International Lubricant Specification Advisory Committee (ILSAC)

Founded in 1992, the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) is an organization through which Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA) develop minimum performance standards for passenger car engine oils used in gasoline fuelled engines.

The ILSAC standards, denoted by the terminology ILSAC GF-x, are based upon the API service categories and bring additional performance requirements, for example fuel economy improvement, and restrictions in the viscosity grades that may claim to meet an ILSAC standard.

ILSAC utilizes the API’s Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS). This is a voluntary licensing and certification program that authorizes engine oil marketers who meet specified requirements to use the API Engine Oil Quality Marks. These emblems go directly on each container of oil that retains the certification for and is there to help consumers identify a engine oils for their gasoline-powered vehicles. Only oils meeting the latest ILSAC standard may use the API Certification Mark.

For a deeper dive into specifications, see the Lubrizol Ready Reference Guide, the industry's go-to resource for understanding fuel and lubricant performance principles and requirements.