On 2026年4月24日, the International Organization for Standardization （ISO） officially released ISO 787-5:2026 "General methods of test for pigments and extenders Part 5: Determination of oil absorption", a standard led by China in its development. Chemical export enterprises dealing in titanium dioxide, iron oxide, organic pigments, and other categories, as well as supply chain stakeholders required to provide third-party test reports for the EU REACH, U.S. ASTM, and Southeast Asian markets, should pay close attention to the changes in the mutual recognition mechanism for testing brought by this standard——for the first time, it provides a unified and verifiable testing basis for key physical property indicators of pigments worldwide.

Event Overview

The International Organization for Standardization （ISO） officially released ISO 787-5:2026 "General methods of test for pigments and extenders Part 5: Determination of oil absorption" on 2026年4月24日. This standard was proposed under China’s leadership and fully drafted by China, making it the first part of the ISO 787 series to be published under China’s leadership. The standard specifies a laboratory method for determining the oil absorption of pigments and is applicable to titanium dioxide, iron oxide, organic pigments, and various extenders. Current public information shows that the standard has been released through the ISO official website and has entered the implementation preparation stage, but it is not yet mandatory and has not yet been simultaneously incorporated into regulatory reference lists in various countries.

Which segmented industries will be affected

Direct trading enterprises

Because exports to markets such as the EU require submission of oil absorption test reports that comply with REACH Annex XVII or buyer technical agreement requirements, companies previously often faced the issue of repeated sample submission to overseas laboratories. After the release of this standard, if the importing country’s regulatory authorities or major buyers explicitly recognize ISO 787-5:2026 as a basis for conformity assessment, reports issued by Chinese testing institutions are expected to be accepted directly, reducing the testing cycle and cost expenditure for individual batches.

Raw material procurement enterprises

When downstream coatings, inks, and plastics manufacturers purchase pigments, oil absorption is often used as an important reference parameter for formulation compatibility and dispersion stability. After this standard provides a unified test method, the comparability of data provided by different suppliers will be enhanced, helping buyers optimize incoming material acceptance standards and reduce the risk of technical disputes caused by differences in test methods.

Processing and manufacturing enterprises

For enterprises producing titanium dioxide, iron oxide and other inorganic pigments, as well as some organic pigments, oil absorption is a routine quality control indicator in factory inspection items. The release of the standard means that in future customer inspection, type inspection, or certification audits, there may gradually be a requirement to use the ISO 787-5:2026 method, pushing enterprises to calibrate existing testing equipment, revise operating instructions, and conduct personnel method training.

Supply chain service enterprises

Third-party institutions providing testing and certification, compliance consulting, export agency and other services need to assess the impact of this standard on their existing service offerings. For example, whether it is necessary to apply for CNAS scope extension accreditation for the ISO 787-5:2026 method; whether customers need to be reminded of the validity boundaries of their original test reports after the implementation of the new standard; and whether compliance service solutions for the EU market need to be updated.

What key points should relevant enterprises or practitioners pay attention to, and how should they respond at present

Pay attention to follow-up official statements or policy changes

At present, ISO 787-5:2026 has only been published as an international standard text. There has not yet been any clear statement from the EU ECHA, U.S. ASTM, or Southeast Asian national standardization bodies that it will be included in regulatory reference lists or procurement technical conditions. Enterprises should continuously track updates from competent authorities in various countries, industry associations, and major buyers （such as AkzoNobel, PPG, Nippon Paint, etc.）, and distinguish between the two stages of “standard published” and “regulation adopted”.

Pay attention to changes in business links in key product categories and key markets

Enterprises exporting titanium dioxide and iron oxide pigments to the EU should give priority to assessing the potential impact of this standard on their CE marking technical documents, REACH registration dossier annexes, or customer inspection clauses; suppliers of organic pigments serving Southeast Asian OEM orders may proactively communicate with buyers on whether ISO 787-5:2026 will be listed as a test method clause in annexes to next year’s contracts.

Distinguish between policy signals and the actual pace of business implementation

From an analytical perspective, international standards usually have a transition period of 12–24 months from publication to widespread acceptance. What is more worth paying attention to at present is whether leading multinational buyers will add references to this standard in new tender documents from the second half of 2026 onward, rather than immediately adjusting all internal testing procedures.

Prepare in advance for test method transition

It is recommended that enterprises with in-house testing capabilities complete comparative testing between ISO 787-5:2026 and the current national standard GB/T 5211.15—2014 "Determination of oil absorption of pigments" within 2026, record the differences, and form internal technical notes; testing institutions that have not yet obtained CNAS accreditation may initiate preparation for scope extension for this standard, but there is no need to immediately discontinue existing valid methods.

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, the release of this standard at present is more like an institutional signal rather than an immediately effective compliance threshold. It marks the first time China has gained a voice in setting international rules in the field of basic pigment testing methods, but the actual impact depends on the response speed of downstream adopters. From an industry perspective, this is not a “disruptive transformation” replacing the existing testing system, but rather provides an authoritative anchor point for the long-standing problem of inconsistent methods. What the industry needs to continue paying attention to is whether major importing markets will include it in mandatory reference lists, whether mainstream testing institutions will complete method validation, and whether leading users will embed this standard clause into procurement agreements——these three together constitute the true basis for judging actual implementation.

Conclusion: The release of ISO 787-5:2026 is an important milestone for China in achieving an international breakthrough in the field of basic pigment testing standards, but at this stage its industry significance is mainly reflected in “providing the possibility of mutual recognition” rather than “triggering mandatory switching”. Relevant enterprises should maintain technical sensitivity, advance method transition and customer communication at a pragmatic pace, avoid making large-scale transformation investments too early, and also avoid overlooking its structural impact on export compliance pathways over the next 3–5 years. At present, it is more appropriate to understand it as a technical benchmark upgrade with long-term guiding value.

Source note:
Main source: standard release announcement on the official website of the International Organization for Standardization （ISO） （ISO 787-5:2026）;
Parts for continuous observation: progress of adoption of this standard by the EU ECHA, U.S. ASTM, and Southeast Asian national standardization bodies; updates to procurement technical clauses by major coatings/plastics end-use enterprises.