reading the equivalences. A BS, NF or DIN prefix on a European number is a national adoption of the same text, and one fluid covers all of them. A cross-reference between two different numbers is not the same thing: ISO 12870 does not contain a nickel-release method, it refers out to EN 16128, and EN 1811 excludes eyewear from its own scope. Cite the standard that governs your article, not the one that led you to it.
Designations, equivalences and what these fluids are not
Are BS EN 1811, NF EN 1811 and DIN EN 1811 three different tests?
No. They are the British, French and German adoptions of the same European text, published unchanged by each national body. A report citing any of them describes the same method, and one fluid serves all three. The prefix tells you which national catalogue the copy was bought from, nothing more.
Is ISO 12870 the same nickel-release test as EN 1811?
No, and this is the most common ordering mistake in this table. EN 1811 explicitly excludes eyewear from its scope. ISO 12870, the spectacle-frame standard, refers out to EN 16128 for the nickel release requirement. Clause 8 of EN 16128:2025 revised the concentrations of the artificial sweat solutions and the size of the test papers, so the two are no longer the same fluid, and we do not currently supply an EN 16128 solution. The specimen preparation and the scope differ too, so a report must cite the standard that actually governs the article.
Are these solutions certified reference materials?
No. They are test solutions formulated to the composition a public standard specifies, supplied with a certificate of analysis for the batch. They are not certified reference materials within the meaning of ISO 17034, and no report should describe them as such. Where your method requires a CRM, for instance to calibrate the instrument that reads the result, that is a separate purchase.
Why does a row show a short shelf life instead of a number of months?
Because the fluid carries no preservative. A solution holding fresh sulphide, active lysozyme or a plasma-level carbonate balance cannot be stabilised for a year without changing the chemistry the standard asks for, so it is made to order and dated on despatch rather than stocked. Where a fluid genuinely is stable, the row gives the figure.