ASTM B117 TESTING SUPPLIES FOR SALT SPRAY TESTING
Running ASTM B117 salt spray testing requires more than a chamber. Laboratories also need the correct sodium chloride, ASTM D1193 Type IV water, properly prepared salt solution, concentration-measurement instruments, fog-collection supplies, and suitable specimen supports. Auto Technology supplies these core ASTM B117 testing supplies individually or in practical packages for new and established corrosion laboratories.
Salt and Premixed Solution
Choose certified salt, standard salt, bulk salt, or ready-to-use 5% ASTM B117 solution based on volume and documentation requirements.
Type IV Water
Purchase ASTM D1193 Type IV DI water or produce it with an appropriate maintained system whose output is checked for the required quality.
Startup and Chamber Support
Collection supplies, hydrometers, salimeters, panel supports, operator training, and proficiency testing support consistent operation.
What ASTM B117 covers: ASTM B117 is a practice for operating salt spray (fog) apparatus. It defines the exposure environment and operating conditions. The specification covering the material or product generally establishes the exposure duration, specimen details, and evaluation criteria.
Premixed ASTM B117 Salt Solution or Mix It Yourself?
Pre-mixed 55-gallon drum of certified 5% ASTM B117 salt solution, Part C173300, formulated with Type IV DI water.
ASTM B117 salt solution is prepared by dissolving sodium chloride in ASTM D1193 Type IV water. A laboratory can control that process internally or purchase a ready-to-use 5% solution.
When Premixed Solution Makes Sense
- The laboratory does not have a dedicated solution-mixing system.
- Testing volume does not justify maintaining an internal mixing process.
- The laboratory wants to reduce weighing, mixing, and handling time.
- A customer or internal procedure calls for certified premixed solution.
- A ready supply is needed for startup, temporary demand, or backup inventory.
When Mixing In-House Makes Sense
- The laboratory runs frequent or high-volume salt spray exposures.
- Type IV water is already produced and monitored on-site.
- Personnel are trained to weigh, dissolve, check, adjust, and document each batch.
- The lower material and freight cost justifies the additional labor and process control.
Premixed does not mean unchecked. Premixed solution eliminates the initial salt-and-water mixing step. It does not eliminate the ASTM B117 requirement to check and record the applicable properties of the collected solution during chamber operation.
ASTM D1193 Type IV Water: Buy It or Produce It?
The water used to prepare ASTM B117 salt solution must conform to ASTM D1193 Type IV water, subject to the specific exceptions stated in B117. A basic sediment or carbon filter does not, by itself, establish that the output meets Type IV requirements.
Buy Type IV DI Water
Purchasing Type IV water in a 55-gallon drum is practical for occasional testing, laboratory startup, backup inventory,
or facilities without an on-site water-treatment system. It avoids the initial cost and maintenance associated with producing the required water internally.
Produce Type IV Water On-Site
An appropriate deionization, reverse-osmosis, or combined treatment system may be more economical for a laboratory with steady water demand.
The system must be maintained, and its output must be checked to confirm that the required water quality continues to be produced.
Installing an ordinary water filter is not enough.
Certified, Standard, or Bulk ASTM B117 Salt?
Standard 50 lb box of sodium chloride for salt spray testing, Part C173273.
The practical difference between Auto Technology's certified and non-certified ASTM B117 salt is documentation. The certified product includes independent analysis and lot-specific certification. The standard and bulk products meet the applicable ASTM B117 chemical requirements but do not include lot-specific certification.
ASTM B117 places limits on total impurities, certain halides, copper, and added anti-caking agents. The correct purchasing option depends on whether the program requires documentation of those properties and how much salt the laboratory uses.
| Salt Option | Best Use | Documentation and Packaging | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified ASTM B117 Salt | Customer-controlled programs, audited work, or any procedure requiring documented salt composition and lot traceability. | 99.9% sodium chloride independently analyzed for the applicable impurity, copper, halide, and anti-caking-agent requirements. Each 50 lb box includes lot-specific certification documentation. | View Product → |
| Standard Non-Certified Salt | Internal quality control, research and development, and routine testing when lot-specific paperwork is not required. | Provides the chemical quality required for ASTM B117 solution preparation without lot-specific certification. Supplied in a 50 lb box. | View Product → |
| Bulk Non-Certified Salt | Laboratories with steady or high-volume consumption that want to reduce their cost per pound. | The standard non-certified salt supplied as ten 50 lb boxes on one 500 lb pallet. No lot-specific certification is included. | View Product → |
When should you pay for certified salt? Choose it when the customer specification, purchase order, internal procedure, audit, or quality system requires proof of composition or lot traceability. If the chemistry must meet ASTM B117 but lot-specific documentation is not required, standard salt may be the more economical choice.
