What Is Colorfastness?
The colour-fastness test evaluates how durable the colour of fabric, leather and coatings used in the vehicle interior remains under influences such as light, rubbing, perspiration, water and heat. Since exposure to sunlight is long and intense in automotive use, light fastness is especially critical.
Purpose of Colorfastness
The purpose is to verify that the interior trim does not lose colour, fade, or transfer colour to other surfaces over the vehicle's lifetime.
Which Products Is Colorfastness Applied To?
- Seat fabrics and leather trim
- Door-panel and headliner coverings
- Carpet and floor mats
- Steering-wheel and gear-lever coverings
- Seatbelt webbing
In Which Sectors Is Colorfastness Used?
Standards Related to Colorfastness
- ISO 105-B06
- ISO 105-X12
- ISO 105-E04
- DIN 75202
- SAE J1885
- SAE J2412
Colorfastness Conditions
- Light fastness
- Accelerated exposure with a xenon-arc lamp; duration and energy per the specification
- Rub fastness
- Dry and wet rubbing; at the load and number of cycles prescribed by the standard
- Assessment
- Grading on the grey scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent)
Equipment for Colorfastness
- Xenon-arc weathering apparatus
- Crockmeter (rub-fastness tester)
- Perspirometer (perspiration fastness)
- Grey scales and a colour-measurement instrument (spectrophotometer)
- Conditioning chamber
Sample Requirements for Colorfastness
- Specimens of the dimensions prescribed by the standard
- A separate specimen for each fastness type
- The specimen's surface as used in the vehicle must be stated
- A separate specimen is required for each colour variant
Duration of Colorfastness
Rub- and perspiration-fastness tests are completed within a day; light-fastness tests can take weeks depending on the exposure duration in the specification.
Colorfastness Procedure
- 1Specimens are cut and conditioned.
- 2Initial colour values are measured or recorded.
- 3The relevant fastness test is applied (light, rubbing, perspiration, water, heat).
- 4The specimen is conditioned after the test.
- 5Colour change and, if present, staining are graded on the grey scale.
- 6The colour difference (ΔE) is measured instrumentally if required.
Colorfastness Acceptance Criteria
The acceptance criterion is defined in the OEM specification as a grey-scale grade or a maximum ΔE value. Values vary by material group and location in the vehicle; requirements are stricter for surfaces directly exposed to sunlight.
Evaluation of Results
Colour change and staining onto an adjacent surface are graded separately. Interim assessment at exposure stages in light fastness allows the fading curve to be observed.
Colorfastness Report
- Applied standards and fastness types
- Specimen description and colour information
- Exposure conditions and durations
- Grey-scale grades and, if available, ΔE values
- Comparison with the specification
Accreditation
EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.
Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Scope and authorisationsRelated Regulations
- OEM interior-trim material specifications
Otomotiv Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that the Colorfastness test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Automotive testing shows that a component keeps working under conditions representing the loads it will meet over the life of the vehicle. A vehicle is not a single product but an ENVIRONMENT: vibration, temperature cycling, salt water, stone impact, electrical transients and electromagnetic noise are all present at the same time and for years.
What distinguishes this family is that VEHICLE MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS sit on top of the standards. ISO and SAE publications establish the common ground; but Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault define different severity levels, additional tests and different acceptance criteria in their own specifications. For a component, the phrase "complies with automotive standards" is not sufficient on its own; which manufacturer's specification, and which revision of it, must be answered.
The family carries three separate processes together and they are often confused. Homologation covers the type approvals a vehicle needs to enter traffic and runs under state authority. Supplier approval means passing the vehicle manufacturer's own quality and testing requirements and is a commercial relationship. The third is design verification: the engineering team demonstrating that its own design meets its targets.
At component level the test plan is built around the LOCATION OF USE. A module in the engine bay and a module in the boot do not go through the same temperature and vibration profile; a component inside a door and one in the roof console do not see the same water and dust exposure. The ISO 16750 series is the common framework for this location-based approach.
The shift to electric vehicles has reshaped the field. High-voltage safety, insulation coordination, battery safety, charging interface conformity and the electromagnetic behaviour of high-voltage components have been added to the classical automotive test set. In a quiet vehicle, acoustic and vibration expectations have changed too; sounds once masked by the combustion engine are now audible.
The quality system side cannot be separated from testing in this field. A manufacturer under IATF 16949 presents test results in the PPAP file; measurement system analysis, process capability study and the control plan stand around the test report. A single good result is not enough — the process must be shown to be able to repeat it.
Method groups in this field
Environmental and climatic
Temperature cycling, thermal shock, damp heat, salt spray, dust and water ingress (IP), solar radiation. Severity levels vary with the mounting location.
Mechanical
Sine and random vibration, shock, mechanical loads, fastener torque and durability cycles.
Electrical
Supply voltage variations, transients (ISO 7637), reverse polarity, overvoltage, short circuit and sleep current measurements.
EMC
Component emissions (CISPR 25), radiated and conducted immunity (ISO 11452 series), electrostatic discharge (ISO 10605).
Materials and emissions
Odour, fogging and VOC emissions from interior materials; flammability; UV ageing; coating durability and stone impact.
Functional safety and cyber security
Functional safety evidence under ISO 26262 and cyber security engineering under ISO/SAE 21434; these are tied to regulation through UNECE R155 and R156.
Commonly confused in this field
- An automotive report without a specification reference is not accepted in the supply chain; which OEM specification and revision was applied must be stated.
- Type approval and supplier approval are different processes. A component with E-Mark approval is not thereby considered to have passed the OEM's own acceptance tests.
- A result obtained on a prototype does not carry over to series production; PPAP is done with series production parts.
- On the EMC side, measuring emissions alone is incomplete; immunity is a separate body of work and is more critical in a vehicle.
- On electric vehicle components, high-voltage safety is a distinct competence; classical 12 V test infrastructure is not sufficient.
Which decisions these results support
- Supplier component approval and the PPAP file
- UNECE type approval and E-Mark marking
- Design verification and durability evidence
- Root cause analysis of field complaints and warranty returns
- Assessing the impact of a design or supplier change
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions About Colorfastness
What is the difference between SAE J2412 and ISO 105-B06?
Both measure accelerated light fastness with a xenon arc, but exposure profiles, filter selection and energy doses differ. SAE methods are more commonly required by North American OEMs, and ISO and DIN methods in Europe.