What Is VOC?
The VOC test identifies and quantifies the volatile organic compounds released into the air from materials used in the vehicle cabin. These compounds, the source of new-car smell, accumulate in the enclosed cabin and affect interior air quality. Measurement can be performed at material, component, or whole-vehicle level.
Purpose of VOC
The purpose is to quantify materials' contribution to interior air quality and to demonstrate compliance with OEMs' interior-emission specifications.
Which Products Is VOC Applied To?
- Seat fabric, foam and leather
- Instrument-panel and door-panel plastics
- Carpet, headliner and insulation materials
- Adhesive, gasket and sealing materials
- Cable insulation and protective materials
In Which Sectors Is VOC Used?
Standards Related to VOC
- VDA 277
- VDA 278
- ISO 12219-2
- ISO 12219-3
- ISO 12219-4
- ISO 16000-6
VOC Conditions
- VDA 277
- Static headspace method; gives the result as total carbon emission
- VDA 278
- Thermal desorption; VOC and FOG values are reported separately
- Emission chamber
- Temperature, humidity and air-exchange rate controlled under ISO 12219
Equipment for VOC
- Thermal-desorption unit
- Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
- Headspace sampler
- Emission test chamber (micro or large-volume)
- Tenax sampling tubes and pumps
Sample Requirements for VOC
- A representative material specimen; must be wrapped in aluminium foil immediately after cutting
- The specimen's packaging must not itself be a source of emission
- The amount of specimen varies by method (at gram level in VDA 278)
- The sampling date and storage conditions must be recorded
- For component- or vehicle-level measurement, the specimen description and surface area must be stated
Duration of VOC
Material-level analyses take a few days; emission-chamber studies and whole-vehicle measurements take longer owing to conditioning periods.
VOC Procedure
- 1The specimen is taken and packaged in a way that prevents loss of emission.
- 2The specimen is prepared according to the method to be applied.
- 3In VDA 278 the specimen undergoes two-stage thermal desorption.
- 4Released compounds are separated and identified by GC-MS.
- 5Quantity is determined using calibration standards.
- 6VOC and FOG values are calculated and reported.
VOC Acceptance Criteria
The acceptance criterion is not defined in the standard itself but in the OEM's interior-emission specification. Each manufacturer has its own limit values, which vary by material group.
Evaluation of Results
The VOC value represents low-boiling-point compounds, while the FOG value represents higher-boiling-point (condensable) compounds. The two values are interpreted together; a high FOG value is a precursor to a windscreen-fogging problem.
VOC Report
- Applied method and standard
- Specimen description, sampling date and storage conditions
- Analysis conditions
- VOC and FOG values, or total carbon emission
- Main compounds identified
- Comparison with the specification (if available)
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-emission specifications
- National regulations on indoor air quality
Environmental Analysis — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that the VOC 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.
Environmental analysis determines the presence and concentration of pollutants in water, soil, waste, air and flue gas samples. The output of this family is usually part of a permit, a declaration or an inspection file; the result has direct legal consequences.
In this family SAMPLING is half the result, and this is the feature that most sets the field apart. A sample taken at the wrong time, in the wrong container, under the wrong preservation or from the wrong point gives an invalid result no matter how well it is analysed in the laboratory. In waste water a grab sample and a composite sample give different information; in soil, surface and depth produce different results. Sampling therefore has its own standards and its own accreditation scope.
On the water side, physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, suspended solids), ions, heavy metals, organic pollutants and microbiological parameters are measured. Drinking water and waste water carry different parameter sets and different limits; the same laboratory method leads to a different decision under the two regimes.
In soil and waste, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, PAH and PCB compounds and LEACHING BEHAVIOUR are determined. The leaching test carries a logic peculiar to this field: it is not the total amount of a pollutant in soil but the fraction that can pass into water that determines the environmental risk. Waste classification and the disposal decision rest largely on this test.
On the emissions side, dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, moisture and total organic carbon are monitored in flue gas. Measurement is made on site under operating conditions and must represent the plant's actual operating regime; a measurement taken at low load does not show the emissions at full capacity.
Continuous measurement systems are a separate body of work. In large plants emissions are monitored continuously and the accuracy of these systems is verified periodically by comparison with independent measurements; the quality assurance framework governs this.
Noise and vibration measurements complete the environmental impact side of the field: environmental noise mapping, workplace noise exposure and vibration exposure measurements produce evidence for both environmental and occupational health legislation.
Method groups in this field
Sampling
Separate sampling standards for water, waste water, soil, waste, flue gas and ambient air; grab, composite and continuous sampling techniques.
Water physico-chemical
pH, conductivity, turbidity, colour, suspended solids, COD, BOD, TOC, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorus species.
Elemental analysis
Determination of heavy metals and trace elements in water, soil and waste by ICP-OES and ICP-MS.
Organic pollutants
Volatile organic compounds, PAH, PCB and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS; hydrocarbon oil index.
Flue gas
Measurement of dust, SO2, NOx, CO, O2, moisture and total gaseous organic carbon; quality assurance of automated measuring systems.
Leaching and waste characterisation
Leaching tests and waste classification parameters; the basis for the disposal decision.
Commonly confused in this field
- An analytical result cannot be used on its own without the sampling record; the time, point, conditions and chain of custody are part of the report.
- Total content and leachable amount give different information; in waste classification, leaching behaviour is what counts.
- Emission measurement must be made under representative operating conditions of the plant; a result taken at partial load is misleading.
- Drinking water and waste water limits are defined in different legislation; the same parameter carries a different threshold under the two regimes.
- A sample from a single point does not represent the whole area; assessment of a contaminated site requires a grid-based sampling plan.
Which decisions these results support
- Compliance with environmental permits and discharge limits
- Quality assurance of continuous emission measurement systems
- Contaminated site assessment and the remediation decision
- Waste classification and selection of the disposal method
- Workplace exposure measurements and occupational health obligations
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions About VOC
What is the difference between VDA 277 and VDA 278?
VDA 277 gives total carbon emission as a single value and is a fast screening method. VDA 278 gives VOC and FOG values separately via thermal desorption and provides compound-level identification; it is more detailed.
How should I send the specimen?
The specimen must be wrapped in aluminium foil as soon as possible after cutting, and plastic bags that could themselves be a source of emission must be avoided. Compounds migrating from the packaging directly distort the result; the sampling date must always be stated.