Classification of engine oil according to international standards

Classification of engine oil

There are the following classifications of oils:

SAE (American society of automotive engineers).

API (American petroleum Institute).

ACEA (Association of European car manufacturers) has replaced CMC (Committee of European Common market car manufacturers) since 1996.

ILSAC (international Committee for the standardization and approval of lubricants — joint American-Japanese classification).

MILL (specifications of the Military Department of the USA).

GOST 17479.1-85 (Russian classification of viscosity-temperature and performance properties).

The most common classifications are SAE and API.

Classification	marking Example	Short description
SAE	SAE 10W-40 SAE 15W-40 SAE 30 SAE 0W-40 SAE 10W SAE 20W-50	Indicates the preservation of the properties of oils when the temperature changes. Is denoted by one (seasonal), more often two numbers (all-season). The number before (W) winter is the»winter» parameter, the smaller it is, the better it is to use in winter weather. A minimum of 0. The unsigned number W, the summer parameter, shows the degree of preservation of density when heated. The higher this setting, the better. A maximum of 60. If the number is one, the presence of the sign W says that the oil — winter, in the absence — summer.
API	API SJ/CF API SF/CC API CD/SG API CE API CE/CF-4 API SJ/CF-4, EC I	Allows you to evaluate the performance of the oil. Consists of indicator (first letter) for petrol — (S) service and for diesel — (C) commercial engines. The letter behind each of these indicators indicates the level of quality for the respective engine types, for gasoline engines varies from A to J, for diesel engines — from A to F(G). The letter further alphabetically from A, the better. The number 2 or 4 behind one of the symbols means that the oil is intended for two — and four-stroke engines, respectively. Universal oil have both tolerance, for example SG/CD. Specification, going first, says about the preference of use, t, E. SG/CD — «more petrol», CD/SG- «more diesel». The letters EC after the designation of the oil by means of the API Energy Conserving, i.e., energy saving. Roman numeral I indicates fuel economy of not less than 1.5%; II — not less than 2.5; III — not less than 3%.
ACEA	ACEA A3-96, B3-96 ACEA A2, B2	Quality characteristic. It has three categories: A — for gasoline engines, B — for diesel engines of cars and E — for diesel engines of trucks. The number after the category indicates the level of the oil. The higher the number, the more severe the conditions the engine can operate using this oil. The designation, for example, AZ-96, says that the oil corresponds to class A3 of the ASEAN specification as amended in 1996.
CCMC	CCMC G4, D1 CCMC G2	European outdated classification of oils quality. Parts oil category: (G) gasoUne — for gasoline engines (D) diesel — truck diesel engines, PD — passenger diesels. The figure behind the category indicates the level of oil quality. The higher the number, the better the oil.
MIL-L	MIL-L-2104A MIL-L-46152D NATO-CODE	Military specification. The analogue of the API classification. Evaluates the quality of oils. MIL-L-2104 — for diesel and MIL-L-46152 for petrol engines. The letter behind the code indicates the level of quality, for gasoline engines varies from A to D, for diesel engines — from A to E. The letter further alphabetically from A, the better. For gasoline and diesel engines, NATO — CODE is the highest class.
GOST 17479.1 — 85	M-8B M-6Z/10V M-6Z/10G1	Russian viscosity classification (adapted for SAE). Brands of domestic motor oils begin with the letter M, (which means «motor», not the group code!), followed by the viscosity value (for all-season oils — double designation, separated by a fraction sign). It ends with the letter designation of the group (A, B, B, D, D, E) with the index 1 — for gasoline or 2 — for diesel engines. The absence of such an index indicates the versatility of the oil. In the marking, the thickener is indicated by the lowercase letter «z», which indicates that the oil belongs to the all-season group.