To address the constantly evolving needs of the automobile industry, the ACEA Oil Sequences are regularly updated to ensure that the minimum performance levels reflect the oil characteristics and quality needed from current vehicles.
ACEA adopted a two tier alpha-numeric system for its oil sequences, which not only provides a clear point of reference but also a high degree of flexibility, allowing new sequences and specifications to be added when necessary. Navigating the system can be tricky, but mastering the basics can help you to understand the classes and categories of lubricants that you or your customer may need.
Learning the Alphabet
For passenger cars there are two ACEA lubricant ‘Classes’. ‘Class A/B’ for vehicles using gasoline or light duty diesel engines where ‘A’ covers gasoline and ‘B’ for diesel. The second class ‘C’ was introduced in 2004, which addressed the need for lubricants compatible with exhaust aftertreatment systems used on gasoline and light duty diesel engines.
In reality, there is also an ‘E’ class, which specifically deals with the lubricant demands for heavy-duty diesel engines and is highly specialized, so let’s return to passenger cars and ABC.
Within each A, B and C class, there are also different categories, which are identified by a number and denote key elements of the lubricant specification including viscosity, HTHS (high temperature / high shear) characteristics, duty, application, testing requirements and for the ‘C’ class oils, their compatibility with after treatment systems.
For example, the first ACEA oil sequences were, unsurprisingly, A1/B1, but with continued emissions legislation and vehicle hardware development, by 2012, the classifications had grown to eight including four ‘C’ categories.
However, until the 2004 edition of the oil sequences, A and B were separate classes, making it possible for oil marketers to claim that a lubricant met gasoline engine performance criteria without claiming any diesel performance and vice versa.
Subsequently, A and B were combined into a single class for gasoline and light duty diesel engines, while the new class C oils, usually described as lower SAPS oils, use formulations with lower levels of sulphated ash, phosphorous and sulphur.
In addition to meeting the needs of vehicle manufacturers, ACEA also works with two further industry groups when developing the specifications and testing lubricant requirements. ATIEL represents lubricant manufacturers while ATC is the technical committee that represents the additive industry.
Keeping track of the organizations, technologies, and classifications can be a challenge, but being able to navigate the complex framework of ACEA sequences can be a differentiator for oil marketers.
ATC (Additive Technical Committee) – Technical Committee of Petroleum Additive Manufacturers in Europe.
ATIEL – ATIEL is a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) representing the combined knowledge and experience of leading European and international engine oil manufacturers and marketers.
A class – gasoline engine oils
B class – light-duty diesel engine oils
C class – low-SAPS oils (aftertreatment compatible)
E class – heavy-duty diesel engine oils
HTHS – high temperature high shear
SAPS – sulphated ash, phosphorous, sulphur