ASTM B117 Startup and Concentration-Measurement Supplies
ASTM B117 Salt Spray Startup Kit - 701500
The kit combines two 50 lb bags of salt, four collection funnels, four graduated cylinders,
one specific-gravity hydrometer, and one salimeter hydrometer.
Specific-Gravity Hydrometer - C280215
A specific-gravity hydrometer is one accepted method for evaluating sodium chloride concentration.
Because specific gravity changes with temperature, the operator must understand the instrument's calibration temperature and apply the appropriate correction when required.
Salimeter Hydrometer - C280220
A salimeter provides another way to check sodium chloride concentration. When used to verify newly mixed ASTM B117 solution,
the specification recommends a measurement between 4% and 6% at 25°C.
ASTM B117 Test Panel Support Bars and Racks
Unless another specification states otherwise, ASTM B117 requires the surface of interest to be positioned between 15° and 30° from vertical. Specimens must not contact each other, bare metal, or materials capable of acting as a wick. They must also be arranged to allow unencumbered fog exposure and prevent solution from one specimen from dripping onto another.
| Part Number | Product | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 700410 | 15° Slotted Support Bar - Size 20 | Polypropylene support bar for compatible 3 × 6 in and 4 × 12 in corrosion panels. Designed to hold panels at 15° from vertical in the Size 20 C Series chamber. | View Product → |
| 700415 | 15° Slotted Support Bar - Size 40 | Polypropylene support bar for compatible 3 × 6 in and 4 × 12 in corrosion panels. Designed to hold panels at 15° from vertical in the Size 40 C Series chamber. | View Product → |
| C100324 | Slotted Test Panel Support Rack | Rack sized 8.5 × 23 in with two rows of 20 slots. It can hold up to 40 compatible corrosion panels when specimen size, spacing, and chamber loading allow proper exposure. | View Product → |
ASTM B117 Supplies Still Require a Proper Salt Spray Chamber
Demonstration image showing dense fog inside an Auto Technology salt spray chamber.
Correct salt, water, and solution cannot compensate for apparatus that fails to maintain the required exposure conditions. ASTM B117 apparatus includes a fog chamber, solution reservoir, suitably conditioned compressed air, atomizing nozzle or nozzles, specimen supports, chamber heating, and the necessary controls.
The chamber must also prevent condensate from dripping onto specimens and use construction materials that do not affect fog corrosiveness. Auto Technology's C Series salt spray chambers use molded non-corrosive cabinets, touchscreen controls, baffled fog delivery, and integrated solution storage. The M Series salt fog chambers use traditional steel construction and indirect water-jacket heating.
Safety warning: A salt spray chamber should never be opened while it still contains salt fog. Stop the exposure and allow the chamber's purge cycle to remove the corrosive fog before opening the lid.
ASTM B117 Training and Proficiency Testing
ASTM B117 Salt Fog Training
Auto Technology's one-day class covers apparatus operation, collection rates, solution checks, specimen preparation,
maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, cleaning, and evaluation of exposed test pieces.
ASTM B117 Proficiency Testing
The Auto Technology ASTM B117 proficiency testing program provides an interlaboratory evaluation of participating laboratories'
corrosion-testing procedures and reported results.
ASTM B117 Testing Supplies FAQ
Do I need certified salt for ASTM B117 testing?
Not every program requires lot-specific certification. Certified salt is appropriate when a customer specification, purchase order, laboratory procedure, audit, or quality system requires documented composition and traceability. Standard non-certified salt may be appropriate when the required chemistry must be met but lot-specific documentation is not required.
What is the difference between standard and bulk ASTM B117 salt?
The bulk option is the standard non-certified salt supplied as ten 50 lb boxes on a 500 lb pallet. The difference is purchasing volume and cost per pound, not a separate salt formula.
Should I buy premixed ASTM B117 solution or make it myself?
Premixed solution reduces preparation labor and mixing variability. In-house preparation can be more economical for frequent testing when the laboratory already has Type IV water, controlled procedures, suitable instruments, and trained personnel.
Can filtered tap water be used to prepare ASTM B117 salt solution?
Only if the treatment system produces water meeting the applicable ASTM D1193 Type IV requirements. A basic sediment or carbon filter does not establish Type IV water quality. The treatment system must be maintained and its output checked.
What angle should ASTM B117 test panels be positioned at?
Unless otherwise specified, ASTM B117 requires the surface of interest to be supported between 15° and 30° from vertical. Another governing specification may require a particular orientation.